Luc. 6:36-42.
Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall 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 full, pressed, shaken, and superfluous measure shall be put into your bosom: for even with the measure that ye measure with shall ye be measured again. And he said to them the same thing: "May a blind man guide a blind man? will they not both fall into the pit? The disciple is not above his master; if the disciple is like his master, he is perfect. But why do you see a mote in your brother's eye, and do not see the beam in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Be still, brother, I will take the mote out of your eye, and you yourself do not see the beam in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the beam out of your eye, and then see to it that you take the mote out of your brother's eye.
*) Cf. Erl. A. oxx. var. ar^. VII, 420 "M- D. Red.
1. this gospel is collected from various sayings of Christ, which were not preached at one time, as we see that the sayings of Solomon, as well as many in Jeremiah and other prophets, are collected.
The first saying is: "Be merciful" etc. This saying is completely connected to the previous one, and this is the summa to distinguish the kingdom of God from the kingdom of the world. For in the kingdom of God reigns forgiveness, indulgence etc.; but in the kingdom of the world reigns law, vengeance, activity etc. Therefore do not hope that my kingdom will be a kingdom of the world, but prepare yourselves for mercy, that is, for the perfect mercy that is to be shown even to enemies, just as your Father shows himself to be kind to the unthankful and the wicked, who sends rain, who does good, who delivers even the most wicked people, the heathen and the idols. And here are these common blessings of God throughout the year, from the sun, moon, stars, earth, fruits, peace, household, wealth, health and countless other gifts, in which he shows himself kind from beginning to end, even to those who do not recognize them, to the blasphemers, idols and endless monsters who constantly provoke him. For what the world has of goods, life, health, things, it has because God gives it and sustains it, and thus has mercy on it and is kind to it.
(3) Now here the false Christians are separated, who are kind to the good, but not to the bad, yes, who do not even do good to the good, but only to their friends or flatterers, from whom they hope and expect either honor, or praise, or their benefit. And yet they think themselves holy and great men against the wicked or ungrateful, are of incredible impatience, and invent a zeal for justice etc. This evil is not small, because it is subtle and has an appearance; they also never believe that they are struck by this word of Christ, they are hindering themselves, and remain hypocrites in this article, as well as in the following ones.
The other saying is, "Do not judge,
you will not be judged." Just as he taught in the first saying that we should be merciful, that is, kind according to the example of the Father, who is kind to all, and will undoubtedly prove himself severe and earnest against those who, contrary to his example and commandment, are not kind; for since he first loved us, he also wants us to imitate him in love, or he will turn his love into wrath. So also here he says: The Father neither judges nor reproves you, but rather makes you righteous, and approves of you, after all his judgment is abolished, lest some suspicion or fear should remain for you because of his displeasure or wrath. Since then he justifies the unworthy, and after sins forgiven will not judge any of you, nor accuse you, nor hold you guilty, but rather pardons and absolves you, as the most shameful and ungrateful, you also ought to justify yourselves among yourselves, and after sins forgiven neither accuse nor hold you guilty, but after deferred judgment absolve, first of all, those who recognize it, or who sin out of error and inducement. But if ye despise the example of the Father, judging one another, defending the right which one hath against another, and holding one another guilty, I say unto you, that ye also shall be judged. Therefore, that ye be not judged, see that ye follow the example of the Father, who judgeth you not.
(5) The third saying is this: "Do not condemn," that is, do not execute your judgment and sentence. Do not avenge yourselves among yourselves, that is, do not condemn. For condemnation means to execute judgment and sentence, that is, to judge with the deed itself, namely, to harm, diminish, bite, prevent, despise, resist one another with word, work, effort, counsel etc.; each of which pieces (as it happens) can be expanded here. But do thus: Because your Father does not condemn you, does not avenge you, does not harm you, does not bite you, does not hinder you etc.; but after the condemnation is lifted, helps you and does you good: so do you also. If ye will not do this, then I say unto you, that out of a
The helper will be one who will pronounce condemnation on you, as on those who, by this very act of yours, testify that you have not yet received his grace, forgiveness, and cancellation of the sentence of condemnation, and that you do not yet believe in grace, forgiveness, and indulgence; but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And so the objection of those in this text is answered here, that Christ assigns the forgiveness of sins to works. He does not assign them to works; but because they are unbelievers, and do not believe that they have forgiveness from God, as their unbelieving works testify, he says that God's forgiveness is also cancelled because of their unbelief (which is found in the deed).
(6) The same is to be said of the fourth saying, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven"; that is, you see that he has not only forgiven your past sins, but also forgives your daily sins, and does not demand the highest perfection from you: therefore you also do so. Forgive not only the past sins, but forgive also daily seventy times seven, that is, infinitely, even as this Father does. If you do not do this, he will also change his daily remission into a daily retention, and he will be over the
The past sins also count the infinite sins that you do every day. This, like the previous one, is to be considered in all its forms.
This fifth saying shall be treated in the same way: "Prayer" etc. God gives continually; he has not only given before, but continues to give to the unworthy. After this example of the Father, you also give continually, even to the unworthy, and do not be satisfied that you have given before. If you do not do this, he himself will also finally take away what he gives and would give. Here we can add what is appropriate for the purpose, namely, why God now begins to punish us, both with hunger and with other misfortunes; namely, because we cease to give, he himself will turn and take away even what he has been accustomed to give. For he himself concludes, "With the same measure," as if to say, "Because you do not believe the Father and do not recognize what was foretold, but do the opposite, therefore he himself will punish you unbelievers (who are publicly condemned by this act) with the same measure; as it is written in Ps. 18:27, "With the perverse you are perverse"; and: He will give to each one according to his works. This saying, "A full measure," is an exhortation to give willingly, and it is to be put out in its own way.