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.