NO RIGHT TO JUDGE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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.”

He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Luke 6:37-42

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention of late, there’s a spirit of divisiveness seemingly everywhere these days.

We see it within government in our nation and in other nations around the world. We see it culturally, especially in matters of race, religion, and matters of justice, all of which find their way into our communities, our churches, and our relationships with others. Everyone is choosing a side and when that happens, we typically find unruly and bad behaviors take root, one of which is the matter of judgment.

You know about judgment, right?

It’s when you see someone and form an opinion of them based on how they look. This kind of judgment leads us into the realms of stereotyping and profiling.  

It’s when you hear someone’s views and form a view of a person from those views, good or bad, based on whether their views match up with your own. This kind of judgment leads us to affiliate, group, categorize, and label others based on their opinions.

It’s when you experience someone’s behavior or hear about the way someone has acted. This judgment often is based on the behavior more than the root cause of the behavior, on the action more than what led up to it.

Yes, there is more judgment going around than we know what to do with. I know because my social media feeds are full of them. Perhaps that wouldn’t be the case if more people would read the Bible for guidance and direction instead of formulating it on their own or letting others do it for them. If you’re a person who is judging or has judged someone in the past, here’s your warning before you proceed any further in this devotion because Jesus is about to rock the world of those who judge. Here’s what He had to say:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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.”

He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  Luke 6:37-42

Did you hear what Jesus said?

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

“Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”

Ouch.

Think about this for a moment. You will be judged by the Lord in equal measure to the way you judge others.

Is judging others in a negative light, even to the point of condemnation, worth bringing the same on yourself by a Lord who is far more dangerous than we will ever be?

Yes, Jesus is firing for effect here and we had all be paying attention and heeding His words. For what He is really getting at is that we, the failed sinners that we are, have no right to pass judgment on someone else. If we do, we’re no better than a hypocrite according to our Savior as He continues to convict us while providing instruction on this matter of judgment:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

There’s an old saying that simply says this:

“Before you tell someone how to run their business, you had better get your own running right.”

This is what Jesus is essentially telling us here.

How can we judge others without first getting our own life in order?

The answer is simple. It’s easier. It is.

It’s easier to jump on the bandwagon of public opinion, criticism, and judgment than it is to look in the mirror and self reflect. It’s more palatable for us to condemn someone else than admit our wrongs and condemn ourselves.

Jesus knew this and that’s why He placed these words within His Sermon on the Mount while doing something He does better than anyone, teach us in the ways of righteousness, the ways that are pleasing and acceptable to God the Father.

We, His students, are not above their teacher Jesus nor will we ever be. But if we follow His guidance, something awesome happens. We begin to become more and more like Him, a transformation that takes us from the place of judgment to a place where reconciliation, mercy, and grace abounds. For as Paul writes:

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

And if Jesus will not condemn us, then how can we condemn others?

We can’t because we have no right to judge.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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