For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Parallel translations
- WEB For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
- KJV For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
- BSB If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
- NASB For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?
- NLT If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Loving only those who love you earns no reward, for even tax collectors do that. It shows that ordinary, reciprocal love is no mark of the kingdom.
Overview
Jesus exposes how shallow it is to love only those who return our love, a thing even the despised tax collectors manage. Kingdom righteousness must surpass this self-serving love. The disciple is called to a love that reflects God's grace rather than mere human reciprocity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Luke 6:32–35If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
- 1 Pet 2:20–23For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.
- Matt 9:10–11As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
- Matt 11:19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
- Matt 18:17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
- Luke 18:13But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
- Luke 15:1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
- Matt 6:1“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
- Matt 21:31–32Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you.
- Luke 19:7When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”
- Luke 19:2There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 5:46 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.