Luke 06.46-49 | Sermon on the Level (part 06)

Luke 06.46-49 What we will study this morning in the Sermon on the Level (part 06)…01. Confession Not Profession (Luke 06.46); 02. The Wise Builder (Luke 06.47-48); and 03. The Foolish Builder (Luke 06.49).

01. Confession Not Profession (Luke 06.46)

Continuing on with the theme about false teachers, Jesus speaking to His hearers, asks “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 06.46) The Greek word for “Lord” is (G2962) kuriov kurios and it means one who is supreme in authority, master. Jesus does not want His hearers to be like the false teachers that He has been talking about. He is warning His hearers that confession without profession is no real faith at all (James 01.21-27; James 02.14-26). The emphasis that James places in James 01.21-27 and James 02.14-26 is on the false claim of faith, and that true faith is proved by what you do in response to what Jesus did for us on the cross and in the grave. To live in the opposite way of what you confess to be your conviction is blatant hypocrisy. You can confess all day that you love Christ, but if your actions don’t display your love for Christ, you are living a lie.

Making a simple profession acknowledging that Jesus is Lord is not enough. Faith is revealed in our obedience to the Lord’s commands. We don’t really love Him and believe Him to be our Lord, our Master, if we don’t do what He says. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10.27). If it never makes a difference in how we live, calling Jesus our Lord is a hollow, contradictory statement. This is demonstrated in Malachi 01.06-14. Jesus said that “he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 03.36) because “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” (Matthew 07.21-23) Many people who have a confession without profession are like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25.01-13 who didn’t believe that He was coming soon and were locked out of the wedding feast.

But Jesus said “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20.28; Mark 10.45) Jesus demonstrated this after washing the disciples feet, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. (Being willing to humbly serve one another) “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13.12-17)

John in his epistle of 1John writes that our love for God is demonstrated or proved by our obedience to God (1John 02.03-06; 1John 02.29; 1John 03.04-11; 1John 05.01-04), our love for others (1John 02.09-11; 1John 03.14-18; 1John 03.23-24; 1John 04.07-21), not loving the world (1John 02.15-17), and James writes, “do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 04.04)

To illustrate this point, Jesus talks about two different builders. In Matthew’s account (Matthew 07.24-27), Jesus refers to these two builders as wise/prudent and foolish.

02. The Wise Builder (Luke 06.47-48)

The phrase “dug deep” (Luke 06.48) seems to speak of the deep heart searching that marks genuine repentance. Jesus states that the wise man is the one who trusts Jesus to be His Lord and Saviour (Romans 10.09-13), who hears what He instructs in His Word and does them. This is the way that we are to live and build our lives upon, the Rock of Jesus. Those in the Roman Catholic Church teach and believe that Peter (G4074. Petrov Petros and it means a detached stone or boulder, or a stone that might be thrown or easily moved) is the rock that the church is built on. Paul tells us that Jesus is our foundation stone, not Peter in 1Corinthians 03.10-15. The Bible tells us that the only foundation for salvation is Jesus Christ, who is the rock. The Greek word for “rock” in Luke 06.48 (twice) is (G4073) petra petra and it implies a rock that is a sure foundation (Matthew 07.24-25; Matthew 16.18; Matthew 27.51; Matthew 27.60; Mark 15.46). (cf. Vine, W.E.; Merrill F. Unger (1996-08-28). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: With Topical Index (Kindle Locations 52395-52405). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.) In Luke 20.17-18 (see also Matthew 21.42-45; Matthew 21.42; Mark 12.10-12; 1Peter 02.06-08), Jesus declared that He is the foundation, the corner stone, which was foretold in Psalm 118.22 and Isaiah 28.16. Paul states that Jesus is the foundation, the corner stone of the church (Ephesians 02.20).

Throughout the Old Testament, we see that God is referred to as the Rock (Deuteronomy 32.04; Deuteronomy 32.15; Deuteronomy 32.18; Deuteronomy 32.31; 1Samuel 02.02; 2Samuel 22.02; 2Samuel 22.32; 2Samuel 22.47; 2Samuel 23.03; Psalm 18.02; Psalm 28.01; Psalm 78.35; Psalm 95.01; Isaiah 26.04; Isaiah 30.29) Peter speaking to the Sanhedrin said that Jesus is the Rock, that “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 04.11-12 see also 1Peter 02.05-08)

Luke 06.48 “and could not shake it” in the Greek (ουκ ισχυσεν σαλευσαι αυτην) implies that the storm did not have enough strength to shake the house. The phrase “well built” in Luke 06.48 should be translated as “for it was founded on the rock”, which is Jesus. When the test comes, with the flood rushing in like the waves of the sea, pulling and tugging at the foundation of that house, but the house remains standing because it is built on Jesus. This is a man who trusts in Jesus as His Lord and Saviour (Psalm 125.01-02).

03. The Foolish Builder (Luke 06.49)

Here we see the result of a man who has no profession with his confession. His building was built foolishly on the sand (Matthew 07.26) “without any foundation” (Luke 06.49). When the storm hit, his building “immediately collapsed” (Luke 06.49), it just fell in. Jesus then states that “the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 06.49), which in the Greek is an old word for a rip or fracture, and is used in the medical field to describe the laceration of a wound. This is the only time it is used in the New Testament. The foolish man builds upon what he thinks is best, following the carnal values of this world.

Jesus here gives us an illustration of two houses that look the same from the outside, but were different because of their foundation. It would be easier to build on the sand instead of working upon the hard and rugged rock.

In the Book of Exodus (Exodus 17.04-06), while the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they became thirsty and they started to complain. Moses then records for us the miraculous provision of water for 2 or 3 million people in the desert. Paul tells us that God provided water daily for His people from this rock that Moses struck, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.” (1Corinthians 10.01-04) This is the first time that the word “rock” is mentioned in Scripture. Moses used the same staff that struck the Nile River in judgment (Exodus 17.05; see also Exodus 07.20) as he did to strike the rock. In the judgment of our sins, while Jesus hung on the cross, bearing our grief’s and sorrows, He was “Smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53.04), so that He could fulfill His promise of “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 04.14) and “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 07.37) Once our Rock was “Smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53.04), the water of eternal life is now freely available to all who come to drink (Revelation 21.06). The last command written in the Bible, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22.17) so that “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst” (John 04.14).

We demonstrate our salvation by being doers of the Word (Luke 06.46-47; James 01.22), which is of course only made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus, making Him our strong foundation (Luke 06.47-48).

Luke 06.39-45 | Sermon on the Level (part 05)

Luke 06.39-45 As we have been going through the Sermon on the Level, we have mentioned the parallel account provided for us by Matthew. In the closing section of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 07.13-29), we see the application of the message that Jesus has been giving. We see specifically that Jesus closes out with a command for His hearers to “Enter (this word in the original Greek is written in the Imperative mood) through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 07.13-14) This breaks down the whole of His message on the mount, demonstrating to His hearers that they have two choices, they can choose to follow the wide and broad gate, where you are following the crowd towards destruction, eternal separation from God in Hell, where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 08.12; Matthew 13.42; Matthew 13.50; Matthew 22.13; Matthew 24.51; Matthew 25.30; Luke 13.28) Or you could choose the narrow gate, where there is not as many people, it causes you to not live for yourself, the way is difficult, but leads to eternal life in Heaven (John 03.16; Romans 10.09-13).

What makes this choice between the two gates all the more difficult is the many false teachers who Jesus warned will “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 07.15). All throughout the Bible, we are warned about these false teachers, describing them as greedy (Isaiah 56.11; Ezekiel 13.19; Ezekiel 22.25-28; Ezekiel 34.02; Jeremiah 06.13; Jeremiah 08.10; Micah 03.05; Philippians 03.18–19; 1Timothy 03.03; Titus 01.07; 1Peter 05.02; 2Peter 02.01–03; 2Peter 02.10-15; Jude 12) who claim to have vision and dreams from God (Jeremiah 23.21-32; Jeremiah 29.08; Lamentations 02.14; Ezekiel 13.03-16). The Bible describes them as “blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber; And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.” (Isaiah 56.10-11)

They are called the tail (Isaiah 09.14-15), which is interesting because many of the false teachers today like to take Deuteronomy 28.13 (“YHWH will make you the head and not the tail”) out of context and take a passage meant for the generation entering into the Promised Land and apply it for CHRISTians today. They are also described as insane fools (Hosea 09.07); reckless and treacherous (Zephaniah 03.04); ravenous and savage wolves (Matthew 07.15; Acts 20.28-30); blind guides of the blind (Isaiah 09.16; Isaiah 56.10; Malachi 02.08; Matthew 14.15; Luke 06.39; hypocrites (Matthew 23.13-15; Matthew 23.27-29; Luke 06.42); fools (Matthew 23.17); whitewashed tombs full of bones (Matthew 23.27; Luke 11.44); serpents, brood of vipers (Matthew 03.07; Matthew 12.34; Matthew 23.33; Luke 03.07); slaves of their own appetites (Romans 16.18; Philippians 03.18–19); corrupters of God’s Word (2Corinthians 02.17; 2Corinthians 04.02); false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2Corinthians 11.13-14; 2John 07); servants of Satan (2Corinthians 11.15); preaching a different gospel (Galatians 01.06-08; 1Timothy 06.03-05); dogs and evil workers (Philippians 03.02); enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 03.18); preaching the doctrines of demons (1Timothy 04.01-03); conceited and understanding nothing (1Timothy 06.04); users of abusive language (1Timothy 06.04); men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth (1Timothy 06.05); men who have gone astray from the truth (2Timothy 02.18); captives of the devil (2Timothy 02.26); introducers of destructive heresies, immoral and maligning the truth (2Peter 02.01-03); antichrists (1John 02.18); ungodly persons (Jude 04); and unreasoning animals (Jude 10). God declares a severe judgment on them (Deuteronomy 13.05; Deuteronomy 18.20; Jeremiah 14.15; Galatians 01.08-09; Revelation 02.20-23). The Greek word for “accursed” in Galatians 01.08-09 is (G331) anayema anathema, which means to be eternally condemned.

God declares such a severe judgment on them being eternally condemned because they lead many astray, thinking that they are on their way to Heaven but instead these false teachers are paving their way to Hell (Isaiah 03.12; Isaiah 09.16; Jeremiah 14.13; Jeremiah 23.26-27; Jeremiah 23.32; Jeremiah 50.06; Matthew 23.13-15; Matthew 24.04-05; Matthew 24.24; Luke 11.46; Luke 11.52; Romans 16.17-18; Colossians 02.04; Colossians 02.08; Colossians 02.18; 1Thessalonians 02.14-16; 2Timothy 03.13; Titus 01.10; 2John 07).

Regarding false teachers, the Bible instructs us to mark or bring to the attention of others (Romans 16.17-18), to call them out (Titus 01.10-16), to name names (1Timothy 01.20; 2Timothy 02.16-18) to not allow them to teach in the church and publicly rebuke them (Titus 01.10-16). The Bible forbids CHRISTians from listening to these false teachers (Titus 03.10-11) and instead we are to test or to scrutinize them to see whether they are genuine or not, to see if they really are from God (1John 04.01). God says that the reason why He allows false teachers is to test His people (Deuteronomy 13.03; see also Deuteronomy 08.02; Psalm 66.10). The same way that God allows persecution of His people to test or to show them that they love Him and are faithful to Him, and it proves those who are not really His. For those who are not really His will follow after false teachers (2Thessalonians 02.08-12). False teachers and their acceptance are proof of those who really belong to the LORD or not.

Jesus started the Sermon on the Level giving a description of how a person who is in a right relationship with God should conduct his life, contrasting that with what the Pharisees taught, who were concerned about external qualities, while Jesus was concerned with the internal, the heart. Jesus declared that those who are spiritually poor, spiritually hungry, those who weep over their unrighteousness, and are ignored by the world are blessed (Luke 06.20-26 | Sermon on the Level part 02). Jesus then gave seven distinct commands that involve a continuous or repeated action in Luke 06.27-30 | Sermon on the Level part 03). We saw last time (Luke 06.31-38 | Sermon on the Level part 04) that Jesus told His followers that we are to be distinct from the world because of our supernatural love that does what is right, even to towards those who are hostile to the Gospel. 01. Be Merciful (Luke 06.31-36); 02. Be Wise (Luke 06.37) and 03. Be Generous (Luke 06.38).

Luke 06.39 “And He also spoke a parable to them: This is the second time (Luke 05.36) in the Gospel of Luke that we see Jesus using a parable. The Greek word for “parable” is (G3850) parabolh parabole, and it means a placing of one thing by the side of another for comparison. At its root (G3846 paraballw paraballo) is made up of two Greek words, (G3844) para para, which means beside or alongside, and (G906) ballw ballo, which means to throw. The word “parable” (G3850 parabolh parabole) can refer to a comprehensive or drawn-out comparison or a proverb.

What we will study this morning in the Sermon on the Level (part 05) is four characteristics of false teachers…01. False Teachers Are Spiritually Blind (Luke 06.39); 02. False Teachers Are Duplicated (Luke 06.40); 03. False Teachers Are Hypocrites (Luke 06.41-42); and 04. False Teachers Are Evil (Luke 06.43-45).

01. False Teachers Are Spiritually Blind (Luke 06.39)

Luke 06.39 “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he?” The way that this is written in the original Greek (cannot in Greek is mhti dunatai meti dunatai [G3385 G1410] implies that a negative answer is expected.

Blindness was a common malady at this time, and with it came many problems. At that time, they didn’t have the all the rules and guidelines that we have today to make sure things are in place for the blind or disabled. Back then, if you were blind, you were vulnerable to falling into wells or ditches, unfenced cliffs etc.

Luke 06.39 “Will they not both fall into a pit?” The Greek word for “not” is (G3780) ouci ouchi, is a sharpened negative from the Greek word (G3756) ουκ. So the Greek word (G3756) ουκ, in a question is expecting the answer of yes. When a blind man is leading another blind person, eventually they will fall into a pit, or today walk into traffic and be killed.

Blindness is used throughout the Bible as a symbol to those who are spiritually blind. Paul tells us that Satan “has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2Corinthians 04.04). Asaph the Psalmist says “They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.” (Psalm 82.05) Jesus declared that “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 03.19-20)

As we saw in Luke 04.18, The Mission of the Messiah was to “open the eyes of the blind” (see also Psalm 146.08; Isaiah 29.18-19; Isaiah 32.03; Isaiah 35.05; Isaiah 42.07; Isaiah 42.16-18; Acts 26.18; Ephesians 05.08-14; 1Peter 02.09) because He came “as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” (John 12.46) Jesus is the only One who heals those who are spiritually blind. In Matthew 15.12-14, Jesus applies this to the scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders who were the false teachers of the day. Even though they taught from the Old Testament, they added their own rules, regulations and interpretations from other Rabbi’s that they made up their own theology. We can still see the fruit of their theology in modern day Judaism, where its all rules and regulations and what Maimonides and other revered Rabbis taught, they are still missing Jesus. Those who follow leaders who do not know the way to God’s Kingdom will never get there, instead they will all fall into the pit of Hell (Matthew 23.15). This is a cold, stark reality of what happens when people follow false teachers, and Jesus is warning His hearers to watch out, don’t follow the spiritually blind (1Timothy 06.03-05; 2Timothy 03.13).

02. False Teachers Are Duplicated (Luke 06.40)

“fully trained” in the Greek is (G2675) katartizw katartizo, and was a common word used for the state of completion, to be thoroughly instructed. A person cannot teach what he doesn’t know and he cannot lead his disciples to a level higher than he has achieved. The more he teaches, the more the disciples become like their master. This includes any faults or false teachings. When your master is blind, teaching false doctrine, the disciple will become more and more like his master, repeating the same false doctrine and eventually falling into the pit of Hell. If the master doesn’t understand the truth of God, neither will his disciples. Conversely, those who follow Jesus will become like Him (1John 03.02). False teachers duplicating themselves are seen even further in Luke 06.41-42.

03. False Teachers Are Hypocrites (Luke 06.41-42)

The Pharisees and other religious leaders of that day were apparently in the mind of Jesus when He gave this characteristic of false teachers. The Greek word for “speck” is (G2595) karfov karphos, and it means a piece of dried wood like a splinter. The Greek word for “log” is (G1385) dokov dokos, and it speaks of a log on which planks in the house rest, like a rafter. By this time, this was a well-known illustration found in Jewish writings throughout the years.

The splinter or speck and the log were used by our Saviour to illustrate in a humorous way the hypocrisy that is commonly found amongst the false teachers of the day (the Pharisees). As is so common amongst the false teachers, they are generally far more tolerant to their own sin than they are of the sin of others. They like to think of themselves as great spiritual leaders among the church, blinded by the sin of their self-righteousness, they are in no position to deal with the smaller sins of others. Paul talks about people like this in Romans 02.01 and Romans 02.21-24. Jesus calls them hypocrites, who “outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23.28)

The Greek word for “hypocrite” is (G5273) upokrithv hupokrites, and it originally was used for an actor under an assumed character. Now it is used in the negative, used of someone who pretends to be something that they are not. The point is that one cannot help someone else become righteous if he is not righteous himself; to do so is to be a hypocrite.  The sin of hypocrisy can be a downfall for even the people of God. When Nathan confronted David after he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah (2Samuel 11.01-12.04), David’s response to the story told by Nathan was a hypocritical response (2Samuel 12.05-07). Nathan told David about a poor man who had a lamb stolen by a rich man and served as dinner when a visitor came (2Samuel 12.01-07). When confronted with our hypocrisy and sin, we are to respond like David, “I have sinned against YHWH.” And Nathan said to David, “YHWH also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” (2Samuel 12.13)

He has taken away our sin, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103.12) because He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 01.29). John tells us that when we “confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 01.09), because by His sacrificial death our sin are completely paid for (Hebrews 09.26; Hebrews 10.12).

04. False Teachers Are Evil (Luke 06.43-45)

The fourth characteristic that Jesus uses is the tree and its fruit. The fruit that a tree produces shows what kind of tree it is, and if the tree itself is a healthy tree. There is “no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.” (Luke 06.43) Good trees do not produce bad, inedible fruit, and conversely neither do bad trees produce good, edible fruit. Jesus then takes the image a little further, by saying that “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 06.44) Plants and trees produce fruit according to their nature, so then “men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” (Luke 06.44) Just as trees produce fruit according to their nature, how people speak reveals what is in their hearts. You can tell whether a person is righteous or not by the way that they talk. The hearts of the righteous “brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”  (Luke 06.45) The Word of God should always test the life and teaching of all those who claim to speak for God. If their life and teaching disagree with the Bible, than “it is because they have no dawn” or there is no light in them, and they will wander “through the land hard-pressed and famished” (Isaiah 08.20-22)

Luke 06.31-38 | Sermon on the Level (part 04)

Luke 06.31-38

Jesus started the Sermon on the Level giving a description of how a person who is in a right relationship with God should conduct his life, contrasting that with what the Pharisees taught, who were concerned about external qualities, while Jesus was concerned with the internal, the heart. Jesus declared that those who are spiritually poor, spiritually hungry, those who weep over their unrighteousness, and are ignored by the world are blessed (Luke 06.20-26 | Sermon on the Level part 02). Jesus then gave seven distinct commands that involve a continuous or repeated action in Luke 06.27-30 | Sermon on the Level part 03).

01. Love Your Enemies (Luke 06.27), 02. Don’t Seek Revenge (Luke 06.27), 03. Bless Those Who Curse You (Luke 06.28), 04. Pray For Your Enemies (Luke 06.28), 05. Turn The Other Cheek (Luke 06.29), 06. Give To All Who Ask (Luke 06.30), 07. Don’t Demand Your Rights (Luke 06.30). What we will study this morning in Sermon on the Level (part 04)…01. Be Merciful (Luke 06.31-36); 02. Be Wise (Luke 06.37) and 03. Be Generous (Luke 06.38).

01. Be Merciful (Luke 06.31-36)

Luke 06.31 Most know this as the Golden Rule, and various forms of it are found in Greek philosophy, early rabbinic writings, it’s found as well as in Hinduism and Buddhism.

The well-known Jewish rabbi Hillel said, “What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor.” (Talmud; Shabbat 31a) The Greek philosopher Isocrates wrote, “Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you” (Nicoles, 3.60). The apocryphal book of Tobit states, “Do that to no man which thou hatest” (4.15). Confucius wrote, “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself” (Analects, XV.24) But in all it various forms outside of the Word of God, the Golden Rule is written in a negative sense. They teach that you are not to do to others what you would not want others to do to you. This is a man-made morality at its best, for man focuses on self, with his only concern being that he gets treated well by others. It’s “a what can I get out of this relationship” mentality.

Jesus flips this upside down and Jesus commands that His followers are to have a selfless love, a love that focuses on others and not self. A love that wants to treat others the way that they would want to be treated, even if they don’t receive the same kind of treatment. For this is how God loves us (John 03.16; Romans 05.08; 2Corinthians 05.19-21; Titus 03.04-07; 1John 04.09-10; 1John 04.19), and this love is impossible on our own. Only those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God can “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 05.05)

Luke 06.32 The love that the followers of Jesus have for the sinners is evidence of a life that is following after Jesus. It is to be a love that is not often seen in this world, for to love those who hate you is seen as ridiculous. The word for “sinners” in Luke 06.32 is (G268) amartwlov hamartolos and it is used of those who don’t believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour (Mark 08.38; Romans 05.08; Galatians 02.17; James 04.08; James 05.20; 1Timothy 01.09; 1Peter 04.18; Jude 15). The unbelievers (sinners) “love those who love them.” (Luke 06.32) Only having a love for others because they love you is the same as the sinners who have not been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Even sinners, including tax collectors and Gentiles, who were the lowest of lows in Jewish society (Matthew 05.46-47) “love those who love them.” (Luke 06.32)

Jesus goes on to say “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” (Luke 06.33) Such a selfish attitude by the follower of Jesus should not be displayed. For even the unbelievers do good to those who do good to them because they get something in return, and that type of attitude opens the door for people to justify their seeking revenge on those who don’t do good to them. Jesus then asks, “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.” (Luke 06.34) Jesus is not talking about lending to someone who will never pay back the loan (the word “amount” is not in the original Greek), but instead He is talking about lending to others to create an obligation, such as expecting them to repay you by lending to you when needed. This is type of selfish love that marks an unbeliever, a ‘Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ mentality.

To love like the world is no way to display the love that God has shown to us, for it will never convince anyone to come to repentance, and it shows that you really are not a disciple of Jesus. There is no evidence of a life transformed by Christ (James 02.08-16).

Luke 06.35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great,” Jesus again commands His followers to love their enemies. The use of the Greek word (G4133) plhn plen for “But” is used to show that there is a direct contrast between how the unbelievers act and how those who are followers of Jesus act. Jesus says that when His followers lend things that they are to do it without ever expecting anything (“expecting nothing”) in return. A no strings attached type of attitude we are to have when we lend.  By having this type of attitude, we save ourselves the worry and anxiety that comes with expecting something that never materializes. Whether it’s our time, money, resources, etc, we are never to expect repayment and Jesus said that when we do it, our “reward will be great” (Luke 06.35). By having this attitude, we are showing that we trust the living God to take care of our needs, knowing that “YHWH is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23.01) “And (that) my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 04.19) and that the “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to YHWH, And He will repay him for his good deed.” (Proverbs 19.17) By doing this, we have an opportunity to show the unbelievers that we are truly “sons of the Most High” (Luke 06.35) and it confirms that our lives have been transformed by God.

Luke 06.35 “for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” God continually shows grace to sinners, “for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 05.45) Jesus then commands His followers to “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 06.36) The mercy of God is what keeps Him from judging all of mankind and throwing them in Hell. In His mercy, He is “patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2Peter 03.09) David says that “YHWH is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.” (Psalm 145.09) But those who refuse to repent of their sins and ignore His kindness and mercy will face eternity in Hell where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13.42)

02. Be Wise (Luke 06.37)

Luke 06.37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged” There are two main words in the Greek that are used for judging others. The first Greek word for judging is (G1252) diakrinw diakrino and it means to discern, to consider and make a decision between two opposites, it can also mean “to doubt.” This type of judgment is our responsibility, where we are to discern between what is right and wrong, between truth and error, and in order to rightly do so; we need the wisdom that comes from God. The second Greek word is (G2919) krinw krino, which means to render a verdict, to condemn, to make a judgment. (G2919) krinw krino is the root word for “hypocrite” which in the Greek is (G5273) upokrithv hupokrites. Often those who are judgmental of others tend to be the biggest hypocrites.

When Jesus tells us, “Do not judge” in the Greek (kai mh krinete) He is using the first Greek word we looked at for judge, (G2919 krinw krino) and He is commanding His followers that they are forbidden to rashly form an opinion on someone that is a merciless, cruel, critical, compassionless condemnation of one’s enemies. Jesus does not want His followers to judge (G2919 krinw krino) as if they are God, with the power to condemn a person to Hell. Jesus does not want us to be sin sniffers, looking intently upon everyone with a fine toothcomb and pointing out every fault of theirs and condemning them to Hell if they don’t follow our own self-righteousness. We are not to have an attitude of spiritual superiority, looking down on people thinking that we are better then they are. There is only One who can rightly be judge and condemn, “For not even the Father judges (G2919 krinw krino) anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 05.22) James tells us “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge (G2919 krinw krino) your neighbor?” (James 04.12) because “”VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE (G2919 krinw krino) HIS PEOPLE.”” (Hebrews 10.30) for “Shall not the Judge (G2919 krinw krino in the Greek Septuagint) of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18.25).

The Greek word for judging with discernment is (G1252) diakrinw diakrino and as I said before, this type of judgment is our responsibility, where we are to discern between what is right and wrong, between truth and error, and in order to rightly do so; we need the wisdom that comes from God. How do we get God’s wisdom? David and Solomon tell us that “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 111.10; see also Proverbs 01.07; Proverbs 09.10) and “YHWH gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 02.06) David declares that God’s “commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.” (Psalm 119.98-100) Paul writes that we are to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 03.16)

Now that we have seen that wisdom comes from God, including reading His Word, we can have that assurance knowing that when we need to discern between right and wrong, we look to the Word for guidance. Paul in 1Corinthians 06.05 (“decide” is G1252 diakrinw diakrino) tells us that those of us in the church have a responsibility to discern between believers disagreements. This is why a follower of Jesus is not prevented from evaluating a person’s spiritual condition and confronting them in their sin (Matthew 07.06; Matthew 18.15-20; 1Corinthians 05.05; 1Timothy 05.20; 2Timothy 04.02; 2John 10). The followers of Jesus are commanded to be discerning, to be “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves”, especially of false teachers “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10.16)

Luke 06.37 “and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned;” This is similar to the first part of this verse, but it adds a feel of finality to the idea of judging, essentially setting up yourself as the executioner by pronouncing them guilty. We need to be reminded that apart from the grace of God, we would be in the same situation as the unbeliever (Titus 03.03-07). Luke 06.37 “pardon, and you will be pardoned.” The King James Version translates this as “forgive”, but it literally means to pardon another for their transgressions against me. This continues what Jesus said in Luke 06.36, that we are to “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”, especially to our enemies and those who hate us.

03. Be Generous (Luke 06.38)

Luke 06.38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” This passage of Scripture has been taken out of context so many times that it is now commonly misunderstood as a passage on giving and tithing. Many false teachers and ministries that are not false who will use this passage to raise money for their ministry, and they will say, “You need to give so that it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”

Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, wrote in an article entitled, “Why Should We Tithe?” and in it we see a perfect example of Luke 06.38 being taken out of context:

One reason we tithe, when we tithe, we receive many blessings from God. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. (CBN TEACHING SHEETS Giving and Tithing By CBN.com. posted at: http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/cbnteachingsheets/giving_and_tithing.aspx)

Benny Hinn, a blatant false teacher who preaches and promotes the prosperity gospel, said the following on one of his programs:

But I believe he also meant the wealth transfer. And I believe this is what the Lord spoke about when He spoke of it in Luke 6:38. He said, “Give, it shall be given unto you.” Now, listen to the words, “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, shall man give to your bosom.” I don’t think we’ve . . . we . . . we . . . we have seen that kind of harvest yet, the kind of harvest that where it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. That kind of prosperity is in the future, because that is that wealth transfer. I mean God has blessed us in many ways. But that promise of Luke 6:38, I don’t think we have seen it in completion. We have not seen the fullness of it yet. That’s coming.

(Benny Hinn, “Three Keys to Prepare You for the Coming Wealth Transfer.” (6:48-7:36)

Yet this passage is not about money. Remember in context, Jesus is instructing His followers to love their enemies (Luke 06.27). Jesus is commanding His followers to be generous to all, especially to the unbelievers “Give, and it will be given to you.” When we are generous to the unbelievers, it will surprise them and in return “They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”

Jesus now uses an illustration that all of His hearers would understand and be familiar with to demonstrate the blessing that His followers will receive when they are generous. In his commentary, J. Jeremias explains the background of what Jesus taught here in this verse.

The measuring of the corn is a process, which is carried out according to an established pattern. The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs. First of all he fills the measure three-quarters full and gives it a good shake with a rotary motion to make the grains settle down. Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next he presses the corn together strongly with both hands. Finally he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together; from time to time he bores a hole into the corn and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain. In this way the purchaser is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more. (Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, 222. Cited in Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50, The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 607-8.)

This was done to make sure there was no cheating by the seller, guaranteeing that you get what you pay for. Sometimes when bringing this grain, they would carry it in their bosom, using their long robe to carry the grain.

Luke 06.38 “For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.””

If you measure grace and mercy to someone, even to your enemy, your enemy may actually return the same grace and mercy to you. But more importantly, it shows that you are a true child of God and that you have been given mercy from God. The phrase “running over” in the Greek is (G5240) uperekcunw huperekchuno and it means to pour out beyond measure, to overflow. So the followers of Jesus are to be marked with grace and kindness to the unbeliever and to our enemies. We are to be a good witness for the Gospel by being gracious and merciful to all that we come across with. Jesus was the perfect example of this, “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 05.08) “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 05.10) Being a good witness to our enemies and the unbelievers is more valuable than any amount of money that we can attain.