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Scripture Reading: Luke 6:17-49
In this message we shall continue to consider 6:17-49, where the Lord Jesus teaches His disciples the highest morality.
Verse 37 says, “And do not judge, and you will by no means be judged; and do not pass sentence, and sentence will by no means be passed upon you; release, and you will be released.” Here to pass sentence is to condemn, and to release is to forgive. If we do not condemn, we shall by no means be condemned. Likewise, if we forgive, we shall be forgiven.
If we live in a humble spirit under the Lord’s ruling, we shall always judge ourselves, not others. God’s children will be judged with what they judge. If they judge others with righteousness, they will be judged by the Lord with righteousness. If they judge others with mercy, they will be judged by the Lord with mercy. As James 2:13 says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Years ago I heard what C. H. Spurgeon said in a sermon on forgiveness. In that sermon he pointed out that it is difficult for Christians to forgive others. He said that we may think that we have forgiven someone. However, our forgiveness can be compared to burying a dead dog and allowing the tail to show. After forgiving someone, we may say, “So-and-so offended me, but I have forgiven him.” This is to show the “tail” of the “dog.”
If we have really forgiven someone, we should also forget the offense. Once we have forgiven someone in a matter, we should not mention it again. Every time we mention an offense which supposedly has been forgiven, we are pulling out the tail of the buried dog to show others that the dog has been buried. If we do this, it indicates that we have not released the one who offended us.
According to the New Testament, to forgive means to forget and to release. We need to forget the offense and release the offender. Once we have done this, we should never speak of the matter again.
In verse 38 the Lord goes on to say, “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will give into your bosom; for with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you in return.” M. R. Vincent has pointed out that here “bosom” denotes “the gathered fold of the wide upper garment, bound together with the girdle, and thus forming a pouch.” Here the Lord is saying that when we give to others, our Father in heaven will always return to us much more than we give.
I once heard of a saint who was considering giving a particular gift to someone. In this case the gift was a number of fish. First this saint had the thought of giving away ten fish. But the more he thought about it, the more he reduced the number. At a certain point he realized that the thought of giving less was a temptation from the enemy. Becoming angry with the Devil, he said to him, “Satan, if you keep on tempting me, I will give away everything.” This illustrates our need for the willingness to give. If we give to others, we shall receive in return. What we measure to others will also be measured to us.
Verse 39 says, “And He spoke also a parable to them: Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will not both fall into a pit?” At the time of speaking, this word could have applied to the leaders among the Jews. In Matthew 15:14 the Lord called the self-righteous and arrogant religionists “blind leaders of the blind.” They thought they were clear concerning the way to serve God, but they did not realize that their eyes were veiled by their religion with their traditions. Hence, they could not see the reality of God’s economy. Their blindness led them to fall into the pit.
The parable in Luke 6:39 is simple, yet it reveals the divine wisdom of the Man-Savior. I doubt that any philosopher has spoken such a parable.
In 6:40 the Lord continues, “A disciple is not above his teacher; but everyone who has been perfected will be as his teacher.” The teacher here is Christ. When we, the disciples, are perfected, we shall be as our teacher, Christ.
In 6:41 and 42 the Lord says, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but the log in your own eye you do not consider? How can you say to your brother, Brother, allow me to take out the speck in your eye, not seeing the log that is in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.” As children of God living in a humble spirit, we should first take the log out of our own eye whenever we look at the speck in our brother’s eye. The speck in our brother’s eye should remind us of the log in our own eye. As long as the log remains in our eye, our sight is blurred, and we shall not see clearly.
In 6:43 and 44 the Lord says, “For there is no good tree producing rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree producing good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit; for they do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a thornbush.” This word also is quite simple, but it indicates that the Man-Savior was full of divine wisdom. The Lord’s sayings concerning the blind guiding the blind, the speck in our brother’s eye and the log in our own eye, and each tree being known by its own fruit express His wisdom.
In verse 45 the Lord says that the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of the heart brings forth what is evil. Then the Lord explains that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart. Following this, the Lord asks, “And why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” (v. 46).
In 6:47-49 the Lord Jesus says, “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood came, the river broke against that house and was not strong enough to shake it, because it was well built. But he who hears and does not do is like a man building a house upon the earth without a foundation, against which the river broke, and immediately it collapsed; and the crash of that house was great.” Here the house refers both to our being and to our work, our conduct. If our being is according to the Lord’s word, it will have a proper foundation. Likewise, if our work is based on the Lord’s word, it will have a solid foundation. If our being and our work are based upon the Lord’s word, they will be able to withstand any kind of test, any “flood” or “river.” But if our being and our work are not founded on the Lord’s word, the river will carry them away.
The “rock” in 6:48 does not refer to Christ. Instead, it refers to the Lord’s wise word, the word that reveals the will of God the Father. Our being and work must be founded on the word of the Man-Savior for the accomplishment of the will of our Father.
The house that is built on the rock and that is not shaken by the river is like the building work of gold, silver, and precious stones, which can stand the testing fire (1 Cor. 3:12-13). But the house built upon the earth without a foundation and that collapses when the river breaks against it is like the building work of wood, hay, and stubble, which will be burned by the testing fire. However, the builder himself will be saved (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
The Lord’s teaching in 6:17-49 gives us a clear view of the highest standard of morality. As one who has studied the writings of Confucius, I can say that the teachings of Confucius do not present such a standard of morality. The topmost teaching on morality is that of the Man-Savior. He Himself as the God-man lived a life that is the highest standard of morality. His life, work, and saving power are all in the highest standard of morality. The Lord conveyed His saving grace in His human virtues with His divine attributes. This is the highest standard of morality, and we all need to pay careful attention to it.
In order to practice the principles described in 6:17-49, we need the divine life. Life is the basic factor for any kind of being, doing, or working. If we do not have a certain kind of life, we cannot have that kind of being; neither can we have a certain behavior or accomplish a certain work. For example, an apple tree has an apple-tree life. In order for a tree to be an apple tree, it must have the life of an apple tree. Likewise, a monkey has a monkey life. In order for an animal to be a monkey, it must have the life of a monkey. Only by having the life of a monkey is it possible for an animal to behave like a monkey. The crucial point here is that if we would have a certain being and behave in a certain way, we must have a certain kind of life. Life is the basic factor of our being, behavior, and work.
The Man-Savior has the kind of life described in chapter six of the Gospel of Luke. Before His death and resurrection, He Himself lived such a life. But through His resurrection He has become the life-giving Spirit, and now He lives in us. His desire is to live in us the same kind of life He lived on earth.
In Philippians 1:21 Paul speaks of living Christ. When Christ, the God-man, was on earth, He lived a life that was according to the highest standard of morality. Now Christ lives in us so that we may live Him. Actually, Christ Himself is the highest standard of morality, for He is the man created by God in Genesis 1 plus the tree of life mentioned in Genesis 2. This highest standard of morality is now a Person living in us and making it possible for us to live Christ. This is the reason Paul says in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is righteous, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is well-spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things.” This is to live according to the highest standard of morality, a morality which is actually a Person, Christ the God-man.
In 6:17-49 the Lord teaches us the highest standard of morality. I hope that many of us will delve into this teaching. If we pray-read these verses and digest them, this will affect our daily walk.
The teaching in 6:17-49 was given by the God-man after He had prayed throughout the night and after He had appointed twelve to be His apostles. The fact that He prayed all night indicates that He did not initiate this teaching and that He was not its source.
Before teaching His disciples in the presence of a multitude of unbelievers, the Lord Jesus prayed. To pray is to be brought out of ourselves into God. No doubt, after spending the entire night in prayer, the Lord Jesus was absolutely out of Himself and in God the Father. Therefore, it was in the Father, not in Himself, that He appointed the twelve and taught the disciples the highest standard of morality. His teaching, therefore, did not issue from Himself but from God the Father.
We need to have a clear understanding of this background of the Lord’s teaching in chapter six. Otherwise, we shall not be able to get below the surface of this portion of Luke.
The Lord’s teaching in 6:17-49 has two basic elements. These elements are the divine word and the divine life. How do we know that the Lord’s teaching here is based on the elements of the divine life and the word? Consider what the Lord says in verses 35 and 36: “Love your enemies, and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Be full of pity, even as your Father is full of pity.” These verses describe the living of sons of the Most High. The expression “sons of the Most High” surely implies the divine life. If we did not have the divine life, how could we be sons of the Most High? It would, of course, be impossible. The living that is according to the highest standard of morality issues from the divine life with which we have been born of the Most High. Therefore, these verses definitely refer to the divine life.
Another indication of the divine life is found in verses 43 and 44: “For there is no good tree producing rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree producing good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit; for they do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a thornbush.” We may say that bearing fruit is the living of a tree. Every kind of fruit tree has its own life, and its life is the source of the fruit produced by the tree. The living comes out of the life. The life is the source, and the living is the issue. Here the Lord is saying that we, His disciples, are the good trees with the divine life. Out from this life will issue a living that is the expression of the Triune God.
It is not possible for us in ourselves to love our enemies. But we do have an enemy-loving life, the divine life, within us. This life is the source of the highest standard of morality. The highest standard of morality, therefore, is the issue and expression of the divine life. Both the sons of the Most High in verse 35 and the good trees in verse 43 indicate that the source of the highest standard of morality is the divine life. It is of vital importance for us to see this.
Confucius was not able to present the kind of teaching we have in 6:17-49, because he did not have the divine life or know the divine life. But Jesus, the God-man, knew the divine life and possessed it. In a very real sense, He Himself was the divine life, and He imparted Himself to the disciples as the divine life. Hence, His teaching actually expresses what He Himself is. Because He lived according to the highest standard of morality, He teaches this morality to His disciples.
In 6:47 and 48 we have clear mention of the Lord’s word: “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood came, the river broke against that house and was not strong enough to shake it, because it was well built.” Here we see that if we live and work according to the Lord’s word, we shall have a proper foundation. The Lord’s word is the foundation of our being, behavior, and work.
The divine word is the expression of the divine life. Life is inward, and the word is the speaking forth outwardly of the life. In the Bible the word is called the word of life (1 John 1:1; Acts 5:20). In the Bible the divine word and the divine life are regarded as one. How do we have the divine life? We have this life through the word. When we receive the word of life, we obtain life. We all need to see that the Man-Savior’s teaching concerning the highest standard of morality is altogether based on the divine life with its expression — the divine word.
In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus says, “The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life.” Both life and the word depend upon the Spirit. If there were no Spirit, there would be no life and no genuine, real word. The word that is the word of reality is actually the Spirit. Hence, in order to have the divine life and the divine word, we must have the Spirit.
Today the Spirit is the resurrected Christ. In resurrection Christ has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Now that we have this Spirit, we also have life and the word. I wish to emphasize the fact that the Spirit is actually the Christ who has passed through death and has entered into resurrection. Christ in resurrection is the Spirit, and this Spirit is life and the word.
In order to understand Luke 6:17-49, the teaching of the God-man concerning the highest standard of morality, we need to have a view of the New Testament as a whole. If we do not have a proper view of the entire New Testament when we read 6:17-49, we shall be misled and understand this portion of Luke in a natural way. Some who talk about these verses speak concerning them in a way that is altogether natural. Such ones have never touched the element of the Lord’s teaching here. As we have pointed out, the Man-Savior’s teaching concerning the highest standard of morality is dependent on the elements of the divine life, which is the source, and the divine word, which is the expression. How can we have the highest standard of morality? We can have it by the divine life and through the divine word.
