Pages

Thursday, 4 June 2020

Same Measure


🎵Give and it will come back to you
Good measure pressed down, shaken together, and Running over
Give and it will come back to you
When you give, give to the Lord🎵🎶

I guess we are very familiar with this song. It used to be our offering time favourite in church when I was younger. Nowadays, we've added more vernacular flavours to the playlist. The lyrics of the song were extracted from Luke 6:38. It's only that the text isn't about giving to the Lord at all. No offence meant to the songwriter.

 Following the rule of interpreting the synoptic gospels, we should consider parallel passages, to get the full gist of any text in the Synoptics. Matthew wrote before Luke, so it is assumed Luke adapted from Matthew. 

The parallel passage of Luke 6:37-38 in Matthew is in Chapter 7:1-2. The ethical imperative in the passage is "Judge not." Luke expands it to include, condemn not, forgive and give, summing up what should be the manner of our relationships with our fellow human beings. 

And like Matthew did, Luke hints that how we relate with people has implications (...and with what measure ye mete...), whether positive or negative, using the metaphor of methods of measuring. The imagery of "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over," is a graphic illustration of the gravity of the implications of our actions to others. Picture how cereals or cassava is heaped into a sack.

The word “bosom” (as rendered in KJV) refers to a practice in ancient near Eastern cultures of sewing a large bag into or on the front part of their clothing so that articles could be carried in them. This is equivalent to the function of our pockets. In other words, we get a pocketful of reward or retribution, commensurate to how we treat our fellow humans.

Both Matthew's and Luke's accounts encapsulate Jesus' teaching of the Golden Rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). While Luke uses the rule as a topic sentence to open the discussion, Matthew closes with it.

The Golden Rule addresses human interpersonal relationships. Its message is additionally theological, because it guides how we should interact and relate with one another, as humans created in the image and likeness of God. In a simple but powerful way, Jesus cautions us to recognize the respective dignity of our fellow humans, especially given our propensities to inflict immoral actions.

It's a volatile world. We should be wary of being sucked in, by the tensional tide and visceral pull, of grudging, getting back at, pulling down, withholding privileges from, dragging issues with, and being insensitive to the vulnerability of fellow human beings. 

The Golden Rule reinforces the virtues that cultivate the generosity of the soul. Generosity is not just about monetary or material gifts or charity. In biblical parlance, it is synonymous with being noble, liberal, acting honestly, and honorably. In the context of interpersonal relationships, generosity is expressed in giving people the opportunity to express their humanity, without the feeling of uneasiness or fear of inhibitions or alienation. It's being large-hearted in our dealings with others.

It includes giving someone the benefit of the doubt; giving others a reason to want to work with you or be around you. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, to learn, grow, and evolve. It’s giving them the freedom that goes with self-determination. It's celebrating people's uniqueness. It's valuing and validating others.

A generous soul seeks the path of harmony with others. This is expressed in building good relationships. A Harvard study of adult development showed that good relationships keep us happier and healthier. I'll add 'wealthier' to the list. "But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity, he shall stand" (Isa 32:8).

No comments:

Post a Comment