Luke 6:36 (KJV)

Passage

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Nearby Context

Luke 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "merciful", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "merciful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "But love ye your enemies and do..." into verse 37's "Judge not and ye shall not be...", so "therefore" and "merciful" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "merciful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.