Luke 6:38 (KJV)
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 have frequented the pews of a Pentecostal church long, then you have probably heard this text used with fever pitched redundancy. By this, I mean you have heard it via an exhortation to give out of your finances with the superfluous promise that God will give back to you, “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Ring any bells?
I remember the first time these words registered to me as a young man. I was living on my own and working two jobs to make ends meet but, in hindsight, I was not a very good financial steward. I was earning and spending at a pace that would eventually find myself locked into several credit card debts which, in turn, forced me to work more hours in order to make the minimum monthly payments. In this context, I go back to the point in which this scriptural text “registered” to me.
See, I had heard this text many times before and I had heard it utilized throughout my childhood and early teenage years. However, the words first “registered” to me when money became a gross necessity and desire in my own life. Looking back now, my exegetical knife was dulled by inexperience and youthful distractions and I did what so many others do and have done; believed everything that I heard from the pulpit.
Now I understand that the last statement can come as a shock but, as a pastor myself, I challenge my own congregation to ask questions in a spirit that seeks pure and undefiled truth. I challenge them to dig into The Book and make sure their pastor is telling it “like it really is!” I want a pew that challenges the pulpit to spend more time studying, praying, and finding the mind of God!
That being said, I had come to just believe the idea that “if I give, God will give back to me pressed down, shaken together, and running over!” Hey! The pastor said it so it has to be true, right? Wrong! Now, here are a few things I do believe that revolve around finances:
- We can never out-give God
- God wants us to live prosperous
- God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing
I believe in financial success, the favor of God, and the financial blessing of those who invest in the kingdom and live as stewards of their resources! However, I do not believe we accomplish anything by yoking people to a false premise that is not backed up by the Word of God. Yes, by incorrectly interpreting Luke 6:38 we can set people up for disappointment and a faulty understanding of giving. I used to have a faulty sense of understanding!
You see, I kept hearing that when I give, God gives financially in return–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Yep! Just like that! If I give $100, then God will miraculously give back to me at least $200. Unfortunately, it never seemed to work that way and I couldn’t understand why God wasn’t giving back to me “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Wait, what? Yeah, I remember the exact moment I thought that question. What exactly does it mean to be pressed down, shaken together, and running over? How does this exactly work? So, I did what we all should do–I opened my bible and began to study.
I remember feeling a sense of betrayal when I first came to understand that the context of Luke 6:38 had nothing to do with money and everything to do with mercy. In fact, I came face-to-face with a faulty practice of giving I had been conditioned to become through the countless ideas and concepts I had heard from the pulpit. I was giving so that I could receive in turn. I had gotten so locked into a faulty paradigm of giving that my motives for giving had soured and I had ceased to be a cheerful giver!
To those who read this post, it is of utmost importance that we correctly and accurately exegete scriptures! God forbid we lead others into disappointment and/or faulty practices simply because we failed to interpret and teach the Word of God! How many people have gotten frustrated with God because when they gave financially they didn’t see any evidence of a “pressed down, shaken together, and running over” return on their investment? How many people have been disappointed or have felt that something was wrong with them? I personally know people who have struggled due to their faulty understanding of giving and many of them can tie such issues directly to their understanding of Luke 6:38!
So What does Luke 6:38 Mean?
This is the easiest part of the whole post. Just read the context prior to the verse and the picture begins to unfold without a bunch of commentary or expert exegesis.
Luke 6:27-38 (KJV)
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
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.
Contextually the issue surrounds human generosity and the divine response to human generosity (vs. 38). More than this, by the time you get down the funnel of the scriptures focus, you come to the idea of being merciful juxtaposed with judgment, condemnation, and forgiveness. This bears out elsewhere in scripture as well:
Matthew 7:1-2 (KJV)
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.
Everything in verse 38 circles back to verses 35-36 (pay careful attention to the attitudes and motives in 35):
Luke 6:35-36 (KJV)
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
The very idea of giving financially with the expected reward of receiving “pressed down, shaken together, and running over” violates the very idea being projected in verses 34-35. If anything, we ought to give because we understand that it functions as an act of faith, of stewardship, of priorities, of obedience–the list goes on.
Scripture does not need our help to teach the powerful principles behind giving and we would benefit greatly if we were to adhere to a strict and robust effort of exegetical honesty. This, my friends, is another case for context