God Who Gives to Us Overflowingly by Filling to the Maximum When We Live a Life of Giving

God Who Gives to Us Overflowingly by Filling to the Maximum When We Live a Life of Giving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“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 back to you” (Luke 6:38).

 

 

 

      As I meditate on the words, I would like to receive the lessons taught through this passage.

 

(1)   After Jesus spoke to His disciples (Luke 6:20), saying, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (v. 36), He gives four instructions to merciful people: (1) “Do not judge” (v. 37), (2) “Do not condemn” (v. 37), (3) “Forgive” (v. 37), (4) “Give” (v. 38).

 

(a)    As I meditate on these four teachings of Jesus, I am reminded of the four “woes” Jesus spoke of in Luke 6:24–26: (1) “Woe to you who are rich …” (v. 24), (2) “Woe to you who are now full …” (v. 25), (3) “Woe to you who laugh now …” (v. 25), (4) “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you …” (v. 26).

 

(i)               I am also reminded of the four “blessed are you” sayings Jesus spoke in Luke 6:20–23: (1) “Blessed are you who are poor …” (v. 20), (2) “Blessed are you who hunger now …” (v. 21), (3) “Blessed are you who weep now …” (v. 21), (4) “Blessed are you when people hate you because of the Son of Man …” (v. 22).

 

·        Ultimately, in Luke 6:20–26 and 36–38, Jesus spoke: (1) Four statements about those who are blessed (vv. 20–23), (2) Four statements about those who are under woe (vv. 24–26), (3) Four statements about those who are merciful (vv. 36–38).

 

-           Those who are blessed are:

 

The poor, for the kingdom of God is theirs (v. 20)

The hungry, for they will be filled (v. 21)

Those who weep, for they will laugh (v. 21)

Those persecuted because of Jesus, for their reward in heaven is great (vv. 22–23)

 

-           Those under woe are:

 

You who are rich (v. 24)

You who are now full (v. 25)

You who laugh now (v. 25)

You whom everyone praises (v. 26)

 

-           The merciful are those who:

 

Do not judge (v. 37)

Do not condemn (v. 37)

Forgive (v. 37)

Give (v. 38)

 

·        This leads to the question: What did Jesus say in Luke 6:27–35?

 

-       First, in verses 27–30, Jesus gave eight teachings (internet source):

 

n  Love your enemies (v. 27)

n  Do good to them (v. 27)

n  Bless them (v. 28)

n  Pray for them (v. 28)

n  Turn the other cheek (v. 29)

n  Give your undergarment also to the one who takes your cloak (v. 29)

n  Give to everyone who asks you (v. 30)

n  Do not demand back what is taken from you (v. 30)

 

-       Then, in verses 31–35, Jesus gave four teachings (Internet):

 

n  The Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated (v. 31)

n  Love for enemies: Love those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you (vv. 32–33)

n  Giving without expecting return: Lend without expecting anything back (vv. 34–35)

n  Living like God: This love and mercy imitate God, who is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked, and such people will receive great reward (v. 35)

 

(2)   Today, I want to meditate on the last of the four teachings Jesus gave to merciful people: “Give” (Lk. 6:38): “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 back to you.”

 

(a)    The Greek word for “give,” δίδωμι (didōmi), appears twice here—“give” (δίδοτε) and “will be given” (δοθήσεται).  This same word appears in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave [ἔδωκεν] His one and only Son …”

 

(i)               The word ἔδωκεν (edōken) is the aorist past tense of didōmi, meaning “gave.”  It conveys the deep meaning that God sent His Son into the world, allowed Him to be born as a human, and ultimately sacrificed Him for our salvation.  This goes beyond merely giving a possession—it signifies the supreme love and sacrifice of God, who gave His most beloved One entirely, marking the beginning of the work of salvation (Internet).

 

·        When I meditate on John 3:16, I am reminded of Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up [παρέδωκεν] for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

 

-           The word παρέδωκεν (paredōken, “gave up”) comes from παραδίδωμι, a compound of para (“beside”) and didōmi (“to give”), meaning “to hand over,” “to surrender,” or “to give up.”  It is used especially to describe divine sacrifice and dedication—such as Jesus being handed over to the cross—but can also carry a negative meaning, such as betrayal (e.g., Judas handing Jesus over) (Internet).

 

(b)   Jesus’ command “Give” (Luke 6:38) means to provide every good gift possible to relieve the needs of others, and to become a person who gives before expecting to receive.  This refers to a concrete expression of love (Hochma).

 

(i)               Acts 20:35 says: “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

·        This is Paul’s exhortation to the elders of Ephesus, emphasizing that his life modeled this teaching.  He encourages believers to serve one another and enjoy the blessing of a giving life.  It is a core message urging them to continue following this principle even amid future hardships (Internet).

 

-           Jesus’ words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” mean that true blessing lies in living a life that follows Christ’s example of self-giving love (Internet).

 

n  The key lesson here is that Christians, unlike the world, should experience the blessings of God’s kingdom through a life of giving (Internet).

 

(3)   When we obey Jesus’ command and live a giving life, He promises: “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 back to you” (Lk. 6:38).

 

(a)    The Greek phrase μέτρον καλόν (metron kalon), translated “good measure,” combines: μέτρον (measure) + καλόν (good).  It means “to give in the best possible measure,” that is, to give as much as one possibly can.  The image is of filling a container by pressing and shaking it so that nothing is left empty—like mixing small grains among large beans so every gap is filled.  Thus, God’s grace toward us surpasses our thoughts and expectations (Hochma).

 

(i)               This reminds me of James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

 

·        It also reminds me of Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.”

 

-           Three short reflections on God who gives abundantly:

 

n  God gives not only all that we ask: “After Nehemiah briefly prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the emperor, the emperor readily granted Nehemiah's request.   So, Nehemiah made another request to the emperor, and because God was with Nehemiah, the emperor granted everything Nehemiah asked for (Nehemiah 2:4-8).  As I meditated on this passage, I was reminded that even when we only pray briefly to God, because God is always with us, He not only grants everything we ask for, but He is also a God who gives us ‘far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 2:20)”.

 

n  God gives beyond what we ask or think: “King Artaxerxes promised Ezra, ‘If there is anything else needed for the temple of your God, I will provide it from the royal treasury.’   Furthermore, he commanded all the treasury officials in the region west of the Euphrates River, ‘Whatever Ezra requests, supply it immediately’ (Ezra 7:20-21).  As I meditated on this passage, I was reminded of Ephesians 3:20: ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’  Our God is a God who gives us far more than we ask or imagine!   Even through those around us who do not believe in Jesus, God abundantly provides what we need to do His work.”

 

n  “Look at 1 Kings 3:13: ‘I will also give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime no one among the kings will be your equal.’  King Solomon pleased the Lord because he asked only for wisdom to discern and judge justly (v. 11), and therefore God gave him wealth and honor that he had not asked for (v. 13).  In this way, God is a God who gives us far more abundantly than we ask or imagine when we pray according to His will, like Jesus did.  Ephesians 3:20 in the Contemporary English Version says: ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’”

 

(b)   The Greek word ἀντιμετρηθήσεται (antimetrēthēsetai), translated “it will be measured back to you,” combines: ἀντι (again / in return) + μετρέω (to measure).  It means “to be measured again in return.”  Thus, it means that how we treat others is how we will receive in return (Hochma).

 

(i)               Luke 6:38—“With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you”—means that the generosity and abundance you show toward others will be returned to you by God.  This emphasizes the principle of “you reap what you sow” and reflects the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (v. 31) (Internet).

 

·        This is God’s promise that He will repay us generously according to the love, forgiveness, and mercy we extend to others—not only materially, but also as a standard of judgment and blessing (Internet).