LUKE 6:36–38
B e merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.
The Gospel of the Lord
REFLECTION
D id you notice something very peculiar in today’s passage? Jesus says “the measure you give will be the measure you get back” — but think about it. The measure we’re being asked to give is simply a measure. The measure we’re getting back, on the other hand, is a good measure to begin with, then pressed down, so whatever is in it is tightly packed in; it’s shaken together, so that it settles into any empty spaces, however tiny, filling them; and finally, it’s clearly running over! It is, effectively, no longer the same measure — and what we receive is far more than what the cup can even contain.
So why this extra, while calling it the same? The answer lies in what Jesus says today: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” We’re all similar to our earthly parents in many ways, aren’t we? We look and sound like them because of our genes, and our mannerisms are alike because we’ve spent so much time around them. But we’re also similar to our heavenly Father. We were made in God’s image and likeness (we have his genes, so to speak!) and we have Jesus’ own behaviour as an example to watch and learn from. But while we inherit some things, and learn others, from our parents, we are still different from them in some ways. And one of the ways in which we are different from our heavenly Father, is in the department of mercy.
Mercy, in itself, is divine — not human. The word “forgiveness” comes from the Latin word ‘perdonare’, which means ‘to give completely, without reservation’. And as humans, we err — we make mistakes, so we too need mercy. But who’s the only person who doesn’t need mercy? God! So he’s the only one who can afford to give mercy in this manner — completely, without reservation — because he doesn’t need any for himself! But God knows our limitations — he knows that we are like 4 year olds who will only share what we’ve received when we know we have enough for ourselves too. And so, God gives his mercy to us like this — in his special measuring cup — so that we may be able to give it to others freely, knowing that we will always have enough for ourselves.
But do we give mercy like this? Or do we act like hoarders, believing that we deserve the mercy that we have been given — and not others? Jesus came to earth to live and die for all — a living statement of God’s mercy towards us. And as John tells us in his Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) — “God so loved the world” — that’s everyone! So let’s revise what we know about this beautiful quality of Mercy, yeah?
- The mercy we give is not ours — it has been given to us by God
- He gave it to us because he loves us, not because we did anything to deserve it
- He gives it to us in excess, SO that we can give it away — what use is it to us if it’s spilling out of our cup?
- Being merciful to all, without judgement, is what will make us like our heavenly Father.
So don’t be afraid to give freely to others from your cup of mercy, knowing that God will always be there to top it up and keep you “mercy full”.
God bless you!
