Luke 6:37-38 – Be magnanimous

To be magnanimous is to have a great spirit. It is derived from two Latin words: “magnus” meaning great, and “animus” meaning spirit. Hence, to have magnanimity is to have a great spirit. It’s a spirit that’s generous and forgiving. Jesus’ disciples must be people that reflect such a spirit. It is His desire that we should be like Him in this respect. So in Luke 6:37-38, He said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” The command not to judge had often been misinterpreted. People conclude that one must suspend all judgment and to accept everything said or done, even if it is downright sin. In fact we should evaluate every situation, and measure it with the Word of God. We must not equate this call of Jesus as a call to be gullible. Those who interpret it this way forget that Jesus also told His disciples to judge people by the fruit they produced in verses 43-45. The question to ask is: What then is Jesus disallowing?

Clearly understood, He is saying that His followers must not have a judgmental and critical spirit. Know it or not, being judgmental is usually a sign of one’s own tendency to project what is in oneself on others. One clear example is found in 2 Samuel 12:5-7. It’s the story of David committing adultery with Bathsheba, then later killed her husband Uriah, who was one of his faithful soldiers. Though his sin was greater, he condemned the guilty man in the story the prophet Nathan told him. David judged him and said that he deserved to be put to death. He realized that that man was himself only when Nathan eventually pointed it out to him. God said he was that man. David was so blind to his own condition that he was infuriated at the sin of others. People who are judgmental imagine they are less guilty by judging the sin of others.

There is one more truth about people who are judgmental. They are merciless. They often see others in the worst light. They assume the place of God. It is a sign of spiritual cancer, and at its worst it’s a sure symptom of spiritual death. Here Jesus did not hold back when He said, people who judge others will be judged and people who condemn others will be condemned. Are we judgmental and condemning? Jesus here is promoting a forgiving spirit. So He followed up by saying “Pardon and you will be pardoned.” He is not saying that our sins can be forgiven when we forgive others. What Jesus is saying is this: forgiveness finds its root in the truth that it is God’s grace who has saved and changed us. The willingness to forgive others is an indication that we have been forgiven by the grace of God.

Besides, we should not only have a forgiving spirit, we must also develop the spirit of giving. The call in verse 38 is: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” We must remember God will never owe us anything. Whatever we have given, He will return to us in much greater measure. When He gives there will not be enough room to store all that He will pour out on us. It’s like putting grain into a container. When the amount of grain we poured in have already taken all the seeming space, we shake the container so that the grain will be compacted, making room for more to be poured in. As if this is not enough, Luke added that God will cause what He pours out to us to overflow what we can contain. In other words, there is no way we can contain all the blessings of God when we choose to be giving. Remember, whatever measure we dished out to others, good or bad, the same measure and more will be dished out to us!

The truth of all that Jesus is saying is this: our God, the great Arbitrator of the universe, will never point out our sin without being merciful. He will forgive us. And not only that, He will also provide the remedy to our sin. His condemnation is reserved only for those who are unwilling to repent. Remember He hung between heaven and earth bearing the guilt and weight of all our sins. Even then His cry was, “Father forgive them…” Let us develop not only a forgiving spirit but also a great and generous giving spirit!