repaying evil with evil is a given. Over and beyond that, Jesus demands that his disciples not only counter the negative treatment they receive by non-retaliation, but that they also infuse it with a life-giving overture. The hard part is to genuinely and ungrudgingly wish for the wellbeing of an enemy. Love is not sentimentalism, but a decisive action that runs counter to the natural vindictive response of fallen human nature. Jesus gives two illustrations from daily life. The first has to do with