What a difference a semicolon can make.
Luke 6:38 is one of the most recognized scriptures in the bible, especially among my more Charismatic and Pentecostal friends. I cannot imagine the number of times I have heard it used to encourage believer's to give of their finances. I am certain I have used it on a number of occasions myself. To be sure, it is a solid and true principle of God, that giving of our resources to the building the Kingdom of God is the best investment we can make with our money. And the principle of reaping a sowing is, in my opinion, not just a biblical precept for the believer, but a universal law designed by God that is as sure and reliable as his law of gravity. (2 Corinthians 9:6) So, to be clear, I believe Christians should be giving of their finances, as God directs, for the building of his kingdom. And, I believe the Father honors that obedience.
As mentioned, Luke 6:38 was one of the scriptures I used to back that principle.
But then I saw the semicolon. More specifically, I saw the semicolon and the small letter, "g,." When I saw those two things, I had to ask myself what Jesus meant when he said, "give." The question became, what is he really asking me to give?
Whatever the give means, the rewards of giving it are awesome. It's going to be given back in, "Good measure." It's going to be given back, "Pressed down, shaken together, and running over." The picture Christ is painting here is that of a measuring container into which as much grain as possible is packed. The container is then shaken so that the grain settles, and more is poured in until the container overflows. The bottom line is, Christ is saying that when we give whatever it is we're supposed to give, whatever we have given will be multiplied back to us big time. And it will be measured back by the same measure we use to give it out.
So why did I begin to question what Christ was asking us to give? Let me explain. Every year, I use a different translation of the bible for my reading time. This year it happens to be the ESV. As I read this scripture in the ESV, I was reminded that the books of the bible were not written with chapters and verses. I think we forget that sometimes. While chapters and verses make it handy to identify a specific portion of the bible, there are times when they do us a disservice as we try to understand what was truly written. They can, for example, make us forget that a certain verse does not stand independently from what was written before or after the verse. When Luke was writing this portion of his letter to Theophilus, he didn't pause after verse thirty-seven and think, "Now what do I want to say in verse thirty-eight." Here's how these two verses are translated in the ESV:
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 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.” Luke 6:37-38 (ESV)
Do you see the semicolon and the small "g." The thought is continuous. It is continuous through the whole chapter, but for our purposes we will go back to verse thirty-five, and consider what Christ is asking his followers to do.
- Love your enemies, and do good.
- Lend, expecting nothing in return.
- Be merciful.
- Do not judge.
- Do not condemn.
- Forgive.
- Give love to your enemies.
- Give to those who are in need expecting nothing in return.
- Give mercy.
- Give grace instead of judgment.
- Give compassion instead of condemnation.
- Give forgiveness.
Matthew gives a condensed version of this teaching in Matthew 7:1-2 when he writes:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2 (ESV)
In fact, both Matthew and Luke follow these words of Christ's with the caution of removing the log in our eye, before we try to remove the speck that is in our brother's eye.
Friend, when the Father withholds our final breath, and we pass from time to eternity. When our eyes are closed to this world and truly opened to the Kingdom of God, we will be overpowered with his love. Grace and mercy will flow through us and swirl around us. We will feel the Father's incomprehensible compassion as we realize for the first time the magnitude of his forgiveness toward us because of the Son's sacrifice on Calvary. If we belong to him, we will experience these things regardless of the love we've shown or the grace, mercy and compassion we've displayed. We will be forgiven, even if we have been slow to forgive while we walked the earth. Everything in eternity will be based on what Christ has done for us rather than what we have earned, and for that I am so very thankful. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8.
I would suggest, however, that with these verses in Luke 6, Christ is inviting us to bring a taste of what we will experience through Christ in his heavenly kingdom, to our daily lives as we journey toward the indescribably brilliant home he has prepared for us. He desires for us to bring a portion of kingdom living to a narcissistic, self-indulged world. As we make our way toward everlasting grace and glory, he would have us leave traces of that grace and glory in the footprints we leave behind.
Follow me now.
In the middle of chapter 6, Christ spends a night praying on a mountain and then chooses his apostles. He comes down the mountain with the chosen twelve to a throng of people, stands before the crowd, and begins to preach. The sermon he preached is the remainder of chapter 6.
He begins with what has become known as the Beatitudes, in which he declares that the poor, the meek, those that mourn, the merciful, the peacemakers, the pure of heart, those that thirst for justice, and those that are persecuted provide the ideal heart condition of a kingdom citizen. (Expanded from Matthew 5) "Poor in spirit," speaks to an awareness of spiritual bankruptcy apart from Christ. Those who morn are those who are truly grieved and broken over sin. The meek exemplify Christ's gentleness. "Hunger and thirst," are descriptive of those who crave the righteousness of God. The merciful are forgiving and compassionate. To be, "pure in heart, " speaks to the internal cleansing that is required for entering God's presence. And, finally, there is a blessing for being, "persecuted for righteousness."
In general, Christ gives them an introduction to the journey he is about to take them on. A journey that will ultimately lead them to the blessings of an eternity with the God of creation in the glorious heaven he is preparing for them. But not before they wander for a time in the fallen wilderness of this world.
Next he explains that during this wandering, they will live in a way that is counterintuitive to the way the world lives. Along the way, they are going to love their enemies. They are going to do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them and pray for those who abuse them. If someone takes something from them, they are not going to demand it back. In fact, they're going to even offer to give them more.
They are going to wander the wilderness leaving the grace and glory of their Father with every step.
That brings us to the verse we started began with:
"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.” Luke 6:38 (ESV)
Remember, when we walk into the glory of God's heavenly kingdom, we will be immersed in immeasurable love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. And, even though all of it was purchased for us by Christ at Calvary, we are not able to experience the true depth of any of it as long as we live in this body of decaying flesh. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)
But God blesses us in allowing us to have a taste of it now. He allows us to have a measure of it now. I would suggest that the measure we use will be the measure we receive back. Not in eternity, but now. When I give love, I am able receive it back by the same measure that I gave it, with one exception. The measure will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same is true when I choose grace over judgment, mercy over condemnation, and forgiveness over retribution. All of things have been purchased for us, they're free for us, we don't have to do anything to earn them. But to be able to receive them is greatly increased when, by the power of God's Spirit, we are able to give them.
Is it always easy. Absolutely not. But by the measure I give these thing, my ability to receive them will be measured back to me. Love for love, grace for grace, mercy for mercy, compassion for compassion, and forgiveness for forgiveness. More importantly, as I make my way toward the eternal heavenly kingdom, I will be leaving glimpses of that kingdom on the path I travel.
