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" Luke 6:35 reads: 'But love
ye
your enemies, and do good,
and lend, hoping for nothing again .'
Regarding the lending of one' s pos–
sessions or money to others,
1
can
see where such is practica! within a
group (family, church, etc.). but
1
fail
to see where arbitrary lending to the
world at large would be practica! or
even accomplish good. In order for
me to get along in the present world
situation
1
cannot lend without hope
of repayment, or lend to just anyone.
1
would soon have nothing and nine
times out of ten the person
1
lent to
would have profited nothing either–
he would have only squandered my
possessions and
1
would have ·cast
my pearls before swine.' "
.
G.T.,
Minden. Ontario, Ganada
IEtll
Here is the context of Luke
111
6:35: "But
1
say to you that
hear. Love your enemies. do good
to !hose who hate you, bless those
who curse you , pray for !hose who
abuseyou .... Andas you wish that
men would do to you, do so to
them .... if you do good to those
who do good to you, what credit is
that to you? For even sinners do the
same. And if you lend to those from
whom you hope to receive, what credit
is that to you? Even sinners lend to
sinners, to receive as much again. But
love your enemies, and do good, and
lend, expecting nothing in return; and
your reward will begreat, and youwill
besonsoftheMost High; forhe is kind
lo the ungrateful and the selfish. Be
merciful, even as your Father is mer–
ciful."
In this particular passage Christ
was reacting to the Old Testament
!ex talionis
or law of retaliation ("an
eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth"). Here Jesus was saying that
a Christian shouldn't have to exact
punishment from someone who has
34
wronged him; that it is indeed far
healthier to let yourself be wronged
without seeking revenge.
This teaching is not a blanket
command to lend to anybody and
everybody who " puts the touch"
on you; rather it is an admonition to
be merciful and charitable and to
give unsecured loans to worthy in–
dividuals who need temporary help
but might not be able to pay the
money back in the future. See
Jesus' admonition to the Pharisees
in Luke 14:12-14.
In order to follow the golden rule
("as you wish that men would doto
you, do so to them"), a Christian
with money to lend would need to
take into account a potential
debtor's ability to wisely use a
loan-whether it would be a nega–
tive or character-destroying experi–
ence for the debtor to have the
money to use improperly or un–
wisely. lf so, it might be the loving
thing to refuse to give the loan in
the first place. The person may be
more in need of good advice.
This particular passage is not en–
joining Christians to indiscrimi–
nately give away their money. but
rather to distribute whatever extra
funds they possess with unselfish–
ness and merey.
I) "Does the Bib le say that
_[i_l
people who suffer from epi–
lepsy or fits are possessed by evil
spirits? (See Matthew 17:14-18, Mark
9:14-27.) Surely this is not so. "
S.K.,
Wexford, lreland
n
The Bible does not equate
111
"demon possession " wit h
any particular disease. Although
the symptoms mentioned in the
scriptures you cited did have a cer–
tain resemblance to a grand mal
A
n sw e r s
epileptic seizure, they were different
in one very importan! respect: the
possessed boy often fell into water
or tires, since his evil spirit was
trying to destroy him. An epileptic
patient does not behave in a self–
destructive manner.
Epilepsy is a neurological dis–
order sometimes brought on by
brain tumors, lesions. chemical im–
balances. or other factors. Many
times the disease can be controlled
by drugs and the epileptic can lead
a totally normal life. Since epilepsy
is not fully understood by a great
many people, epileptics unfortu–
nately must deal with a lot of misun–
derstanding and prejudice about
their condition.
IWI
"Luke 12:51-53 reads in part:
U 'Suppose
ye
that
1
am come to
give peace on earth?
1
tell you , Nay;
but rather division . For from hence–
forth ... the father shall be divided
against the son.· These verses seem
incongruous with so much of today's
Christian philosophy, and they seem
incompatible with the whole message
of love in the Bible. On an individual
basis,
1
feel that one of the main evi–
dences of successful living is a
peaceful , loving relationship within
the family.
lf
my beliefs were such as
to create a breakdown in my family,
1
would have to seriously question the
divine authority of my beliefs and un–
derstandings."
G.L. ,
Toronto, Ontario, Ganada
n
Christian principies uphold
111~
and protect marriage and the
family. lf every husband and wife
were to practice God's law of love
toward their mate and children, we
would live in an idyllic society free
from marital strife and family dis–
cord.
But we do not live in such a to-
The
PLAIN TRUTH Aprll 1978