“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log 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 dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Matt. 7:1–6
Such a familiar passage. Such a misused and misunderstood passage in this day. But I have to admit, some days, especially after another weekend with police officer killings for just trying to do their job, and senseless violence in our cities towards one another, on a scale of 1 to 10, my judgmentalism slides upward, from a normal 3 to a reactionary 8 or 10. So I find even myself using a passage like this wrong. And the irony is concerning this judgmentalism, it’s been fueled in response to the caustic culture we’re living in… out of control crime, out of control government regulation, out of control military actions around the world… most made by bad decision on the part of our elected officials. I’m becoming critical of critical people. I find myself falling into the outraged category, too often. That’s a confession, not a justification.
This passage gives us at least two commands for today. First, and this is obvious, STOP JUDGING OTHERS!…especially if you aren’t willing to be above the fray yourself. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log in your own eye?”
On any given day I find myself having to repent and ask for forgiveness concerning my outrage when I haven’t even spent enough time mortifying my other sins… I pray something like this at that recognition; Have mercy on me, a sinner, O Lord. You exhausted the judgment I deserve on the cross. You haven’t made me judge, jury, and executioner of anyone… not even myself… you did that and became a substitution so that I wouldn’t have to… even if I could. Yet, there is a need on my part to work at my salvation to be as clean as is possible before you and others that I might bring you honor and glory in all that I do. Help me Lord, to continually look at my sin and seek to kill it daily that I may be the servant you demand.”
Now just to be clear, this doesn’t mean I/we are to be passive, “sweet,” or silent in response to wrongs, errors, and evil. We must be discerning… and to be truly discerning we must not have some overarching sin affecting our judgment, for we need to discern and know, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” But… it does remind me/us of the need to look at ourselves first in every situation to determine whether I have wrestled with the log in my own eye. There is a reason why it is a log for us and a speck for our brothers… think on that for a few moments. (You see it?)
You see, Jesus knows, that it boils down to this: As His children, saved by His grace, adopted into His family who have been indwelt by the precious Holy Spirit, we know the difference when we are seeking to help someone with the “speck in their eye,” versus wanting to “spit in their eye”—because we are so outraged that we want to spit… metaphorically speaking, of course.
That brings us to the second command which is to do FIRST what we have been talking to above, “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.” “You hypocrite” are such a harsh words… but Jesus calls them… us… as He sees them! If we don’t take the log out of our eye, which is usually clear to everyone else… and to us… then Jesus says, here’s your sign… YOU HYPOCRITE!
So let’s pray today that God, through the Holy Spirit, would soften our hearts. Ask Him to help us remember that “Calling down fire” (Luke 9:54) on people who make us angry, isn’t the way of the Gospel, but calling down His Spirit is… to work in our own hearts first and then in the hearts of the other.
It is so easy today to be outraged… but shut down your rage with a true desire to seek God’s honor and the good of the other person. Remember we are to do all things to God’s glory… is what you are feeling today and what you are doing today, concerning others, actually doing that?
God Bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
