July 20th: Luke 6:27-42
Luke 6:27-42
There might not be a verse of scripture more often quoted these days than Luke 6:37a, which says, "Judge not, and you will not be judged" (though it seems to nearly always be quoted according to the King James translation, "Judge not, lest ye be judged).
But what is Jesus actually saying here? Is Jesus saying that Christians should never say, "what you are doing is sinful"?
That is not what He is saying.
His point is that His people should be merciful as He is merciful.
William Arndt, in his commentary on Luke writes, God is merciful, and His children are to manifest the same disposition. Surrounded by misery and suffering, they are to practice helpfulness (v. 36). Cultivating this attitude, they are not to judge, that is, they are not in an unwarranted way to presume to pass judgement on the actions of others. Christians should remain humble in their thoughts and words about the deeds of their fellow men. Jesus, of course, is not speaking of the role of judges in the civic life of the community or of the disciplinary function of parents and teachers; what He points to is the unauthorized criticizing in which people indulge all too readily. It includes the refusal to put the best construction on everything...The Christian cannot declare a wrong a good deed, but he can forgive it. Maintaining a forgiving spirit, he will remain a child of God and receive forgiveness himself in the Final Judgement (v. 37).
There might not be a verse of scripture more often quoted these days than Luke 6:37a, which says, "Judge not, and you will not be judged" (though it seems to nearly always be quoted according to the King James translation, "Judge not, lest ye be judged).
But what is Jesus actually saying here? Is Jesus saying that Christians should never say, "what you are doing is sinful"?
That is not what He is saying.
His point is that His people should be merciful as He is merciful.
William Arndt, in his commentary on Luke writes, God is merciful, and His children are to manifest the same disposition. Surrounded by misery and suffering, they are to practice helpfulness (v. 36). Cultivating this attitude, they are not to judge, that is, they are not in an unwarranted way to presume to pass judgement on the actions of others. Christians should remain humble in their thoughts and words about the deeds of their fellow men. Jesus, of course, is not speaking of the role of judges in the civic life of the community or of the disciplinary function of parents and teachers; what He points to is the unauthorized criticizing in which people indulge all too readily. It includes the refusal to put the best construction on everything...The Christian cannot declare a wrong a good deed, but he can forgive it. Maintaining a forgiving spirit, he will remain a child of God and receive forgiveness himself in the Final Judgement (v. 37).
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