Introduction
When was the last time you looked at someone’s mistake, maybe in traffic, at home, at work, or even at church, and thought, “What were they thinking?” Here’s the central lesson Jesus presses into our hearts in Luke 6:37–38: as His disciples, we must refuse the instinct to condemn and instead practice gospel-shaped charity, forgiveness, and generosity, the same measure God has given to us.
I want you to feel the real-life weight of this. It’s easy to become hypercritical in a culture where judgment is always in the air, political divides, church divides, social media takes, quick outrage. But Jesus intends to form us into people of radical love, especially when we’re most tempted to be harsh. A story helps expose how quickly we misjudge. A man once rode a quiet subway when a father entered with loud, disruptive children. The passengers were irritated, and one finally confronted the father. The father replied, “We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago… I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” Suddenly, everything looked different. That’s the discipleship question we’re facing: How do we follow Jesus in a way that resists the reflex to judge, condemn, and write people off?
Main Points
When was the last time you looked at someone’s mistake, maybe in traffic, at home, at work, or even at church, and thought, “What were they thinking?” Here’s the central lesson Jesus presses into our hearts in Luke 6:37–38: as His disciples, we must refuse the instinct to condemn and instead practice gospel-shaped charity, forgiveness, and generosity, the same measure God has given to us.
I want you to feel the real-life weight of this. It’s easy to become hypercritical in a culture where judgment is always in the air, political divides, church divides, social media takes, quick outrage. But Jesus intends to form us into people of radical love, especially when we’re most tempted to be harsh.
A story helps expose how quickly we misjudge. A man once rode a quiet subway when a father entered with loud, disruptive children. The passengers were irritated, and one finally confronted the father. The father replied, “We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago… I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” Suddenly, everything looked different. That’s the discipleship question we’re facing: How do we follow Jesus in a way that resists the reflex to judge, condemn, and write people off?
Jesus Forbids Condemning Judgment
Jesus says plainly:
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned…” (Luke 6:37)
He’s not describing a life where we never form an opinion. He’s confronting something deeper: the heart posture that rushes to a severe verdict. To condemn is to render a harsh sentence of guilt, “I’m done with you; you’re defined by that moment; you’re unforgivable.”
I want you to notice how fast condemnation happens in everyday life. A misunderstanding. A poorly chosen sentence. A moment of weakness. And our hearts can jump straight to, “I’ll never talk to them again.” Jesus is warning you because that reflex will destroy relationships and harden your soul.
Discernment Is Not the Enemy
When Jesus says “Judge not,” He is not banning wise discernment. In fact, just a few verses later Jesus will teach discernment by fruit:
“For every tree is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:44)
So don’t confuse this teaching with the popular cultural slogan: “Only God can judge me,” meaning, “No one can tell me anything.” Jesus actually forms disciples who can evaluate teaching, character, and direction, especially to avoid being led by wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Even practical examples show the difference. A Christian can serve on a jury. We aren’t refusing all judgment; we’re refusing unloving, self-exalting, trigger-happy condemnation. Jesus wants you to use wisdom with patience, charity, and fairness.
Choose Charity Over Suspicion
In the world Jesus ministered in, hypercritical judgment was everywhere. Religious leaders stalked Him with suspicion, tried to trap Him in His words, and condemned His good works, like healing on the Sabbath. Even when Jesus welcomed sinners and tax collectors, people used guilt-by-association to discredit Him.
And you see it vividly in Luke 7: Jesus is in Simon’s house, and a woman washes His feet with her tears and hair and anoints Him in devotion. Rather than seeing worship and repentance, the critics see only her past: “If He were a prophet, He’d know what kind of woman this is.” Even an act of love becomes a target when a condemning spirit is in control.
So I’m urging you to learn the other posture Jesus is calling you into: the judgment of charity.
- Give the benefit of the doubt when you genuinely can.
- Assume positive intent instead of jumping to the worst conclusion.
- Remember the relational truth many couples need to repeat: “I am not your enemy.” We are on the same team.
This doesn’t mean you call evil good or pretend sin isn’t sin. It means you refuse to treat every misstep as proof of malice.
Measure Others As You Measure Yourself
Here’s a humbling truth: you already know how to do charitable judgment, because you do it for yourself all the time.
When you’re the one who misspeaks, you say, “That’s not what I meant. I was stressed. I had a long day. Please forgive me.” And you believe your own explanations. You plead for nuance. You ask for grace.
Jesus is applying the Golden Rule to judgment: treat others the way you want to be treated, including how you interpret them. Don’t demand a harsh reading of their actions while requiring a charitable reading of your own.
And remember this insight: people often cause deeper pain than they intended. Sin has unintended consequences. That doesn’t erase responsibility, but it can soften the rush to assume calculated malice.
Forgiveness Flows From Being Forgiven
Jesus continues:
“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
He isn’t telling you to pretend nothing happened. Forgiveness assumes there was a real offense that must be dealt with. The issue is the vow we make in our hearts: “I will never forgive. This is unforgivable.”
And I need you to see: you cannot live this way by willpower, good notes, or trying harder. This teaching is impossible without the gospel.
The gospel is that we are all in desperate need of forgiveness (Romans 3:23 is clearly implied). We all sit under the microscope of judgment. And the good news is that Jesus paid the penalty in full, His blood, His cross, “It is finished.” Not karma. Not self-improvement. Not future good behavior.
If Jesus has forgiven you completely, past, present, and future, then you are now called to extend what you have received. “Hurting people hurt people,” yes. But the greater gospel truth is: forgiven people become forgiving people.
To declare someone else “unforgivable” while you live on undeserved mercy is a form of self-righteousness that denies the grace you claim to stand in.
Give Grace In Overflowing Measure
Jesus finishes with a vivid picture:
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over… For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)
Jesus is drawing from the marketplace. A seller could measure stingily, leveling off the top to maximize profit, or generously, pressing down, shaking it, filling it until it overflows.
The “commodity” Jesus has in mind here is not merely money. It is forgiveness, love, generosity of spirit, charity, grace.
So I’m not discipling you into the bare minimum: “Fine, I’ll forgive them because I have to.” That’s the stingy scoop. Jesus is calling you to the overflowing basket, the kind of mercy God gives you. You can’t outgive God’s grace. The fountain of His forgiveness is not running dry.
And this becomes a sobering self-check for our lives:
- Am I quick to judge?
- Am I quick to condemn?
- Or am I becoming the kind of person who covers offenses with grace, pursues reconciliation, and reflects the overflowing mercy of God?
Conclusion
Jesus is forming you into a different kind of person than the world is producing. The world trains you to react, label, cancel, and condemn. Jesus trains you to be discerning without being harsh, truthful without being self-righteous, and honest about sin without denying the power of forgiveness.
Luke 6:37–38 calls you into a lifestyle where you refuse condemnation, practice charitable judgment, extend forgiveness, and give grace in the same overflowing measure you have received from God in Christ.
So when you catch yourself thinking, “What were they thinking?” pause. Ask what you might not know. Remember how you want to be treated. And most of all, stand again under the cross, because only forgiven people can become forgiving people.
Father, thank You for speaking to us through Your Son. Forgive us for the ways we have been quick to judge, quick to condemn, and slow to show charity. Help us to be discerning without being harsh, and truthful without being self-righteous. Teach us to assume positive intent where we can, to give the benefit of the doubt, and to pursue peace with humility.
Jesus, thank You for paying in full for our sins, past, present, and future. Let the reality of Your overflowing grace melt our bitterness and dismantle our pride. Make us forgiving people because we have been forgiven. Fill us with Your Spirit so that our measure of mercy would be pressed down, shaken together, and running over in our homes, our church, and our relationships. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
Jesus is forming you into a different kind of person than the world is producing. The world trains you to react, label, cancel, and condemn. Jesus trains you to be discerning without being harsh, truthful without being self-righteous, and honest about sin without denying the power of forgiveness.
Luke 6:37–38 calls you into a lifestyle where you refuse condemnation, practice charitable judgment, extend forgiveness, and give grace in the same overflowing measure you have received from God in Christ.
So when you catch yourself thinking, “What were they thinking?” pause. Ask what you might not know. Remember how you want to be treated. And most of all, stand again under the cross, because only forgiven people can become forgiving people.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for speaking to us through Your Son. Forgive us for the ways we have been quick to judge, quick to condemn, and slow to show charity. Help us to be discerning without being harsh, and truthful without being self-righteous. Teach us to assume positive intent where we can, to give the benefit of the doubt, and to pursue peace with humility.
Jesus, thank You for paying in full for our sins, past, present, and future. Let the reality of Your overflowing grace melt our bitterness and dismantle our pride. Make us forgiving people because we have been forgiven. Fill us with Your Spirit so that our measure of mercy would be pressed down, shaken together, and running over in our homes, our church, and our relationships. In Jesus’ name, amen.