Bible Study series: Luke 6:37-42. Just be aware that your judgment on others could turn back over on you.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 6:37-42
37 “Further, don’t judge, and you will not be judged. And don’t condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you shall be pardoned.
38 Give and it’ll be given to you; in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and pouring out will they give into the fold of your garments, for by whatever measure you measure, it will be measured back to you.”
39 He told them this illustration: “Do the blind lead the blind? Won’t both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher. But everyone who is completely trained will be like his teacher.
41 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 How will you be able to say to your brother, ‘Allow me to take out the speck in your eye,’ while you don’t see the plank in your eye? Hypocrite! First take out the plank in your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye!” (Luke 6:37-42)
Comments:
Kingdom citizens can judge the fruit of the tree (see the next passage), but not the root. God alone can judge both the fruit and the root. Keep to you own jurisdiction and do not cross the line. Judge the fruit.
Green:
Clearly, then, the following Jesus seeks is full-orbed one: his is a message that calls for total transformation, with a consistency of goodness between these two kinds of people. Some are blind, hypocritical, produce evil fruit, hear without acting, and build without foundation. Others produce good fruit, hear and act, and build on a foundation of rock. Luke peppers these concluding remarks with the evaluative language of good and evil to drive home this bipolar distinction. (p. 277)
37:
“judge” and “condemn”: Are they perfect synonyms or do they have nuanced differences? “judge” seems weaker or lighter, while “condemn” seems stronger and heavier. We are not supposed to do either one. But how do we make evaluations of person’s character, in personal relationships or as church leaders, for example? Do we refrain from evaluating a man’s or woman’s or a church volunteer’s character? In vv. 43-45, Jesus is about to say we are supposed to “know” a man by his fruit or practical deeds. Those deeds and words reveal what is in his heart (v. 45). So is “know” the same as “judge” and condemn”? No, they are not the same.
“Judge” and “condemn” come in the context of forgiving. By judging and condemning people, we permanently throw them in a prison of our mind. We have judged, condemned and sentenced them to live without our forgiveness. We permanently conclude that they are forever unworthy of our forgiveness.
“condemn”: this verb is often used in God’s or a human judge’s tribunal. No mental or heart-felt tribunal of judge, jury, prison warden, and executioner, please.
“pardon”: the verb means, depending on the context, (1) “release, set free, pardon”; (2) “let go, send away, dismiss” (etc.). In Luke 23:16-25 the verb is used to release Barabbas or Jesus. And in Acts 3:13; 4:21, 23; 5:40; 16:35-36; 17:9; 19:41; 23:22; 28:18, 25, the verb is found in legal contexts, including being released from custody or prison. So the image of a prison of judgment and condemnation does fit this verb in v. 37. No one in our lives is forever unworthy of our forgiveness. Let’s not permanently judge and condemn him in our mental or heart-felt tribunal. However, it still adds up to forgiveness.
Marshall, quoting another scholar halfway through, summarizes what this statement means:
In their own day-to-day conduct the disciples are forbidden to usurp the place of God in judging and condemning other people. The context would suggest that it is the attitude which fails to show mercy to the guilty which is here being attacked. It is not the use of discernment and discrimination which is forbidden, but the attitude of censoriousness. The saying ‘does not imply flabby indifference to the moral condition of others nor the blind renunciation of attempts at a true and serious appraisal of those with whom we have to live. What is unconditionally demanded is that such evaluations should be subject to the certainty that God’s judgment falls also on those who judge, so that superiority, hardness and blindness to one’s own faults are excluded, and a readiness to forgive and to intercede is safeguarded.’ (comment on v. 39)
We can judge only the fruit; God alone can judge the root and fruit. Don’t leave your jurisdiction.
38:
This verse comes in the context of forgiveness (personal) and agriculture (business). Vendors (“they”) measured out the grain and put it in the fold (“bosom” or “chest” in Greek) of the receiver’s or buyer’s garment. The grain is generously given. The receiver pressed it down and shook the big fold so he could get more in there, to the point of overflow. Nice image. I’m glad God is like that. It would be misguided to interpret this verse as meaning material possessions, like money. Here it is talking about generous forgiveness, as we move past judgment and condemnation. If you judge and condemn, it will boomerang on you. If you don’t judge, but generously forgive, and you will be generously forgiven, a successful boomerang. That’s the best way to measure or size up people.
Bock cites a scholar who spent time in Palestine:
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 give it a good shake with a rotatory motion to make the grain settle down. Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next he presses the corn [grain] 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 in the cone 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 absolute full measure; it cannot hold more. (Bock, citing Jeremias, p. 608)
Jesus said: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with a righteous judgment” (John 4:24). So we can judge within our jurisdiction, not superficially, but at the fruit. As noted, don’t near the root.
39-40:
“parable”: A parable puts two or more images or ideas alongside each other to produce a clear truth. It is a story or narrative or short comparison that reveals the kingdom of God and the right way to live in it and the Father’s ways of dealing with humanity and his divine plan expressed in his kingdom and life generally. The Shorter Lexicon says that the Greek word parabolē (pronounced pah-rah-boh-lay) can sometimes be translated as “symbol,” “type,” “figure,” and “illustration,” the latter term being virtually synonymous with parable. Here you must see yourself in the parable.
If someone begins his teaching ministry on his own without adequate training, then he will be like a blind person leading around another blind person. No, a would-be teacher doesn’t need a Ph.D. to be trained, because the Sanhedrin saw that Peter and John were unschooled (Acts 5:13). But can’t church leaders get some training? In today’s modern world, it would be best if he got some higher education, like a Master’s degree, particularly if he is a pastor who lives in a prosperous part of the region. It shows, when a pastor is untrained. He uses the wrong word or mispronounces it, and other things. However, people can build a mega-church with minimal education and a lot of shouting and dancing and prancing. But is this optimal? More people don’t go to any mega-church than go. Maybe the bright non-church goers, like business managers and entrepreneurs and engineers, for example, would be interested in going to church, but stay away instead because the leaders are … well… not as bright as the potential visitors. “That’s elitism!” No, that’s reality.
“disciple”: see v. 1 for deeper comments.
“fully trained”: it is the verb means, depending on the context, (1) “put in order, restore, mend”; “complete, make complete” “fully train” (2) “prepare, make, create” And it can mean “to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something” (Culy, Parsons, and Stigall, p. 207). Here it is best to translate it as “fully trained.” It is wonderful to think that Jesus trains and makes us so complete and sufficient that we can be like him as a teacher.
Following him as a teacher is built up like this, in a chain argument.
The argument goes as follows. Luke 6:37-38 leads into the theme with a transition: “Do not judge, forgive”; 6:9 says, “Watch whom you follow, because you will be like your teacher”; 6:41-42 says, “Do not be quick to judge until you are willing to deal with your own problems; 6:43-46 says, “Your heart is evident by your fruit, so follow my teaching”; and finally 6:47-49 makes clear that there is one example to follow and that is Jesus’ teaching.” (Bock. p. 611)
41-42:
Here Jesus uses hyperbole (pronounced hy-PER-boh-lee), which is an extravagant exaggeration for the purpose of illustrating a point: “They stack ice cream cones a mile high!” The point is that the ice cream shop is extra-generous. Here the plank can also be translated as “log” or “board” or “wooden beam.” No one literally has a plank in the eye, and everyone who originally heard these words knew this. Jesus is merely using another startling image. The imagery must have surprised or made them smile, however. It got their attention. The point is that self-reflection about one’s life is called for. Recall that a blind man leading a blind man leads to pit. If a man with a massive blind spot (plank) in his life leads the flock, then he and the flock will fall into a pit. He will be guilty of hypocrisy, for he will not be able to consistently act out a righteous life, because the plank caused his blindness and he does not see enough to ask for help.” The disciples’ first responsibility is to purify themselves and not to set themselves up as moral watchdogs over others (see Rom 2:1-3; Jas 5:9). Failure to come with our own limitations and shortcomings warps our judgments of others” (Garland, comment on 6:41-42). Then we can see that our brother’s sliver is just that—a sliver.
“hypocrite”: originally it comes from the Greek play actor on the stage. They wore masks and played roles. There were stock characters, such as the buffoon, the bombastic soldier, or the old miser. Here in the NT hypocrites appeared one way, but in reality they were different. They appeared outwardly religious, but inwardly they were full of dead men’s bones. They wore religious masks. In Matt. 23, Jesus denounced the Pharisees and experts in the law. In the context here, a hypocrite focuses on the speck in his brother’s eye and does not realize he has a log in his own. Self-examination and prayer is the cure.
I go into more detail in Matthew’s version about judging
At that link, scroll down to vv. 1-5.
Also go here:
A Misunderstood Biblical Command: “Don’t Judge!”
Here’s an important verse:
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with a righteous judgment. (John 7:24)
This is what Jesus is talking about here in Luke’s Gospel.
GrowApp for Luke 6:37-42
1. With the Greek verbs judging, condemning and pardoning, Jesus may be building the image of a tribunal in your heart. How have you learned to stop being the judge, jury, and prison warden in your relationships?
2. How has your pardon or forgiveness resulted in overflowing with God’s generous forgiveness towards you?
3. Jesus warned against leaving blind spots in your life and planks in your sense of moral or spiritual sight. How have you examined your life? What would be the best way to get rid of them?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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