Luke 6:37-49:  Sermon On The Mt. Part #3”

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1.     INTRO:

 

1.1.                     In our last study, we looked at verses 24 through 36 of chapter 6, the second part of the Sermon On The Mount.

 

1.1.1.  We looked at the ‘woes’ that Jesus taught in this sermon.  We saw that for every “blessed” statement previously pronounced that Jesus pronounced a corresponding  “woe” or “curse” for those who do not have these characteristics.  The “woe” anticipates an impending judgment or loss of reward from the Lord.

 

1.1.2.  Then, we primarily concentrated upon Jesus’ teaching concerning walking according to love.

 

1.2.                     In our study today, we are going to look at verses 37-49 which take up the third and final study we will do in the Sermon On The Mount.

 

1.2.1.  We will see that Jesus begins to teach that His disciples are not to judge others.

 

1.2.2.  Jesus also begins to teach the importance of choosing good teachers for oneself.

 

1.2.3.  Then, finally Jesus will begin to teach the importance of obedience to Jesus and His word.

 

2.     VS 6:37  - “37 “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.” -  Jesus teaches us that we are not to judge or condemn others

 

2.1.                     In verse 36, Jesus taught that we are to have mercy upon others just as our heavenly Father has shown mercy to us, and now Jesus begins to teach the importance of not judging others.  Each of these character traits admonished by Jesus in the Sermon On The Mount come directly out of the character of God Himself, and in each case we are to emulate the Lord by keeping them.

 

2.2.                     Having taught His disciples of the principles that when followed in our lives bring true “blessedness” or “happiness” in His kingdom (as well as the “woes” or “curses” resulting from not following those principles) as well as the standard of love that He expected those in His kingdom to follow, Jesus now begins to teach the importance of not acting as a judge of others.

 

2.3.                     The religious climate in Israel in Jesus’ day was unlike what we in our life have ever experienced.  We have mentioned a few times how that the Pharisees were the spiritual leaders in Israel and that they taught a legalistic standard that made life unbearable.  In addition to the Law of Moses, which contained lots of laws itself, they added hundreds of their own laws which they expected everyone to follow.  Whether or not people kept all of their laws was the standard by which they would monitor who was righteous and who was not.  However, Jesus did not recognize their laws nor teach His followers to keep their laws.  The laws of the Pharisees did not bring life but enslavement and Jesus knew that if He followed the laws of the Pharisees that His disciples would never come to understand nor experience the grace and love of God that He came to teach them.

 

2.4.                     Seeing that the Jews were constantly being taught to live such a rigid legalistic life, and because to them righteousness was based upon keeping of their laws, people in Israel in Jesus’ day had a huge legalistic bent which caused them to be constantly judging and condemning others around them.  Jesus’ teaching here that His disciples were not to judge or condemn others was radical and completely unexpected in Israel.

 

2.5.                     In Jesus’ kingdom which He was and is establishing, we understand from these verses that it is expected that we as Jesus’ disciples be people who do not judge others, for it is even the case that if we condemn others He will condemn us and that if we pardon others He will pardon us.  In a nutshell, the Lord expects a disciple to treat others the way that He treats him.  The Lord does not condemn His people who come to place their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  They are forgiven and treated as if they had never sinned in the first place, and He expects His disciples to have the same forgiving and merciful attitude towards others.  If a person refused to do this with others, then Jesus indicates that he is not going to inherit eternal life but will be condemned along with the rest of the unbelieving world.

 

2.6.                     We need to consider carefully exactly what Jesus meant when He said that we are not to ‘judge’ others:

 

2.6.1.  Many in the church in our day have said that as a result of this teaching of not judging others that we in the church should:

 

2.6.1.1.      Not point out any fault or even make any constructive criticism of someone else.

 

2.6.1.2.      Not exercise any type of church discipline.

 

2.6.1.3.      Not expose or censor anyone teaching false doctrine in the church.

 

2.6.2.  However, in the New Testament we see in many places that it is commanded for us in the church to exercise judgment regarding others, including:

 

2.6.2.1.      In Matt. 7:6, Jesus says, “6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces,” but how are we to know who is a dog or a pig without using some judgment.

 

2.6.2.2.      In Matt. 7:15-20, Jesus says, “15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits,” but how are we to determine who is a false prophet or false teacher without using some judgment.

 

2.6.2.3.      In John 7:24, Jesus implies that we will judge others and then He tells us how to judge effectively, “24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.””

 

2.6.2.4.      In 1 John 4:1, the apostle John writes, “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world,” and there is no way to test the spirits without exercising judgment.

 

2.6.2.5.      In 1 Cor. 5:9-13 we are commanded to exercise church discipline towards those who insist upon living in a sinful lifestyle, “9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”

 

2.6.2.6.      Paul’s admonishment to pastor Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:2 (and this applies to all pastors) could only be carried out if he exercised a good deal of judgment, “2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

 

2.7.                     If all judgments made of others are not bad, then what type of judgment is it that Jesus tells us here that we should not make towards others?

 

2.7.1.  Being quick to judge someone when you really do not know them:

 

2.7.1.1.      I have been guilty of this sort of pre-judging many times.  I will see someone and something about their looks or actions reminds me of someone else that I have known and I immediately assume that they are just like that other person.  Every time that I have thought this way towards someone I have later found myself to be wrong after I have gotten to know the person.

 

2.7.1.2.      Many times we judge people without taking into consideration their life and circumstances, and if we had known the struggles that the person has gone through in his/her life we would not be nearly so quick to judge their actions.  If we had walked in their shoes we might not be so critical now and we may even have done the same things that they did.

 

2.7.1.3.      Only God knows people’s hearts and many times we unfairly judge a person’s heart by their actions, yet only God can accurately judge the heart and motives.

 

2.7.2.  Judging in such a way as to be condemning of a person:

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2.7.2.1.      When God exercises judgment He does so with a hope of reconciling to Himself the one who errors, however it is often the case when we judge that we act as the judge and jury and want to condemn a person as if he/she were incapable of making a change in their life.  God’s heart breaks for those whom He warns of impending judgment.

 

2.7.2.2.      Hendrikson writes, “The Lord is here condemning the spirit of censoriousness, judging harshly, self-righteously, without mercy, without love.”

 

2.7.3.  The kind of Judging that Lenski calls, “self-righteous, hypocritical judging which is false and calls down God's judgment on itself.”

 

2.7.3.1.      In James 4:11-12, James admonishes us concerning the exercising of this kind of judgment towards another brother or sister in Christ, "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.  He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.  Who are you to judge another?"

 

2.7.3.2.      It is a good saying that says, “If you can’t say something nice about someone don’t say anything at all.”

 

2.7.3.3.      Many of our decisions are judgment calls: 

 

2.7.3.3.1.           Some men went deer hunting one day.  They decided to pair off into twos.  That evening, one of the hunters returned to the group alone, staggering under the weight of an 8-point buck.  “Where’s Henry?” his friends asked him. "Henry had a nasty fall and broke both of his legs. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."  "You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back!?!"  "It was a tough call but I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

 

2.7.3.4.      One of the reasons the Bible tells us not to judge is because our perspective can be so wrong and we as people can be so fickle: 

 

2.7.3.4.1.  John Killinger tells about the manager of a minor league baseball team who was so disgusted with his center fielder’s performance that he ordered him to the dugout and assumed the position himself.  The first ball that came into center field took a bad hop and hit the manager in the mouth.  The next one was a high fly ball, which he lost in the glare of the sun-until it bounced off his forehead.  The third was a hard line drive that he charged with outstretched arms; unfortunately, it flew between his hands and smacked his eye.  Furious, he ran back to the dugout, grabbed the center fielder by the uniform, and shouted, “You idiot! You’ve got center field so messed up that even I can’t do a thing with it!”

 

2.7.3.4.2.           Boudreaux live across de bayou from Clarence who he don like at all.  Dey all de time yell across de bayou at each other.  Boudreaux would yell to Clarence, "If I had a way to cross dis bayou, I'd come over dere an beat you up good, yeah!"  Dis went on for years.  Finally de state done built a bridge across dat bayou right by dere houses and Boudreaux's wife, Marie, say, "Now is you chance, Boudreaux.  Why don you go over dere and beat up dat Clarence like you say?"  Boudreaux say, "OK," and start across de bridge but he sees a sign on de bridge an he stop to read it and den he go back home.  Marie say, "Why you back so soon?"  And Boudreaux say, "Marie, I dun change my mind 'bout beatin' up dat Clarence.  You know, Marie, dey got a sign on dat dere bridge what say "Clarence 13 ft. 6 in."  You know, he don look near dat big when I yell at him from across de bayou."

 

3.       VS 6:38  - “38 “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.”” -  Jesus teaches us to give for if we do others will give back to us

 

3.1.                     God is incredibly generous to people, don’t you think?  When I consider all that He has given to us out of His grace and mercy, when we deserved nothing but judgment and condemnation, it blows my mind.

 

3.2.                     God desires us as His people to imitate Him in being generous to others.  God calls all of His people to instead of being judgmental of others, to be generous instead.  We are to give to others and be known as being givers.

 

3.3.                     It is human nature to want to return good to those who do good to you.  Even those who do not know the Lord will often reciprocate and do good things for others who have done good for them.  Jesus tells us here that if we will be generous and give to others that they will give back to us, and in fact that people will end up overflowing in their goodness to us when we give generously to them.

 

3.4.                     Last year when I was driving the school bus I had a particularly difficult group of middle school kids on one of my routes.  Every day I had a couple of major discipline issues that I had to carry out against kids on the bus.  This route was a cause of major stress in my life every day.  Well, one day before the Christmas vacation I handed out 2 or 3 pieces of candy to every kid on the bus and then wished them a merry Christmas.  It was amazing how their attitude towards me began to improve after that day.  Looking back I wish that I had done more of that type of thing (giving treats) with them as it would have made my job much more bearable.

 

3.5.                     Notice here that Jesus says that by our ‘standard of measure’ in giving to others, that ‘it will be measured’ to us in return.  If we give a little then we will get back a little, if we give a lot then we will receive back a lot.

 

4.     VS 6:39-40  - “39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”  -  Jesus teaches that a blind man cannot guide a blind man, and every pupil will become like his teacher

 

4.1.                     Jesus is most likely referring to the Pharisees and scribes in these verses.  They were the teachers of the people in Israel in this day.  Jesus saw these teachers as being “blind guides.”

 

4.2.                     Imagine that one day you decided that you wanted to fly to Nepal and climb Mount Everest.  You got on the internet and found a travel agency through whom you were able to plan your entire trip:  airfare, bus and taxi tickets to travel to Katmandu, and even the guide service to climb the mountain.  However, on the day that you arrive at the mountain to begin your climb you realize that the guides and Sherpas are all blind.  I don’t think you’d feel real comfortable being guided up the dangerous ascent by a person who cannot see himself.  Well, this is the way that Jesus described the Pharisees and scribes, the teachers of his day, they were “blind guides.”  Jesus teaches then that it is foolish to follow one who is a false teacher.

 

4.3.                     Each of us is spiritually blind before coming to Christ and as a result we need someone who has spiritual eyes who can be a spiritual guide for us and point out the ways in which we ought to walk in following Christ in our life.

 

4.4.                     It is vitally important who we choose to be our teachers in the Lord.  A person can either be used in an incredible way to bring us closer to the Lord, helping us to understand more of what a Christian should be, or he/she can lead us astray to follow a path that leads to death.  This is seen especially by what Jesus says here that everyone will eventually ‘be like his teacher.’  “Like produces like” as someone once said.

 

4.4.1.  It is a sobering fact to consider that those whom we teach and influence in this world will end up becoming like us.  Children will naturally grow up to be like parents and those in the church will become like their spiritual leaders.  This ought to produce a holy conviction in our hearts to set the kind of example we would want others to emulate.

 

5.     VS 6:41-42  - “41 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”  -  Jesus teaches that before taking a spec out of your brother’s eye you ought to remove the log that is in your own eye

 

5.1.                     Here is yet another aspect of judging which Jesus teaches.  A person is not fit to be a helper of others to walk in righteousness if there are areas in his/her life that need major renovation.

 

5.2.                     In this teaching, Jesus uses hyperbole, which is exaggeration, in order to make a point.  It is quite ironic to think of a person with a log stuck in his eye trying to take a splinter out of someone else’s eye.

 

5.3.                     We must allow the Lord to work in our own life before we then exhort, rebuke, or minister to others.  It is not that we have to become perfect first, for then none would qualify, but rather that we must be surrendered to God ourselves and allowing Him to work out His character in our life before we try to minister to others.  It is better that we just be quiet and not attempt to correct or minister to others if we are not surrendering in this way to the Lord.

 

5.3.1.  We must also be open and willing to be corrected by others if we want to correct people ourselves. 

 

5.4.                     There is an observatory located on a hill in Flagstaff, AZ called Lowell’s Observatory, and when I went to college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff my freshman year I took an astronomy class and had occasion a few times to go and look at the stars through the telescope at the observatory. 

 

At the turn of the century, the world’s most distinguished astronomer was certain there were canals on Mars.  Sir Percival Lowell, esteemed for his study of the solar system, had a particular fascination with the Red Planet.  When he heard, in 1877, that an Italian astronomer had seen straight lines crisscrossing the Martian surface, Lowell spent the rest of his years squinting into the eyepiece of his giant telescope in Arizona, mapping the channels and canals he saw.  He was convinced the canals were proof of intelligent life on Mars, possibly an older but wiser race than humanity.  

 

Lowell’s observations gained wide acceptance. So eminent was he, none dared contradict him.   Now, of course, things are different. Space probes have orbited Mars and landed on its surface. The entire planet has been mapped, and no one has seen a canal.

 

How could Lowell have “seen” so much that wasn’t there?  Two possibilities: (1) he so wanted to see canals that he did see them, over and over again, and (2) we know now that he suffered from a rare eye disease that made him see the blood vessels in his own eyes. The Martian “canals” he saw were nothing more than the bulging veins of his eyeballs. Today the malady is known as “Lowell’s syndrome.” 

 

When Jesus warns that “in the same way you judge others, you will be judged” and warns of seeing “the speck of sawdust” in another’s eye while missing the plank in our own, could he not be referring to the spiritual equivalent of Lowell’s syndrome? Over and over, we “see” faults in others because we don’t want to believe anything better about them. And so often we think we have a firsthand view of their shortcomings, when in fact our vision is distorted by our own disease.

 

5.5.                     People have an incredible blindness in seeing their own faults yet this seldom hinders them from having such incredible ability to see and point out the faults of others.

 

5.6.                     Many times that splinter that we see in another person’s life is merely a reflection of the log that is in our own eye.  In other words, the very things that we see and are critical of in another person’s life are the same things that are in our own life, although they are much greater in our own life than in the person’s life we are being critical of.

 

5.7.                     A person cannot lead another to a place he has not attained himself, therefore we need to be to concentrate upon dealing with our own faults before we begin trying to help others with theirs.  Concentrate upon yourself first for if there is much work on yourself to be done you will not benefit others until you first deal with yourself.

 

6.     VS 6:43-45  - “43 “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. 44 “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 “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 brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” -  Jesus teaches that a good tree brings forth good fruit and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit

 

6.1.                     This verse teaches that the fruit from a person’s life reveals who they really are. 

 

6.1.1.  In Matt. 12:34, Jesus taught that the, “mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”  In other words, the things that you say with your mouth (your fruit) is a reflection of the things that are in your heart.

 

6.1.1.1.      Many years ago a professional basketball player said some things about another player that were so twisted and perverse that many people were very disturbed by what he had said.  In response to questions about what he had said the player said that he just said those words but they didn’t define who he was.  In reply to the player’s comments, coach Pat Riley quoted this verse and said that the things that a person says are in fact a reflection of who they really are.

 

6.2.                     Jesus is again speaking of the importance of picking the best teachers for a person’s life.  If a person himself is bearing good spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control – Gal. 5:22-23) then they are qualified to be a teacher.  If however the fruit of their life matches the fruits of the flesh (immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing -Gal. 5:19-21), then they should be disqualified from being a spiritual teacher of others, and you surely shouldn’t find a teacher such as this.

 

6.3.                     Jesus is obviously telling His disciples to look at the fruits in the lives of the Pharisees and scribes and therefore to exclude them as teachers for themselves.

 

7.     VS 6:46  - “46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” -  Jesus asks His disciples why they call Him Lord and do not do what He says

 

7.1.                     We see from this verse that the disciples recognized Jesus as being their ‘Lord’ or “Master,” and thus they had committed themselves to obedience to Jesus and following of Jesus in example and leading.  To know Jesus as ‘Lord’ means that you are willing to do whatever He asks of you and that you are actively seeking His will and leading in your life.  And as someone once said, “If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, then He isn’t Lord at all!”

 

7.2.                     Though Jesus’ disciples called Him their ‘Lord’ it was the case that they did not always apply themselves to doing the things that He told and commanded them to do.  Their very actions then were a contradiction of their profession.

 

7.3.                     All of us as Christians are sometimes disobedient to the Lord, are we not?  We in the church need to examine our own hearts on a regular basis to determine whether or not we are walking obediently to all that we know of God’s will for our lives.  If we are realize that we are being disobedient then we need follow 1 John 1:9 and confess and repent of our sins, and if we will do that then the Lord promises us that He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 

 

7.4.                     Christians sometimes also have much more head knowledge of the Lord and His will for their life than they do heart knowledge.  Someone once pointed out that the longest distance in the world is that 18” between the head and the heart.

 

8.     VS 6:47-49  - “47 “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”” -  Jesus teaches that the one who hears and acts upon His words is like a man who built his house upon the rock

 

8.1.                     Jesus compares two people in this verse. 

 

8.1.1.  A man who built his house upon the rock.

 

8.1.1.1.      A major flood came and was not able to topple that house.

 

8.1.2.  A man who built his house on the ground without any foundation.

 

8.1.2.1.      A major flood came and that house collapsed.

 

8.2.                     I visited New York City a couple of times in 1980 while I was getting some training for the company I worked for.  I was amazed as I observed the skyline and sky scraper after sky scraper, and, that although 18 million people live there the city was small in circumference because it was built up rather than out.  As I toured the sites on a tour bus the tour guide mentioned at one point that none of the buildings has a foundation and that they are basically just sitting on the top of the ground.  I was amazed because I thought that the bigger the building the more of a deep foundation would have to be built for it.  However, he told us that because the entire city is build on bedrock that the buildings were completely stable.  They do have a counter balance that runs through the center of the building and constantly moves contrary to the sway of the building at any moment.  The city is built upon the rock therefore they do not worry too much about storms, earthquakes, etc. destroying the buildings.  This is the way it is for our own lives if we are obedient to the word of God and trust in Jesus as our rock.  We too will not be moved or destroyed by the storms of life that we may encounter.

 

8.3.                     I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 9 years, and one of the things that amazed me about the people in Phoenix was the people who built their houses alongside the Salt River.  Every few years there is a flood of the Salt River and all of those houses that align the Salt River are damaged or destroyed.  Yet, as soon as the flood waters reside many of the residents there just build another house right on their same property.  This makes no sense to me.  In the same way, it makes no sense to me when people choose to live their life outside of God’s will for their life and the teaching of the Bible.  When the Bible teaches that there is a heaven and hell and that both will last for eternity this fact should cause people to at least do some serious consideration of the validity and truth of the Bible.  However, many people just try to ignore those realities and hope that some day they will not live to regret their decision.  However, this is foolishness and those people are the biggest of fools.

 

8.4.                     Whenever you hear the word of God, you need to be careful to pay attention and listen to what you have heard, and then also be careful to remember to do the thing that you have heard.  I have to write things down at this point in my life if I am going to remember them.

 

8.5.                     If we are an active doer of God’s will in our life, then we will avoid the day of judgment of non-believers when they are sent into the Lake of Fire that burns for eternity.  Plus, on the day of the judgment of rewards for believers we will be rewarded greatly for our obedience to the Lord in this life.

 

9.     CONCLUSIONS:

 

9.1.                     Lets be careful to emulate the character of our Father in heaven.  Lets show mercy as He has shown mercy to us.  Lets not to be quick to judge and pre-judge people, lets not judge so as to condemn, and lets not judge people’s hearts and motives from their actions (something only the Lord can do).

 

9.2.                     Lets deal with our own life before we attempt to correct or minister to others.

 

9.3.                     Lets be that wise person who builds our house upon the rock, as we commit ourselves to constant obedience to the will of God in our life.  We’ll be glad for eternity if we will learn to just trust and obey the Lord.

 

9.4.                     Jesus taught that if we continue in His word then we are His disciples indeed, and therefore we as His people need every day to be in His word and studying it so that we might know what His will is for our life.

 

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