Luke 6:37 - 42
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. v37 - Doesn't Jesus and Paul tell us to judge in certain cases?
2. v37 - If we don't forgive, what happens?
3. v38 - If we give, how exactly does God give back to us?
4. v39 - What is the principle of the blind man leading the blind man?
5. v41 - Should we never help our brother with their speck? There's always going to be something in our own eye.
6. v42 - How do we remove the log from our own eye?
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteCondemn is like an extension of judge, for when one condemns he sets himself as the "executioner" so to speak. This passage is often quoted by those who does not want to hear or abide by the authority of God's Word. Jesus does not mean that we are never, in any sense or to any extent, to judge another. And we need to be especially careful when judging someone's motives from just observing their actions. Sadly my experience has been that Christians are often a very judgmental group.
So the problem Jesus is addressing is not the act of judging as much as our motives for judging.
David Guzik - Just a little later in this same sermon (Luke 6:43–45), Jesus commanded us to know ourselves and others by the fruit of their life, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that. The Christian is called to show unconditional love, but the Christian is not called to unconditional approval. We really can love people who do things that should not be approved of.
MacArthur - The first command, do not judge, and you will not be judged, does not preclude assessing a person’s spiritual condition and confronting their sin. What this command does forbid is harsh, critical, compassionless, vengeful condemnation of one’s enemies as if one was vested with final judgment power.
Darrell Bock - "being merciful (Lk 6:36) means being quick to encourage people toward restoration after they fall. Mercy does not gloat over sin or take pleasure in pointing it out; it roots for the sinner to find a way home to spiritual health. Often after someone falls we are anxious simply to cut him or her off to keep the church body from being leavened or to show that we will not associate with deeds of darkness. The church is to be concerned about moral purity. But we also should be quick to help set up opportunities for repentance and restoration. We should be discerning about the presence of sin but not judgmental in dealing with it. To be judgmental is to rejoice in pointing out sin and to refuse to reach out to the sinner to restore him or her to spiritual health.
David Guzik:
- We break this command when we think the worst of others.
- We break this command when we only speak to others of their faults.
- We break this command when we judge an entire life only by its worst moments.
- We break this command when we judge the hidden motives of others.
- We break this command when we judge others without considering ourselves in their same circumstances.
- We break this command when we judge others without being mindful that we ourselves will be judged.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
Jesus gives this principle not simply as an isolated verse to encourage generous giving, but in the context of judging, condemning and pardoning (forgiving), indicating that God will mete out to us what we give out to others (and to God).
How would you judge your spiritual maturity if you looked at your checkbook for the last six months? seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Mt 6:33+) Beloved, we have one short life on earth to prepare well for one "long" life in Heaven!
If we judge others, we will ourselves be judged. If we forgive, we shall be forgiven, but if we condemn, we shall be condemned (see Mt. 18:21-35). He was not talking about eternal judgment but the way we are treated in this life. If we live to give, God will see to it that we receive; but if we live only to get, God will see to it that we lose. This principle applies not only to our giving of money, but also to the giving of ourselves in ministry to others.
If we are generous, we will be treated generously. Does our Lord mean that people will treat us that way? Or, does He mean that God will treat us that way? I take it to mean both. On the human plane, the statements are proverbial in the sense that they are generally true, not absolutely true in every case. It is generally true that if you are a merciful person, not condemning others for their faults, others will be gracious toward you. If you are quick to forgive, others will be prone to forgive you. If you are generous, others will be generous toward you. On the other hand, if you condemn people, if you refuse to forgive, if you are stingy, it will come back to you. But Jesus’ words also apply to God’s treatment of us, both now (through other people, as just mentioned) and in the future judgment when we stand before Him. If we truly are in Christ through faith in His shed blood, there is no eternal condemnation (Ro 8:1-note). But our deeds will be judged and those that are wood, hay, and stubble will be burned and we will suffer loss. We will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Co 3:15; 2 Co 5:10-note). We put ourselves in opposition to God if we condemn and refuse to forgive those who have wronged us. If we persist in our stubborn refusal to obey the merciful Father, it may reveal that He is not our Father, in which case we are under His judgment and wrath.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 6:39 And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?
Who is them? The crowd? More likely His disciples. It may be connected to the preceding topic of judging others, in that before judging others we must judge ourselves or we will be like blind leaders of the blind.
Only one who is born again and has the eyes of their heart opened by the Spirit can discern spiritual truth. And so a "blind" man cannot lead others and help them find their way. The sermon has been about religious choices and reacting graciously to those who oppose the followers of Jesus. Here Jesus’ point was to be careful who you follow and where they are taking you." This picture is similar to Jesus' warning against the Pharisees “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
It is debated whether Jesus was describing the Pharisees here or simply warning His disciples about dangerous attitudes. The focus on the disciples' attitudes suggests the latter, though the remark would also have applied to the teachers with whom Jesus was in conflict.
Nothing is worse than when men think that they see when they are in reality blind, and when in their delusion they make bold to act as leaders and guides for others whom they think blind and who, indeed, are blind in fact. This was the fatal delusion of the scribes and Pharisees, whose was a self-willed, deliberate blindness, a fixed opposition to the light and to sight, who obdurately chose darkness rather than light (John 3:19) and proudly called their blindness sight (John 10:40, 41), who loved to be called οἱ βλέποντες.
He goes on to confirm the importance of His warning by declaring, that “the disciple is not above his master,” and the scholar cannot be expected to know more than his teacher. If a man will hear unsound instruction, we cannot expect him to become otherwise than unsound in the faith himself. The amount of evil which unsound religious teaching has brought on the Church in every age is incalculable. The loss of souls which it has occasioned is fearful to contemplate. A teacher who does not know the way to heaven himself, is not likely to lead his hearers to heaven. The man who hears such a teacher runs a fearful risk himself of being lost eternally. We must remember the advice of St. Paul and St. John: “Prove all things.” “Try the spirits whether they are of God.” (1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1.) With the Bible in our hands, and the promise of guidance from the Holy Ghost to all who seek it, we shall be without excuse if our souls are led astray. The blindness of ministers is no excuse for the darkness of the people.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 6:40 "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
A better translation than pupil is disciple. In the ancient world, the teacher-pupil relationship was a personal one, since one learned by oral instruction rather than by books, which were not readily available. One virtually lived alongside the teacher. In addition, these teachers were followed, because they were regarded as authorities. Jesus is reminding His men of their status as disciples and the importance of the teacher. The pupil is inevitably limited by the limitations of their teacher.
Bock favors this application -Do not go beyond Jesus’ teaching, as the false teachers do. Contextually, Lk 6:40 is a bridge between the danger of following the blind leader and the warning about judging. The connection between those two sections is the danger of attributing too great an authority to oneself. The error of spiritual blindness is often that it thinks it sees. Blind people may think they know where they are going but do not, while those who judge the specks in others are too busy examining others to see their own faults correctly. In both cases the danger is a lack of self-examination and a sense of overconfidence. The solution is to not go beyond the teacher, who will clearly emerge as Jesus in Lk 6:46–49. This sense needs one qualification: even though the Pharisees linger in the background of Jesus’ saying, in Luke’s day the application would be to anyone who shared their error of arrogance. Luke’s point is this: do not err, pick the right teacher (i.e., Jesus or one who truly follows him).
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 6:41 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Steven Cole - We must judge our own sins, or we are like the blind leading the blind (Lk 6:39-40). Jesus is pushing His disciples to examine themselves. If they are blind to their own sins, how can they help others deal with their sins? Although Luke does not mention it here, the backdrop for Jesus’ illustration was the Pharisees, whom He called blind guides of the blind (Mt 15:14; Mt 23:16, Mat 23:24). These men were marked by spiritual pride. They did not confront their own sins and acknowledge their constant need of God’s grace. If the disciples followed them, they would become like them, falling into the pit of self-righteousness. But if they will follow the merciful Lord Jesus, they will become like Him. It’s a warning to be careful to follow spiritual leaders who confront their own sins and to avoid leaders who are self-righteous.
Jesus requires honest self-evaluation and self-improvement as the prerequisite to helping one's fellow. Failure to do so is tantamount to hypocrisy.
It certainly is not wrong to help a brother get a painful speck of dirt out of his eye, provided we can see what we are doing. The emphasis here is on being honest with ourselves and not becoming hypocrites. It is easy to try to help a brother with his faults just so we can cover up our own sins! People who are constantly criticizing others are usually guilty of something worse in their own lives.
If no man is to teach or preach to others, until he himself is faultless, there could be no teaching or preaching in the world. The erring would never be corrected, and the wicked would never be reproved. To put such a sense as this on our Lord’s words, brings them into collision with other plain passages of Scripture. The main object of our Lord Jesus appears to be to impress on ministers and teachers the importance of consistency of life. The passage is a solemn warning not to contradict by our lives what we have said with our lips.
Steven Cole - We must judge our own sins as the prerequisite to helping others with their sins. Jesus is humorously pointing out how prone we all are to focus on and exaggerate the faults of others but to minimize or even ignore our own glaring faults. We’re quick to blame others, but we’re slow to blame ourselves. If someone else is late for an appointment with me, I think, “How inconsiderate! Doesn’t he know that I’m busy?” But if I’m late for an appointment, I think, “He’ll just have to realize that I’m a busy man. I couldn’t help being late.” If I’m in a hurry, I ride the tail of the guy in front of me, muttering, “Step on it! I don’t have all day!” But if a guy is riding my tail, I say, “Back off! What’s the big rush, man?” If you want to please God by loving others as you should, you must be in God’s Word, applying it to your heart, not to the heart of the person that you’re having difficulty with.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-6-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 6:42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
The practical teaching of this section is we are in no position to judge or criticize others until we have "looked in the mirror" (of God's Word - cf James 1:23-24) and washed ourselves of the dirt (shortcomings) on our own face!
David Guzik makes a good point that "Our hypocrisy in these matters is almost always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately. A good example of this kind of hypocrisy was David’s reaction to Nathan’s story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man’s lamb. David quickly condemned the man, but was blind to his own sin, which was much greater (2 Samuel 12:1-9)."
And notice that Jesus is not forbidding the "speck removal" ministry, but is simply emphasizing the necessity of first performing "log" surgery on our own eye (and heart). Then one can sincerely, lovingly hold the other person accountable, but NOT BEFORE self-examination, for otherwise we really won't be able to see clearly enough to truly address the brother's "speck" of sin!
One is reminded of Paul's exhortation in Galatians "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual (aka, YOU WHO HAVE REMOVED THE BEAMS FROM YOUR EYES!), restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted."
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/02/matthew-71-6-do-not-judge-or-you-too.html?zx=a74f14c2957b6c67 says:
ReplyDeleteWhat is clear from the context is that Jesus was talking about people making personal judgments against others, when their own behavior was much more seriously compromised than the persons they were judging. Even when taken in context, the object of Jesus' statements is not readily evident in this sermon. However, in other preaching, Jesus made it clear that He especially had a problem with the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders of His time. In other confrontations with them, Jesus made some pretty strong statements against those leaders
(Concerning the women caught in adultery in John 8) Did Jesus excuse the woman's sin? No! In fact, He told her not to do it again. Instead of being an example of the "non-judgmental" Jesus, it is yet another story of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. In addition, since Jesus had told her not to sin again, He would be accused of being "judgmental" by many people of our time.
If Jesus wanted people to not be "judgmental" or judge other people's sin, He certainly did not take His own advice. In fact, Jesus often told people how to behave and specifically told them not to sin.5 If Jesus really did not want people to be judgmental, why was He that way Himself?
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24)
So, people who make the claim that Christians are judgmental are really referring to Christians' judgment between right and wrong. However, every person (with the possible exception of those who are judged to be criminally insane) on earth makes judgments between right and wrong, in order to make decisions about how to live one's life.
Paul reprimanded the Church at Corinth for not judging sin within their assembly. In fact, the Church is directed to condemn and remove sin from among its ranks.
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/02/matthew-71-6-do-not-judge-or-you-too.html?zx=a74f14c2957b6c67 continued:
ReplyDeleteMy 2 cents:
All of the articles I read say that Jesus is not really telling us not to judge, but that we can't judge hypocritically. Since we are all hypocrites, that doesn't make sense to me. People use the follow up to make their point, saying that Jesus is telling us to remove the plank from our own eye before we can help others. My opinion is Jesus is making a witty point about our state. "Yeah guys, you all have planks in your eyes - remove those first then maybe you can break the do not judge rule - as if."
There's logical fallacies with saying "I can judge as long as I'm not a hypocrite". 1. I will always be a hypocrite. 2. If you assume that you can judge everyone on anything you are not guilty of, that leaves a lot of room for judging.
If Joe has a gambling problem, and Fred has a pornography addiction, are they free to judge each other? They are not guilty of each other's sins. I say no they are not. I also say that they are commanded to love each other and condemn the sin that each other is committing. Did I just say the opposite thing? I just said that Joe and Fred shouldn't judge each other, yet confront each other on the sin the other is committing in love. Even if Joe and Fred both had a gambling addiction, I think the answer would be the same - that they are commanded to not judge each other, yet are commanded to confront each other's sin in love.
So, I'm thinking that the key is the target of our judgment. We are not to judge other's hearts (only God can judge that), but we are to judge between good and evil behaviors or results. If Joe is gambling obsessively, I need to use my knowledge of the Bible to judge his behavior. After making a judgement, I can then go to Joe and discuss the problem. I may (and certainly do) have my own addictions. Yet love for Joe insists that I confront him anyway - even if I am a hypocrite in doing so.
If my heart is humble, being aware of my own addictions, I will not judge Joe, but will urge him to seek the way out from his addiction. If my heart is not humble, I will judge Joe and be sinning.
In conclusion, the key to the difference between judging and confronting in love is the state of our hearts (which seems to be the key behind everything in the Beatitudes).
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/02/matthew-71-6-do-not-judge-or-you-too.html?zx=a74f14c2957b6c67 continued:
ReplyDeleteF.F. Bruce: "Judgment is an ambiguous word, in Greek as in English: it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination. In the former sense judgment is depreciated; in the latter sense it is recommended."
For clarity, let's use the word discern for the judgment that God encourages, and criticize for inappropriate judgments. By context, try to identify whether the word judgment, when used in Scripture, means discernment or criticism.
First of all, there is a big difference between judging someone,
and discerning evil. The two are not the same at all. In
the Bible, the word "judge" is often a woeful translation of the
Greek word "katakrino." This word literally means "to judge
against." In other words, it really means "to condemn." But there
is another Greek word, "krino," which is often translated
"to discern." "Krino" literally means "to separate." Or, to put it
more clearly, it means "to separate the good from the bad."
These two words aptly show the contrast between judging
someone, which God forbids, and discerning, which God desires.
"To judge" means to condemn. It means to render a sentence
against someone as if you are God. And "to judge," the way
Jesus forbade it, is always a product of a bad attitude. It stems
from never having seen that you are as needy as the one whom
you are condemning. "To discern," however, carries no
desire to see someone "get what is coming to them." True
discernment doesn't condemn at all. It simply sees things as they
really are, with the mind of Christ.
https://applygodsword.com/a-sermon-on-luke-637-47/ says:
ReplyDeleteSo when I hear “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you,” at first glance it looks like I earn what I get from God by doing good things to people. If I don’t judge, I earn God not judging me. If I don’t condemn, I earn God not condemning me. If I choose to forgive others, I earn God’s forgiveness.
But that is really the opposite message Jesus is teaching us. What Jesus is saying is that when you receive God’s grace you will give grace to others. He’s saying that if you really are no longer depending on your merit but on God’s mercy, you will be merciful to others. Not being judged by God, not being condemned by God, and being forgiven by God are not the rewards I get for being good to other people. Rather, if I have really received God’s grace, which means I will be spared judgment, spared condemnation, and offered forgiveness, then the evidence of this will be shown in how I treat other people, “For the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
In other words, we are saved through faith in Jesus and by his grace. But how do we really know if we have faith in Jesus? You will know if you really have faith in Jesus by the way you live your life. You are not saved by your works but your works prove what you really believe and who you really belong to.
So in Luke 6:37-38, Jesus is saying that if you want to know what measure you are choosing to have God measure you by, then all you need to do is look at the measure you are using towards other people. You can say you believe you are saved by grace, but if you judge other people based upon their merit, you have not really received God’s grace.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. v37 - Doesn't Jesus and Paul tell us to judge in certain cases?
This verse is referring to condemnation and not discernment. We are commanded to not judge (condemn) a person's heart (or motivations). We are also commanded to judge (discern) a brother's actions and confront them on those actions - all with the heart attitude that we aren't any better.
2. v37 - If we don't forgive, what happens?
This isn't a case of "if we forgive first, then God will forgive us". It's a case of if we receive Jesus' forgiveness, our hearts will be transformed, and then we can't help but move towards forgiveness. Moving towards forgiveness takes different amounts of time, depending the transgression. The point is that our transformed hearts will move us towards forgiveness. If we are hardened, we have to analyze weather we are in the faith at all.
3. v38 - If we give, how exactly does God give back to us?
God automatically wants to give everything to us (and He has with Jesus). God also knows what's best for us and gives us only what's best. Think of parents with children. If the children's hearts are generous and thankful, the parents are free to shower their children with love and gifts that show that love. If the children's hearts are selfish and complaining, the parents, in love, will be limited on what they can give to her children. They first have to bring their children in line (often with unpleasant circumstances), before their children can receive anything.
In this case, if we are generous (which means that we aren't entrapped by earthly things), God is freed by His love for us to bless us - both eternally (which is always for our good) and in this life (which is a minefield). For example, is "blessing" us with a brand new car something that is eternally good for us? Or, will it actually bring us down? Will it cause envy and strife with others? Will we be become concerned with caring for the new car and be distracted from God's work? God knows! And He gives us what we need at the time we need it.
Given the minefield of possessions on this earth, I think God is limited with most of us by how much He can bless us materially.
4. v39 - What is the principle of the blind man leading the blind man?
It's a general principle of a follower not seeing more than the leader. This is a great warning for us! There are things in our lives that we are blind to. We risk passing that blindness onto whoever we disciple. What are we to do?
This also warns us that when we follow leaders, they are blind in areas. We will inherit the blindness of those we follow. Yet, we must be in a relationship where we are discipling others and being discipled. Besides being aware of the blindness condition in ourselves and others, what are we to do?
I think the answer to the "what are we to do" questions is Christian community. Where I am blind and weak, my brother is strong and sees more clearly (and vice-versa).
Questions and findings continued:
ReplyDelete5. v41 - Should we never help our brother with their speck? There's always going to be something in our own eye.
This is a facetious story Jesus is telling. But just like being blind in areas, we also all have stuff in our own eye. Are we never to help our brother? We are commanded to! Once again, I think the answer lies in Christian community. One brother sees better than another in an area and is able to help remove specks. Another can help in another area. Being in Christian community also helps us identify the specks (and logs) in our own eye, which is vital if we are going to help others.
6. v42 - How do we remove the log from our own eye?
Being aware of our log(s) is number one. Relying on God and our Christian community to help us is number 2.
Log removal is a lifelong process. There are areas in our lives we may never see victory over until Christ is reining in His Kingdom.
In this section of Jesus' sermon, we can easily become paralyzed by the ramifications of what Jesus is saying. We are tempted to never discern bad actions, never lead, never disciple, never help our brother with their issues - but that's clearly not what Jesus intends. I think the message is that, on our own, we are not going to be very good at discerning bad actions, leading, discipling and helping others - because we are so flawed and blind. But, if we are aware, we can, and are commanded to help; not on our own, but within Christian community.
Small groups are essential for us. If you are only attending Sunday church and you are not in an accountability small group, you have very little power to do God's work in the church and in the world!
I think your point about being in small group for closeness and accountability is good, Bruce. Small groups can bring us into connection with those who, unlike friends, we may not have gravitated toward because they are not like us. Is is those who are somewhat unlike us in the body of Christ who perhaps can best help us see things differently and expose our blind spots.
ReplyDeleteThis discussion has also helpfully pointed out that the core behind this whole discourse is that our posture is to be one of generosity, humility and concern for others, not censoriousness and self protection. We are well loved when well corrected by the words and examples of other believers, which requires discernment. It also contains an earnest exhortation to be careful who we look to as models/teachers; again emphasizing needed discernment.