Luke 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 to you.”

I always thought this Bible verse was talking about earthly things like tithing or being generous with your money, belongings, or time. You know, if you give to the church or charities or your neighbor, you will be rewarded abundantly so much so that the blessing will overflow. But when I went back and read the verses before it and after it, I realized Jesus was not talking about material things at all, he was talking about criticizing each other. The verse before verse 38 says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

These Bible passages are from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had been traveling through Galilee stopping to teach in the “gathering places” in each town. Because of this large crowds were following him. So, he went up on a hillside and sat down and started to teach the crowds about many things. The central theme in all that Jesus taught about was love. Jesus wants us to love each other and forgive each other. He does not want us to criticize and judge each other. He wants us to treat each other generously, graciously, and compassionately and if we do, he says that these qualities will come back to us in full measure.

Have you heard the saying that you should not point out a speck in your friends’ eye when you have log in your own? That comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount too. Jesus tells us to look at our own motives and behaviors before we start to judge our friends’ motives and behaviors. This does not mean that you should ignore when someone is doing something wrong, but you should not be so worried about your friends’ sins that you ignore your own. Work on the log in your own eye before you try to help your friend get the speck out of their eye.  In Luke 6:39 Jesus says, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?”  You can only help your friend if you yourself can see clearly first.

I have always encouraged my children to build each other up and not to tear each other down. Criticism can really tear someone down.  I like the way the Message version of the Bible says it. Verse 37 says, “Do not pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults-unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang.” So next time you begin to criticize someone pause and consider the log in your own eye and remember that the measure you use to dish it out will be used to deliver it back to you, and then some.

Jesus, thank you for the incredible guidance you give us in your Word. Please help me to be gracious, generous, and compassionate with my family and friends. Amen