Luke 6:37-38

Luke 6:37-38

[37] Judge  not,  and  be judged:  condemn  not,  and  be condemned:  forgive,  and  ye shall be forgiven:  [38] Give,  and  it shall be given  good  measure,  pressed down,  and  shaken together,  and  running over,  shall men give  into  bosom.  For  measure  that  ye mete withal  again. 

What does Luke 6:37-38 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

These verses explain what it means to be merciful as God is merciful ( Luke 6:36). The first two examples are negative and the second two are positive. A judgmental attitude is not merciful. However some judging is necessary, so Jesus clarified that He meant condemning other people specifically. Judgment and condemnation are essentially God"s functions, not man"s. Rather a merciful person pardons others. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was addressing interpersonal behavior, not the judicial system. Giving to others is also merciful behavior. What a person sows he or she will normally reap for evil or for good (cf. Galatians 6:7). Disciples will discover that they will receive back the same treatment that they have dispensed abundantly from God if not from man.
"The saying here may appear to speak in terms of strict retribution, but the thought is rather that human generosity is rewarded with divine generosity, not with a precisely equivalent gift from God." [1]