The Immeasurable By Rev. Aaron T. Fenker
“Be merciful, as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38
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ood measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing into your lap.” That’s how God is toward you. It’s what He does for you. There’s always more with Him. He can never run out of giving. He gives more and more and more! And we’re not even talking the gifts of creation: First Article, daily bread sort of stuff—things like clothing, food, drink, house, “everything you need to support your body and life.” No, we’re talking about His Gifts that redeem you and make you holy.
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The Lord is “compassionate and merciful.” (Exodus 34:6) He doesn’t judge. He doesn’t condemn. He saves. He “forgives iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:7). He pardons, declares innocent. He gives and gives and gives of His mercy, His love, His forgiveness, and His salvation in Jesus Christ. There’s nothing He likes giving more than saving you, forgiving you, and delivering salvation to you. There’s no calculation in the Lord’s giving. There’s no measurement. No recipe. No pinch of this. No dash of that. He’d be a terrible baker. No, when He gives, He gives the whole lot. With everything He gives He says, “Push it down, shake it together, make room for more. Fill it to full—past full! Overflowing, now that’s enough. Even still, keep giving more!” That’s how your Father gives. So what’s the Father pouring forth? What does He unendingly give? What overflows? Well, He’s merciful and compassionate so He’s pouring forth His not-judging, His not-condemning, His pardoning, and His giving. And you can
sum that all up in one word: forgiveness. That forgiveness is in His Son Jesus—in His death and resurrection. His Son gives yet even more Gifts: His Word and His Sacraments. And those not only deliver forgiveness, not only deliver salvation, but they’re the Means of the Spirit. Jesus’ Gifts give the Spirit to you, and with the Spirit even more gifts! “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). The Triune God always gives more and more. Any calculation, any limit, any recipe comes from unfaith, unbelief, rejecting the Lord with His Gifts. The way of unfaith says how much of the Lord is too much. Unbelief says, “You can have too much Jesus, too much forgiveness.” Someone who doesn’t want to learn from Jesus determines what someone else must do to be forgiven and given to. You know how your coworker, family member, church member messed up, wronged you, and you know exactly what they need to do, don’t you?
