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Matthew 5:42
“Give to him who asks you, and from him who desires to borrow from you, don’t turn away.”
This verse is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and a larger crowd, outlining a radical vision for living that often challenges conventional wisdom and societal norms of the time.
What does it look like to truly open our hands to others, even when it feels like we have little to give?
Then — the setting
In the Roman world, particularly among elites, generosity (liberalitas) was often a public act tied to social status, honor, and securing political influence or public acclaim. It could involve funding public works, sponsoring games, or distributing food. While there were expectations of patrons caring for clients, and reciprocal gift-giving was common, the idea of indiscriminate giving to anyone who asks, or lending without expectation of repayment, especially to the poor or those outside one's immediate social circle, was quite counter-cultural. Such generosity, detached from social gain, was not a central Roman virtue.
Across the Testaments
This command from Jesus in Matthew builds upon and intensifies the Old Testament's emphasis on care for the poor and vulnerable. Laws in Deuteronomy and Exodus, for example, mandate lending to the needy without interest and releasing debts periodically (e.g., Deuteronomy 15). Jesus' teaching pushes beyond these regulations, urging a more radical, universal, and non-calculating generosity that mirrors God's own expansive love, which 'makes his sun rise on the evil and the good' (Matthew 5:45). The New Testament authors like Paul further develop this, emphasizing giving out of love and not compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7), rooted in Christ's own self-giving.
Keep thinking
Read alongside it
This Old Testament law commands open-handedness to the poor and needy among the Israelites.
Luke's account of Jesus' teaching includes a similar command to give to everyone who asks and to lend without expecting repayment.
Paul encourages cheerful giving, emphasizing the heart behind the act of generosity rather than compulsion.
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