What’s the Big Deal about Judging?
Matthew 7:1-5
October 31, 2010
NOTE; THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMULA IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Audio of this can be heard at www.aberdeenwesleyan.org; click on "Media."
Me: Judging is one of those things that you really don’t want to be accused of doing in our day and age.
It’s not politically correct, and just being accused of judging can end a conversation in a hurry, even if you’re in the right about the subject you’re discussing.
I’ve been accused of judging.
When I was in college, especially, I found that I had a need to be the “spiritual cop” of my circle of friends.
I was so zealous for Jesus that I felt that I needed to police people’s attitudes and activities.
Sometimes I was actually useful in helping someone see that the stuff they were doing was actually hurtful to them and was maybe sin.
But I know for a fact that I ended up pushing people away because they were afraid to admit they went to a Huey Lewis and the News concert because it was a secular band and they knew I wouldn’t approve of it.
We: You hear it, too, don’t you?
“Who are you to judge?”
Society thinks that’s a crime – and in some ways they’re right.
I like the way Pastor Jerry Shirley puts it: “Some Christians seem to feel they are on ‘permanent jury duty’ as they go thru life.” [Sermon, Jury Duty (Judge Not/Judging), Sermoncentral.com]
As a whole, Christians are thought to be a rather judgmental group whose only purpose is to harp on the sins and shortcomings of other people.
If you belong to an evangelical church like this one, you’re especially open to that charge, and it really becomes evident during election cycles when certain politically charged issues come up that affect certain lifestyles that Scripture calls sin.
God: Matthew 7:1-5 –
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “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? 4 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? 5 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.”
You know what I find interesting? People who don’t love Jesus quoting Jesus to try to shut up people who are trying to live for Jesus, however imperfectly.
When people who don’t love Jesus quote Jesus, they usually get it wrong.
And this particular passage of Scripture is an example of that.
They look at this passage and say, “See? Jesus says you’re not supposed to judge! You have no right to tell me that what I do is sin.”
The problem with that is that Jesus is not saying we should throw out any sense of discernment about right and wrong.
In fact, Jesus, in the verses right after this tells us to make judgments about people and their response to the good news of Jesus.
In other parts of the gospels, Jesus said to expose false teachers and to admonish others in order to help them. How can we determine what’s false if we don’t judge it against what is true?
Both Jesus and Paul taught that we should exercise church discipline. That means we need to point out things that are sin and deal with it as sin.
Jesus and Paul both point out things that society says are right but that God says are wrong and that we are to consider sin because God considers them sin.
There are some things that God calls sin, no matter what society says about how acceptable it is or should be.
In other words, we are to apply godly, biblical wisdom and judge whether something is right or wrong in God’s eyes.
This passage isn’t saying we shouldn’t judge anything or anyone in any circumstance.
It’s not a blanket statement against critical thinking. Believers should be discerning and make certain judgments.
So what’s Jesus talking about here?
So what is Jesus actually condemning here in this passage?
I believe He’s addressing two main issues:
1. A critical spirit.
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Here’s what it says in The Message translation –
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. 2 That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”
It’s a spirit that says, “I’m better than you. I’m a better Christian than you are. I’ve got it all together and you obviously don’t. I can’t wait to see you get yours…”
It’s the attitude that looks for something to criticize and condemn, or they’re quick to recognize something and quick to jump on the person for it.
It was the attitude of the Pharisees who lived to display their self-righteousness in the contrast of the sinfulness of others.
And unfortunately, it’s the attitude of some Christians. And I’ve been one of them, as I mentioned earlier.
But followers of Christ should not be critical or condemning in their attitudes toward others.
Jesus said in John 3:17 that He didn’t come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.
A critical spirit says, “That’s wrong and you deserve to be punished.”
And the fact is, you may be right – technically and theologically. But your heart is wrong.
Your heart should be stirred to help that person see what’s going on in light of God’s Word and help them find the solution in Jesus.
That’s called love. The same kind of love that He extended to you so you could find forgiveness for your own sins.
A judgmental, critical spirit differs totally from love. A believers’ special position with Christ does not give them license to take God’s place as judge.
Those who judge in that manner will find themselves judged likewise by God. As God will have mercy on the merciful (5:7) and forgive those who forgive (6:14-15), he will condemn those who condemn. (LACNT)
The judgmental person by not forgiving and loving testifies to his own arrogance and impenitence, by which he shuts himself out from God’s forgiveness. (EBC)
Folks, a critical spirit has no place in the life of the Christian. If anything, there should be a continual recognition of the fact that we deserve judgment and condemnation but for the grace and love of God through Jesus.
Here’s the second thing I think Jesus is addressing:
2. An unexamined life.
3 “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? 4 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? 5 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.”
Jesus said it was unacceptable to excuse personal sin while holding others accountable for similar behavior.
When you perceive a fault in others, your first impulse might be to confront or reject that person.
But you need to ask yourself first if your awareness of their failure mirrors something in your own life.
Why? Your effort to help will be in vain if the person can point out the same fault in you. (LACNT)
Romans 12:3 –
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
How are we supposed to think of ourselves?
With sober judgment.
Now, let me be quick to say that is verse isn’t saying we should look at ourselves for the purposes of drudging up the ickiness in our lives so we can be perpetually aware of our shortcomings.
I’m saying that we need to remember that we have been recipients of mercy and grace – the same things that that other person needs.
And to remember that someone brought the good news of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus, whether it was from a pulpit or someone shared it with us one on one.
When we can remember that, and remember the fact that we are far from perfect (if you’re not sure about that, just ask your spouse or one of your kids or a co-worker), then we’re much less likely to have that critical spirit toward others.
And we’ll be much more likely to extend grace toward those we’re so quick to judge.
Listen to the words of Abbot Moses, a guy who lived in the 10th century AD:
“They who are conscious of their own sins have no eyes for the sins of their neighbors.” (Abbot Moses, "1001 Quotations that Connect," Larson/Lowery, Zondervan)
You: If you really see the need to point something out in someone’s life that you see is either against Scripture or dangerous to that person, then you need to do three things:
Check your Accuracy.
What’s at the base of your judgment?
Is this a Scriptural issue? Is it your own preference speaking? Or is it maybe your own experience that’s coloring whether something is wrong or not?
We need to be careful that we don’t judge something as sinful if the Bible doesn’t describe it that way, either directly or indirectly.
And if it’s indirectly, you need to make sure you’re not just reading into the Scriptures to make your point.
Some of you have been around the Wesleyan Church long enough to remember when wearing wedding bands and going to movies was considered a sin.
Guess what? The Wesleyan Church, to its credit, figured out that those aren’t really sin.
So you can head to the jewelry store tomorrow and get your spouse a wedding ring, okay?
So why did they call it sin? Because they were aware that materialism and promoting filth through the media was sin.
And they wanted their people to avoid sliding down that slippery slope.
The intentions were good, but like the Pharisees of old, their good intentions led them to put rules down that weren’t actually Scriptural and to break those rules was considered sin.
Make sure that your judgments regarding someone else’s actions are actually wrong by Scriptural standards, not your man-made ones.
And by the way – we’re all guilty of that. I’ve been guilty of it, and God’s been working on me, especially over the last few years.
Some people do things that I just don’t like. And God has to remind me that I may not like it, but His Word doesn’t call it sin, so I can’t either.
And if it is sin, according to Scripture, then I can address it keeping mind to do these next two things.
Check your Attitude.
In other words, check your heart.
Is your own heart right with God, asking Him to show you if this is something you need to deal with in your own life?
Is there something in your own life that if someone were to point out would embarrass you?
Have you spent some time praying about this, asking God to give you a humble spirit that shows love to that person that they can see through the words you’re speaking to them, even if the words themselves might hurt?
Because sometimes, you do have to just say something to someone that’s going to hurt, but it needs to be said because if you don’t, they may get hurt otherwise.
It’s been said that you should walk a mile in a person’s shoes before you judge them.
Here’s what the famous theologian Steve Martin had to say about that:
“Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you do criticize him, you’ll be a mile away and have his shoes.” ("1001 Quotations that Connect" Larson/Lowery, Zondervan)
So check your attitude. Then lastly…
Check your Approach.
Going in with guns blazing might satisfy your sense of justice – or ego, but it’s usually not the best idea for confronting someone about something you see in their life.
But if you want to guarantee that they’ll ignore what you have to say and never give credence to you in the future, then by all means go in harshly.
You’ll have the satisfaction of saying your piece and also knowing you’ll have little or no influence on them from that point on.
On the other hand, if you come to that person or persons with the idea of showing them how to draw closer to Christ rather than just beating them up about what they are doing, you’ll gain a hearing – both then and in the future.
Here’s an idea: pray about what you want to say before you go in to talk with them.
Oswald Chambers said –
“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”
We: Here’s what I would like to see:
I’d like to see that no one in this area could accuse this body of being judgmental and having a critical spirit.
I’d like them to see that while we disagree with much of what we see in the world around us, our desire isn’t criticism, but rather that they would see the redemptive power of Jesus displayed in His people of this church.
It starts with each and every one of us humbling ourselves in remembrance of the mercy and grace given to us, then asking God to help us extend that to others who might fall short of our expectations or Scriptural standards.
Instead of the stereotype of harsh, judgmental Pharisees that abound in our culture, let’s show them that we’re quick to work on the planks in our own eyes as we assist them with the speck in theirs.
Let’s pray.
