Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38).
Pressed down shaken together meaning
When Jesus spoke, he used terms his listeners would understand. Today, as we read the Word, we often perceive it through the lens of our current culture. The phrase, “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,” is understandable enough for us to grasp but recently, I learned, specifically, what it meant in the times of Jesus and what his listeners would understand.
What is a good measure in the Bible?
When buying grain, in Bible times, men visited the marketplace to do the shopping. Merchants sat at their stall surrounded by heaps of barley and wheat. Barley was the less expensive of the two grains and more often the grain purchased by the poor. But all grains were crudely graded for quality. It was common practice for the buyer and seller to haggle over price and an expected part of the purchasing process. The merchant started at a ridiculously high price, and the buyer offered an unreasonably low amount. They went back and forth until they met somewhere in the middle.
Once they agreed on the price, the merchant scooped the grain into a deep, round, wooden measure. In his writing about the history of Jerusalem, theologian Joachim Jeremias, explains the process in this way:
“First of all, he fills the measure three-quarters full, and then gives the basket a rotating shake to make the grain settle, and settle, and settle, and settle Once the rotary motion is done with the three-quarter filled basket, it all settles and settles, and all the little grain find all the space and fill it up, fill it up, and it’s solid packed, then he fills the rest to the very top. And once it’s filled to the very top flat, it’s given another shake and another shake. Then he presses the corn together strongly with both hands, pushing, and pushing, and pushing it down.”
That sounds like a good and fair measure, but that isn’t where the process ended. As wheat filled the firmly packed container, it formed a cone of grain. When it was packed full and seemed like not one more grain could fit, the man poked his finger into the cone and made an indent. He poured in more grain to fill in until the grain ran down the sides. This is what was meant by "a full measure" in Bible times.
We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)
It starts with giving
Now that we’ve made it clear what a full measure was in the times of Jesus, let’s take a brief look at what Jesus was talking about and how a full measure applies. The verse starts with, “…Give, and it shall be given unto you….” Jesus was talking about giving. Just like that grain, we are to give, and give and give. But it’s not only talking about money or even property. We are also to give love, kindness, grace, forgiveness, and more. And when we do, we will receive the same back in good measure, but that is not to be our motive. Our motive is to love because He loved us.
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About The Inheritance
Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.
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