In Luke 6:37 and 38, there is an expansion of the thought about giving and receiving. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged, and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Release [as when forgiving the transgressions of others or freeing them from the obligation to repay a debt], and you will be released [or pardoned]. Give, and it will be given to you.” The degree to which the generous giver would receive is likened to having a good measure of grain poured into the upper fold of a garment and then having the entire amount pressed down and shaken. Thus the amount would be the largest quantity possible, reaching the point of running over. “With the measure with which you measure, it will be measured back to you.”

The words of Luke 6:39 and 40 do not have a parallel in Matthew’s account. A blind man cannot serve as a reliable guide for another blind person. Unable to see a pit in the path, both he and the one he was leading would fall into it. Likewise, those presuming to be guides for others, trying to correct their faults, can bring harm to themselves and those whom they are endeavoring to set straight. The person being instructed will become like the one providing the teaching. Therefore, discernment is needed in determining whose teaching one would be willing to accept. Those who choose God’s Son as their trustworthy instructor are truly wise, for his teaching would always prove to be dependable and would never lead to a ruinous fall.