The Godfather and the Sermon on the Plain

<p><strong>The Bottom Line:</strong> To love, to do good, and to lend—even to your enemies—hits at the heart of the social world of the first-century.</p><p><strong>Takeaways</strong></p><ol> <li>The Roman world—and the Roman household—is structured around what we call a patron-client relationship. The opening of <em>The Godfather</em> is a perfect example of how this worked.</li> <li>A patron would do favors (in Greek, χάρις or “grace”) for his clients, who, in turn, were expected to be loyal (in Greek πίστις or "faithful").</li> <li>To love (ἀγαπάω) is properly understood as “attachment” to some group: your family, your village, your ethnic group, or to the patron-client relationship. It was not an internal, psychological state as we think of it today. It should always be understood as “group” language. </li> <li>Likewise, doing “good” or “lending” (in Luke 6:31-36) should also be understood within the context of the patron-client relationship.</li> <li>In Luke 6, Jesus is not just talking about being a “good person” or being “kind” to those you don’t like. Instead, he’s reorienting our entire outlook on life, including how we make our living. It’s a challenge to live our lives in such a way that God is our patron and we completely walk the Way by depending on him. </li> </ol><p><br></p>