Sounds Good, But Is It The Truth? (8)

 

 

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

 

“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:1 – 6.

 

What does it mean, “Judge not, and you will not be judged”? As we saw in the previous post, the context of this statement is one of judging, discernment, and distinguishing – not only between thinking and attitudes and actions, but between people. Jesus says, “Don’t be like the hypocrites.” That is, Jesus doesn’t just say, “This kind of behavior is hypocritical, this kind of thinking is hypocritical, this kind of attitude is hypocritical,” He says, “These people are hypocrites.”

 

We often want to separate actions from people; our therapeutic society, including much of the professing church, doesn’t want to admit that there are bad and evil people, that there are false prophets, that there are hypocrites. However, as Paul points out in Ephesians 2:3, at one time we were all “by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” Much of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 – 7) is to help us see hypocritical religion and false teaching, and more especially what it is to live as the sons and daughters of our Father in heaven in contrast to hypocritical and false religion.

 

Can we see that one of the results of learning to judge ourselves, in first taking the log out of our own eye, is that we might “see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”? That is, can we see that helping one another see clearly is an element of living in relationship with others?

 

Then we have, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Can we connect this to Matthew 7:12? “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Paul expresses this in Galatians 5:14, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

Could it be that one reason we misinterpret “Judge not that you not be judged” is that we don’t want the responsibility of allowing the Word of God to work within us, teaching us the difference between the true and the false? Could it also be that we don’t want the responsibility of living in relationship with one another – with all the messiness that can entail?

 

Could it be that another reason that we misquote “Judge not that you not be judged” is that we don’t want to learn God’s true “standard of measure” in the way we look at ourselves and others? To be sure, God’s standard of measure requires obedience and humility, it requires that we submit to His Word and to our Lord Jesus Christ, it requires that we see our great need and His great provision.

 

You see, we are tempted to use one standard of measure for ourselves and another standard for others. As someone said, “We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.”

 

Just because there are many false understandings of “Judge not that you be not judged” doesn’t mean that we should not discover, and live out, its true meaning, for it is the teaching of Jesus Christ; indeed, it is His command – and Jesus teaches us that we are to teach others “to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). Who are we to reject the commandments of Jesus Christ?

 

Yes, there are those who appoint themselves the judges of all others, just as the scribes and Pharisees; and yes, there are those on the opposite end who say, “We’re not going to judge, no matter what.” Cannot the latter see that they are judging the Word of Jesus to not be relevant? Can’t they see that they have appointed themselves judges of Jesus Christ? As to the former, perhaps they should ponder Matthew 5:20, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

How do we take the log out of our own eyes? Without Christ and others this is an impossibility, we are incapable of seeing ourselves as we really are without the grace and mercy of God, without His Word, and without others. The psalms teach us to call upon God to search us and preserve us:

 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23 – 24.

 

“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:12 – 14.

 

The Word of God works deep within us, revealing things which we would not otherwise see, and leading us to our great high priest for mercy and grace – Hebrews 4:12 – 16.

 

As we live in relationship with our brothers and sisters, learning to know Jesus Christ and His Word together, Christ reveals things to us about ourselves in myriad ways. Yes, there are times we need someone to say, “Have you thought about what you are doing? Have you thought about what you just said? Have you considered your attitude in the light of God’s Word and Jesus Christ?”

 

But there are many more times when the nature of our relationships with one another – the love and grace and koinonia – in which Jesus Christ shines forth and in which His Word unfolds in our lives, reveals things about ourselves as a matter of course, as a fruit of our relationships. This becomes a thread of the fabric of our life in Christ, a critical and necessary thread, a vital element. Seeing Jesus in others has convicted and challenged me throughout my life, it has also brought hope and healing and grace, teaching me how to better live for Jesus and others. The older I grow in Jesus, the clearer I see this – O that I had seen this more clearly when I was younger, perhaps I would not have been such a fool.

 

More to follow in the next post…and by the way, this subject is meant to have tension in it, Matthew 7:1 – 6 is meant to have tension, it is not meant to be easy to think about, to obey, or to live. Why might this be?