L.P.A. There is a famous verse of scripture that goes thus; ... good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over... I doubt that there is a Christian alive today who has not heard it quoted at least once in their lifetime. Then again, I might be wrong. In any case, I am one of those who have heard it quoted, sung and preached about. I have been in church for at least two decades now and as I type this post, the song that is playing on a loop in my head is one of the songs that I learnt as a child, the lyrics of which, are the aforementioned verse of scripture . For some reason, I found myself reading it again today, which I must confess, was not my intention because like most people, I simply glance through scriptures like this. What possible need could there be to study what you already know - right? I had moved on when I realized that I in fact, did NOT know what that phrase REALLY meant. So I went back and settled down to understand it. For those who go to the market (and by market I mean the actual market not the super kind) you will agree that when you get to that particular area where the sellers of grain, seeds and legumes display their wares, there is a process of measurement that is common among them. At the potential customers bidding, grain is put into a container until it is full. It is then shaken so that the grain settles and then it is filled again. Some sellers may stop there and sell it like that. But if they want you to be happy, they will press down and pack that container to the brim. If that seller wants to make a lifelong customer out of you, they will not stop there, but heap that container till it runs over. It is a process that is as old as trade itself. It was used in Jesus days on earth just like it is still used now. Which is the genius in the way Jesus taught. Keep it simple. Keep it timeless. As I mentioned at the start, the verse of scripture that got me on this journey of discovery, is particularly popular among Christians. It is often used to encourage the hearer to give and in giving, to give well. Which is sound counsel. Godly counsel. But this verse of scripture is preceded by yet another popular verse in scripture which, while not as popular as the verse sequel to it, is (in my opinion) the key to understanding the full message that Jesus was actually sending. Luke 6:36-38 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 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. I had always read these verses in isolation (even though theyre right next to each other) and so it was not until recently that I realized that they were joined and thus for understanding to be complete, they had to be read together -as one statement. The latter verses are simply the outcome of the former. I realize now, that Jesus was not referring to money here, but to character. To the heart. The womb of all mankinds decisions. In the above example, when a potential buyer goes to a market stall to purchase grain, there would most likely be at least three containers from which they would choose. Each one would vary in size. The bigger the measure, the more costly the expenditure would be. This part of the transaction is the customers prerogative and theirs alone. The seller can only tell you what the cost of your selection will ultimately be. Which is precisely what Jesus was doing through this scripture. He was saying that the choice of the size of the container and what it is used to measure and serve would be ours to make, but the cost of our choices would also be ours to bear: for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again... There are myriad versions of right and wrong in the world we live in today. However, for the Christian, there is only one source from which we are to draw knowledge as to what is right or wrong. The Word of God (and not just those bits of it we like- but all of it) is our ONLY source. However, what we then do with the knowledge we glean from His Word, is what this entire message is about. You see, the power that mankind has to ration between right and wrong is a gift from God to us. It was given to help us assess OURSELVES as often as possible, to ensure that we are living the way we should live. The judgement of others ( i.e. the decision as to whether or not punishment will be assigned to a person as retribution for a sinful act and if so, what exactly said punishment should be) is the sole preserve of God. The moment human beings dally into this, unseen shackles are formed. These shackles are always the exact same size and length that we have sentenced our victims to be bound with and we do not even know of their existence until it is too late. Many of us carry on with our lives until we are jerked back because the length of those unseen shackles that we ourselves put in place has been reached. We suddenly look around and realize weve been here before. It dawns on us that the reason the scenery looks so familiar is because it was the courtroom where we presided over others and now the roles are reversed. The accusers voice is not a strangers voice issuing new judgement over us. Rather, it is our voice, echoing from the past, pronouncing upon ourselves the VERY SAME judgement with which we so cruelly banished our subjects not too long ago. It is then we discover what Jesus was saying all along; the only way to live an unencumbered life, is to live a life of mercy. As with ALL of Jesus teachings, this one was designed to make us look inwards not outwards. So if the first thing one catches oneself thinking about at this point, is that other person to whom this message applies, then there is a problem. Notice how the matter of whether the subject is deserving of condemnation or not is never even mentioned? Jesus ensured that no matter how grievous or obvious the act in question may have been, there would be absolutely no room for men to condemn each other. AT ALL. When the torch of the Word of God is raised to examine the souls of men, its Light is meant to light up and not to burn down. To transform, not destroy. We cannot forget this. So, the next time we are confronted with the choice as to what grain to fill our containers (our minds) with, whether scorn or love, condemnation or mercy, we must ensure that this choice is made with its true cost in mind. For the measure that will be measured to us in return will be exactly the same as we ourselves have measured and given. It will be full. It will be pressed down. It will be shaken together. And it will run over. Choose well.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:32:36 +0000