"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." -Luke 6:38
Jesus spoke these words during his sermon on the plain after recently visiting the grainfields. In that time, it was common practice for landowners to leave the grain at the edges of their fields for the poor and needy to come and gather for themselves.
The people often had to walk miles to reach the fields. As such, they wanted to carry back as much grain as possible because it wasn't feasible to make more than one trip. After loading some grain into the basket, they would shake it and press it down. This would remove the little spaces of air between grains, allowing them to pack as much grain as possible until it was running over.
Jesus made use of this fact in his teaching. After returning from the mountainside, he began teaching a multitude of people who had come from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal regions. These weren't the rich and powerful who came to hear him, but the sick, the poor, the needy. Jesus knew the people would understand him when he said that if they give to God, God's would return blessings that are pressed down, shaken together, and running over. He used this common, everyday example to show how God will bless those who give offerings to His cause. He will bless them with good measure, pressed down, and running over.
Sowing and Reaping
While most of us no longer have to walk miles to gather our food, the message is still applicable today. We might not grow our own grain, but we still reap what we sow. If we sow love, generosity, and good deeds, God will bless us with these things even more. He has promised this in His word, and even challenges us test his promise: "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it'" (Malachi 3:10). However, if we sow selfishness, greed, and bad deeds, God will return these things to us pressed down and in good measure.
Those who obey will be blessed. Those who go above and beyond will be blessed even more. But from those who refuse to do even the minimum, God will take what they have and give it to someone who will be a good steward with it. Consider this passage from Proverbs 11:24-25, "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes will be refreshed."
These principles are closely tied to money, but ultimately it's not about money. God doesn't need our money, he's after our hearts. Since our treasure is tied to our hearts (Luke 12:24), God goes through our treasure to get to our hearts.
When we allow God to do a work in our hearts, the primary motivation becomes giving for the sheer joy of giving, helping for the pure satisfaction of helping and blessing because in doing so we imitate the heavenly father. God has promised that if we give with the right motivation and for the right reasons, he will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things." (Matthew 25:23) These many things will be in good measure, pressed down, and running over.
24 comments
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vic smyth
Jesus' parable may also have been spoken to those selling in the marketplace, encouraging them to be generous when someone bought a measure of grain from them. "The measure you give, will be the measure you'll receive", not just in this life, but in the afterlife as well.
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Shiloh
Absolutely agree.
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Doug
As this relates to money "an honest days wages for an honest days work" seems to go both ways.
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Kevin DeFranco
He also could have been referring to sowing the seed of God's Word. Have a great day. Lewis.
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scott kavanaugh
The spirt leads me to see .sowing and reaping as a spiritual law.that works in all things the storehouse that lord was taking about was the spiritual storehouse that needs to over flow spiritually they worked the grain in a spiritual manor that reaps the spiritual grain to over flow that allows us to becoming the son's of god we are by walking in his steps in this way all thing are giving freely from sowing and reaping working always to prove my works.thank you father
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Michael Banks
This is an area that most folks do not want to talk about because it is dealing with money. I have found personally they will talk about anything but this subject this has caused many of fights because their hearts are not right on this subject. Praise the Lord any way because his word has been established and it up to us to obey!
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Karen
Great sermon and also a good reminder.
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lynn gideon
This is a very popular sermon that is used to raise money especially in pentecostal churches. One should always check out the pretext of the subject at hand. Jesus was not referring to money whatsoever. Here are Lk 6: 38 and the preceding verse 37 and it includes the subject matter of the entire chapter.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Jesus is talking about judging and nothing more. Here is that measure explained again in Matthew 7;
7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
If one does think it is money, they are making a judgement. Be very careful and get the full revelation knowledge of what is going on.
As Paul says in Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
And by the way, the judgement coming back to you is doubled; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Now to the next part: He has promised this in His word, and even challenges us test his promise: “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it'” (Malachi 3:10). However, if we sow selfishness, greed, and bad deeds, God will return these things to us pressed down and in good measure.
God is not the one pressing down Jesus in Lk 6 said it was men. Also, let us review that verse Mal 3;10. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, " if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it' Notice that God said He will not open the floodgates of Heaven. Of course it is hard to see it because like myself I was deceived by this teaching especially.
Everyone needs to see this; If, as defined by Webster's means "even though". God said, "even though i will not open the floodgates of heaven. Now why would he not open them? He made a covenant with Noah that He would never do it again and God is not a man that he should lie.
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened. God made a promise to Noah that He would never destroy the earth again with water and the gates were closed. Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; Jesus is the answer not judging. He came to save the world not judge it. Mammon is any medium of exchange and money is a medium of exchange. What do mediums do? They are held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits.
It is all by His grace and grace alone. If one is thinking they are working it themselves they are denying the power of God
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tem
thank you for this explanation.
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Brenda Spencer
I dont think the floodgates of heaven mean the same in those two different verses. Did you read the greek and the hebrew text of it? You have to go back to the original wording because the English we use can sometimes limit the real meaning of what was intended to be said thru the original language. In other word you have to be a good Berean and make sure the full interpretation is known. Just asking.
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Thomas A. Hennessey
David, the wealthy usually do pay far more in taxes in a year than most pay in a lifetime. It is interesting that people will bash the wealthy while staying poor all their lives. This is not the message of Jesus. Greed comes from a poverty consciousness and, as such, is the root of the evils in the world.Money is neutral, being neither good nor bad. It is the wealthy that fund charities, hospitals, schools, etc., and while cuts to schools will not improve schools, that I agree, and it is government's responsibility to improve the schools to create a more equitable playing field. Bashing the rich per se, does not in any way help anyone's cause. It is the generosity that increases wealth. One can only give what they have to give, and it starts in the mind. One acts on their beliefs.
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Michael Tifft
Is a man truly measured by his worth, I think not. A man should be measured for the kindness in his heart and the generosity of his soul!
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Cindi
Amen Michael Tifft! Amen!!
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alanak227
Or a woman...?
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stpeterldspunk
I believe in the end when we do good deeds or acts of kindness we begin to evolve into a higher being like God. . .
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Rod
Faith'ing and Sowing and Reaping. The speaking of "word proceeding is good bread to eat and to have Life by", the manna, is Life, causing all to exist from the Light Within all. The Father's beginning, Forgive others whom have sinned against us to receive forgiveness of sin in Faith'ing action verb'ing together(ing) pressed down shaken together holding onto that Love within with the mouth is confession from that union made, of salvation he is I AM with the name of his Father. So then, Sowing Forgiveness is the beginning of all Life in the 'formula' of Sowing and Reaping. Then is cast the (mon-all), mountain into the sea to become plain to see. Zech 4 is also the action of Zerah, name meaning the seed, the brother of Perez, in the Mystery Babylon the second time around given the answer by a great savior of exactly what to do to speak to the MO(u)N'tain. Even in the trampling of the outer court of the temple the Heart Still Wins! The Temporal is Defeated by That Within Which It is Existing and Renewal of Mind is the reality of what Agape Righteousness is from LIFE living and moving and having being, apart from books and any external thing or such, through those things as a mirror the living book within unchangeable and ROCK solid can be known that is within ALL mankind.
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Liza Meyer
I would like to ask a question, is there any scripture in the Bible that says when we sow our seeds, we may name them? Example if i need a new pair of shoes, i will sow a seed and name it according to my needs.
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Lynn Gideon
Liza, you first need to realize the subject matter that Jesus is covering. He is not talking about getting stuff. He is warning people of what is going to happen if they continue with what He is talking about.
Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
If you judge(sow a seed), You are going to get judgement back, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
It also says you will get back double(again). Wow, Double Trouble. BYITNOJ!!!
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lynn gideon
Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto you bosom(heart of emotions). This whole chapter is Jesus teaching on Judge Not, lest you be Judged. Whatsoever you judge, you are going to get it back; pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your heart of emotions.
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john
that's good for me.
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Susan Claire Schloeder
Why are the mega rich still mega rich?
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
There are two types of Christians in the world — (1) Christians who will turn their other cheek whenever they are smacked (aka, slapped) in the face, and (2) Christians who won’t turn their other cheeks, but will retaliate, to getting smacked in the face, in one way or the other
When the Christian God (according to Christian mythology) started off as a Jewish God, he, she, or it was a vengeful God, just look at what “it” did to Eve, the Egyptians who were chasing Moses, and all of those who peed off the Jewish God so much, that “it” drowned every inhabitant of the Earth — except Noah and his nuclear family.
I’ve never knowingly met a self-professed Christian, who would turn their other cheek — if I smacked them in the face — unless you count little kiddies, whose parents told me they were Christians — when an adult smacks a little kid — the little kid would be far less-likely to smack an adult back than he would smack back a little kiddie who was mush smaller than he is,
Bottom line: the only Christians who won’t smack someone back, after they’ve been smacked in the face first — are Christian little kiddies, who don’t even know what being a Christian is supposed to mean.
All the rest of the bull-dung about “turning the other cheek” is just bd (bull dung) that even the Christian God was never known to have done.
The most Christian exemplar of today (disgraced former USA President Donald Trump), whenever he’s even considering turning the other cheek — it’s the cheek on his butt, when he’s mooning somebody..
You could also say that the measure of a man is not what he thinks of himself, but what others remember about him. It is a reminder that not only the wealthiest among us should be expected to practice charity.
The problem Andy is that the wealthy give so little and want to take away from the poorest through the budget cutting of the government. The people that give the most are the lower classes who have so much less to give.