The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 6:37-38,
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
This observation was made by Jesus in his "sermon on the plain" which quite likely to my thinking is the same sermon as the one on the mount... the "plain" being the "level place" mentioned in verse 17. It may be that when Jesus spent a night on a mountainside to pray, verse 12, he afterward came down the following morning as far as a level place on that mountainside and gave his sermon on the mount, Matthew 5:1-7:29, the same as Luke's sermon on the plain, 6:20-49.
In any event, I use the term "observation" in connection with Luke 6:37-38. While most seem to take the thrust of what Jesus says here as a "punch list" of do-gooder items a pastor sends his flock out to perform during the week, I don't see it that way at all. I don't think for a minute that Jesus' intent here was to give us a laundry list of things to go scurry about to perform. He set a bar so high that all might recognize their need of a savior. He was making observations with an intent in mind:
-those who don't judge will not be judged
-those who don't condemn will not be condemned
-those who forgive will be forgiven
-those who give will receive abundantly
Who does these things? I've never known anyone to do these things in a genuine way apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit. No one. So, as Jesus is offering the kingdom of God to those who will listen to him, what is the purpose of these observations given people who will need to respond to the gospel of faith?
In my thinking, the point Jesus was making was to let all know, not just of the benefits of salvation, but the estate of one who does these things. The one who does these things is one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit because he is a child of God. Only those who have been enabled by the Holy Spirit will express the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His point is that those who emulate these things demonstrate they are God's children and therefore will never be judged or condemned but will be forgiven and given to abundantly.
It is a look ahead that Jesus provides his listeners. If they are seeking God, they need to know that a change in their disposition with God, one from judgment to becoming a member of his family, will be accompanied by a reciprocal change in nature. As Jesus says several verses later, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:43-45.
Paul talks about the "fruit" of one's life in his letter to the churches of Galatia. He says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:22-24.
Those who don't judge will not be judged because they are God's children. Those who don't condemn will not be condemned because they are God's children. Those who forgive will be forgiven because they are God's children. Those who give will receive abundantly because they are God's children.
The fixation so many do-gooders have for their lists of things to do in order to earn God's love and acceptance needs to be replaced with a felt need to embrace Jesus Christ and then marvel at the changes they see brought about in their lives as the Holy Spirit does his work within them. I am reminded the fruit of a life that God commends is fruit that is produced by the Holy Spirit.
In any event, I am greatly relieved and excited to know that God's love and acceptance for me is not conditioned upon my performance of doing good deeds. I simply could not measure up. How thankful I am that God has given me freely the righteous standing of Jesus Christ by embracing him in faith! How about you?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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