Author: Bill Hall

Luke 6:42 “Or how can you say to your brother,`Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

  A hypocrite is ‘one who pretends’. How much does that fit us? How often are we really what we appear to be? Would there be more value in being less, only to be more genuine? Even constant introspection and reflection that produces no purity of motivation or absolute character is useless. Maybe we find the best when we show ourselves to genuinely be what we are even if it is not all that we shall ever aspire to.

   Heavenly Father, we seek to praise You out of a genuine heart. We wish to say ‘blessed be the Lord’ with every intention of meaning what we say with our very lives. We would love You in actuality. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:41 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?”

   Is Jesus just ignorant of everyday life? Does He really expect an answer? It goes without saying that human nature is such that we tend to pick out faults in others we would never, or rarely, see in ourselves. But we see that Jesus was more than familiar with human nature. Our sinful nature is very well known to Him.
   So then why the question? Isn’t the answer too obvious for even a rhetorical stab to make His hearers feel guilty? Was that even His intention? I think not. Jesus was not trying to solicit guilt, but to highlight the brokenness of the human condition. He was calling out a flaw that we just assume cannot be fixed. And yet, He came to fix flaws, to heal our spiritual brokenness.

   Heavenly Father, could You make it any more obvious that Christ is the Savior? Is it just our stubbornness that keeps us from the truth? And we feel that we know the answer to that, even if we won’t admit it. We must have Christ. We need Him above all else. Thank You Father! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”

   We cannot expect to be any better than those we learn from. Without being disciples of Christ, we have only a motley crew of the men of this world to choose from if we want a renowned teacher. Beyond that we may have a significant wise person in our lives that is not so well known. But in any case, short of Christ we get only to emulate another human being, who has not the words of life.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ! I find myself saying it so often. There are so many things about Him to be thankful for. He is the Perfect Teacher. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:39 “And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?”

   There have been many teachers in this world. Many have claimed to have special knowledge. But, Jesus here reminds us that human teachers fall short because they are partakers of the same blindness that all of humanity shares.
  The followers of Christ are afforded something altogether different. Jesus is not just another teacher. Jesus is the Son of the Most High. He is the Word that has existed from eternity past. Thus He sees and imparts that vision to those whom He will.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for the Master! Jesus is so much more to us than any human person. He is before all in our hearts. His wisdom is a balm to our souls. Father, thank You for not just giving us Your written Word, but also the living Word. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pry and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

   It is no mistake that this follows a verse about mercy and forgiveness. As human beings we can harbor the most ugly hatred and putrid bitterness. We have invented the most sadistic selfishness and diabolical deception. Real mercy has a high price tag. And Jesus is assuring His followers that the mission of mercy and forgiveness is not without its own bountiful reward.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great mercy! As we realize the sin that has torn this world apart in all of its horrific ugliness, we see the great beauty of Your mercy and truth. Give us a heart to share the love that You have so richly made available in the Person of Your Dear Son. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

   Even now this verse tends to get misused. The focus gets put in the wrong place. We often quote to each other, judge not. But we very often forget to do what Jesus does here and tie our mercy to our own redemption. We should forgive because we have been forgiven. However, Jesus goes so far as to say we will be forgiven only if we forgive.
   If I bear ill will in my heart towards another and then ask for forgiveness, I ask in vain.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forgiveness! Only by Your great mercy do we have the opportunity or ability to show mercy to others. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:36 “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

   This is one of the most powerful teachings of Christ. Jesus actually expects people to be like God. How can He possibly expect this? It is unfathomable! But, this is exactly what is in view.
   Here we see another theme in the sermon. Jesus teaches people to do things that just are not humanly possible. He sets standards so high that we wonder how any one could ever be expected to reach it. Why?
   Well He is setting His disciples up to understand redemption. He is leading on to the idea of the empowering of the Holy Spirit. He is building the groundwork for the Christian life. It is this very kind of talk that fits so well with the significant truth that to be in Christ is to be a new creation. Our old ways are to pass away, and we become new. Though the natural man still awaits the redemption of the flesh, the spiritual man is, by being made alive, emboldened and enabled to do all that Christ will here ask of him or her.
   Mercy is for sure a human activity. In other words, it is something we do. But, imperfectly. Not like God does it. Not without an admixture of selfishness. Here Christ asks for more. Without redemption by His blood, nobody could possibly think about this quality of mercy.

   Heavenly Father, as we look at Your qualities, we are so overwhelmed. Your perfection is so high and great it is staggering to us. But, You, in Your greatly powerful wisdom, You have made it possible for us to live an altogether different life. Oh how can we ever imagine the future! I am so blessed by what You have made possible now, I cannot even handle imagining too much of what You have for the future. But what I can imagine, and understand from Your Word, is enough to keep me busy. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for 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.”

   As can be easily seen here, Jesus is concerned with the glory of the Father. This is the proper goal of everything. Believers serve Christ to bring glory to the Father. Ultimately, all of the good that will ever be done is His doing. And that is how it should be, for God alone is good.

   Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your good. It is because You are good that there is hope. And it is by hope that we continue. And by our living Your good will is revealed. The future is as the past a testimony to Your great goodness. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:34 “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.”

   Jesus spends quite a bit of time on this subject. He is stressing the importance of giving. He does not mean here to say that His followers are never allowed to make a loan to someone. But, He also expects them to give free gifts as well, expecting nothing in return.

   Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your generosity to us. Your beneficent nature is amazing to us. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 6:33 “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”

   It is important to properly define the word ‘sinners’ in this context. The Bible indeed teaches us that all are sinners. Why then does Jesus act as if His hearers were not sinners? He was speaking here to a Jewish crowd. He new that His hearers would take ‘sinners’ to refer to persons who had no fear of God. The heathen nations, largely devoid of truth about the God of the Bible, were in view. Jewish persons who had no affinity with Jehovah God were also in view. Thus, His hearers would realize He was talking about people who did not value or try to obey the Word of God.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth! It is great to have Your very message for us right at our fingertips. We can never overestimate the impact that Your Word has had on our lives. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I prays and praise You, Amen.