The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of the Lord Jesus, which emphasizes moral teaching to His followers.  It is found in Matthew, chapters 5-7.  Luke 6:20-49, although with a few additions and a few omissions, gives us this sermon as recorded by Luke.  Matthew and Luke present different aspects of the Lord, so it is only natural that their sharing of the Lord’s sermon would emphasize different parts.  Let’s look at each of these verses in Luke and give a brief commentary when necessary.

Luke 6:36, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”  There is not much to be said about this.  The Lord has acted towards us in great mercy and He expects us to act in mercy towards others.

Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” This seems to confuse many people as if the Lord is saying that we should never judge evil.  In fact, He does tell us to judge evil in others.  1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? DO YE NOT JUDGE THEM THAT ARE WITHIN? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”  In this instance, there was sexual sin going on in the church in Corinth.  The Lord instructed the believers there that they were to judge this sin and excommunicate the one who continued in this sin without repentance and ceasing from his sin.  Godly judgment is essential to the health of the church.  However, we cannot judge a person’s motives.  We cannot judge that which we cannot see and prove.  To have a judgmental spirit will crush others, but scriptural judgment must be carried out according to the Bible.

Luke 6:38, “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.”  This verse encourages us to have a generous spirit.  Whether it is in giving to the church or especially giving to the poor, the Lord will repay what we give to others.  We read in Proverbs 19:17, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”  When we give to others, the Lord considers that a loan to Himself and He will repay over and above what is owed.  Regrettably, there are some who have used Luke 6:38 as an incentive to convince others to give.  If we ever give with the intent of getting back, then we have not given from the heart.  We have given out of selfish greed, with our only desire to gratify our own wants.  Some have basically said that if you give the Lord $100, He will reward you with $1000. The beauty of what is taught in this verse is destroyed by such thinking.

Luke 6:39-40, “And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.”  Simply put, one that is blind cannot lead someone else who is blind.  The result is a disaster for both.  By the same token, one who is spiritually blind cannot lead another spiritually blind person in the truth.  Many ‘so called’ ministers today are not truly saved.  They are spiritually blind, yet many people follow their teachings…thus they themselves fall into calamity with their blind leaders.  The disciple seeks to be like his teacher.  A good teacher will lead others into maturity and understanding, but a blind teacher cannot do so.

Luke 6:41-42, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”  How can we possibly see and help correct the smaller problems in another’s life when we ourselves are so overtaken by sin in our own lives?  How can we watch for and condemn our brother’s smaller faults, while we are oblivious to far greater sins of your own?  In order to properly minister to others, we must recognize our own sins and confess them to the Lord.  1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Having our own sins confessed and forgiven, we are then able to help others recognize and remove the mote, or splinter, out of their own eyes.  (429.4)