Luke 6:27-49
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Jesus in these teachings of loving our enemies, judging others, a tree and its fruit, and the wise and foolish builders are lessons on goodness and the goodness found in each of us...One can look good and maybe fool others some of the time of thinking that they are good, but over time evil will rear its head...And both evil and goodness come from our hearts...Evilness does not love, or forgive, or have mercy...
So to seek and find goodness, we are to be merciful, just as our Father is merciful...We are to love our enemies...It is easy to love family and friends...We are not to judge others, and then we will not be judged...We are not to condemn, and we will not be condemned...Forgive, and we will be forgiven...Give, and it will be given back to us...A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap...For with the measure and treat and judge others, is how it will be measured back to us...And over time we can see goodness in our fellow neighbors by the goodness in their hearts and how we have followed the word of Jesus...
Following Jesus and His words mean believing in Him and loving Him personally...Like any loving relationship, love can and often takes time...So like the fruit must be green before it ripens, and the house's foundation gets tested over time and much weather and storms...Faith in Him requires time, a deep rooting, and a solid foundation...And when we have this loving relationship and solid foundation, we can better see goodness and feel goodness...