Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:  (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.

Luke 6:37-38

Why should I love?

2. Reward from Men

Jesus goes on to continue to state what love looks like.  Love looks like not harshly and unmercifully judging or condemning.  Love means forgiving. Love means giving.

Jesus makes the case that when we love this way- when we love genuinely, without the motivation to manipulate others to love us back- we will have great relationships with those around us.  People will that express that kind of love back to us.

How?

Jesus uses the common sights of the marketplace to describe how much we will be rewarded.  It is not like potato chips, where half of the bag is empty.  No, it is good measure!  Pressed down, shaken together, and running over!  He is talking about blessings that are full and overflowing.

He then states the principle this way:

“For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Luke 6:38

What you sow is what you reap.  When you love authentically with no expectation in return, you will be more likely to receive that kind of love.

Application:

We can often tell when people are not genuine in their expression of love to us, and when we do feel like the love is not genuine, we tend to reject it.  When people are genuine in their love, we tend to love them back genuinely. 

When a whole community of people come together and love each other genuinely, it becomes a testimony to the outside world.  When they love people that they should hate, it is a testimony as well.

Response:

Who is someone you should demonstrate genuine love to today?