Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
Fifth Week of Lent
April 6, 2003
“Do Not Pass: Refusing to Judge Others”
Matthew 7:1-12
James 4:11, 12
INTRODUCTION: In today’s scripture when Jesus said “judge not” was He wanting his disciples to close their eyes to all evil and error? Did he intend that managers forgo critical performance evaluations of their employees? Or that juries refrain from judgment of the guilty? Should we decline to make any assessment of others totally since none of us is perfect?
Some people are under the impression that the Lord forbids the use of our power to make any kind of judgments. However, scripture doesn’t bear this out. For example in John 7:24 Jesus taught, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” Referring to church discipline, Paul said “to judge those who are inside” the local church (rather than outsiders) (I Corinthians 5:12). The apostle, John, taught the people to “test the spirits” (I John 4:1) which requires making judgments as to right and wrong. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing.”
What, then, is this scripture referring to? Jesus’ statement, “Do not judge” is speaking against the kind of hypocritical judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build ourselves up. It is not a blanket statement against all critical thinking which needs to be done in assessing certain situations.
The title of today’s message is “Do Not Pass: Refusing to Judge Others.” On this fifth Sunday of Lent we are looking for ways to draw closer to the Lord. As we look toward receiving communion this morning, let us examine ourselves in this particular area.
1. Improper Judgment: Jesus knew that the problem of judging others was a problem that needed to be addressed back then as it is also today. He is saying, “Don’t pick on people, jumping on their failures and criticizing their faults unless you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging!” (Message Bible Matthew 7:1)
Story: A very critical, negative barber never had a good thing to say about anyone or anything. A salesman came into his shop one day and told him he was going on a business trip to Rome. The barber asked, “What airline will you be taking and what hotel will you be staying at?”
When the salesman told him the barber criticized the airline for being undependable and the hotel for having horrible service.
“You’d be better off to stay at home,” he advised.
“But I expect to close a really big business deal and then I’m going to see the Pope.”
The barber continued, “Don’t count on seeing the Pope. He only sees important people.”
Several weeks later the salesman returned and stopped by the barber shop. “How was your trip?” asked the barber.
“It was wonderful,” the salesman said. “The airline was great, the hotel was excellent.”
“Did you see the Pope? What happened?”
The salesman said, “Oh yes! I even bent down and kissed his ring.”
“No kidding. What did he say?” asked the barber?
“Well, he placed his hand on my head and said to me, “My son, where did you ever get such a lousy haircut?”(source unknown)
When you judge, usually it will eventually come back to you. Most of us are in such a habit of judging and criticizing others that we don’t think about how it affects others as well as how it affects us in our walk with the Lord.
Illustration: The other day I made a remark to Walter about someone and I said, “What do you think?” He said, “It’s not my place to judge.” I think that was good advice.
We seem to have the disposition to look unfavorably on the characteristics and actions of others which leads to the pronouncing of rash, unjust and unloving judgments upon them. One of the things that is so bad about judging in this way is that we don’t know people’s motives. We never know all the facts. We don’t know their hearts and we can’t read their minds. We jump to false conclusions so much of the time.
Illustration: It is said that the Sioux Indians have a prayer that says, “O Great Spirit, let me not judge another until I have worn his moccasins a moon or two.”
A Scripture to remember when we are tempted to judge others based on incomplete facts is James 2:12. “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
So if what you give out boomerangs back to you, would you be glad to get it back? If it is harsh, critical judgment you wouldn’t. If it is mercy, you would.
Jesus reminded his disciples of the scribes and Pharisees who were very rigid and severe in condemning people, but they were very proud and conceited in justifying themselves.
James 3:1 says, “we must not sit in the judgment seat to make our word a law to everybody.” In Romans 14:10, Paul says, “Why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we all will stand before God’s judgment seat.”
2. Judge Ourselves: Jesus goes on to give us a visual illustration. He says, “why do you look at the speck of dust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” This was a proverbial saying that they could identify with. We usually justify and minimize the planks in our own life whereas we magnify the specks in the eyes of others. Jesus is trying to say, “Don’t justify the sins in your own life as if they don’t need any repentance.”
Our own sins ought to appear greater to us than the same sins in others but the god of this world blinds us to the things that should be obvious to us.
Story: A man drove by a certain farm day after day admiring a certain horse he saw grazing in the field. Finally he went up to the farmhouse and said, “I have been admiring your horse and I want to buy him. I’ll pay you top dollar for him.”
The farmer said, “Oh, I don’t know. That horse...he don’t look too good.”
The potential buyer said, “Well, he looks fine to me and strong and fast. I’ll give you a hundred dollars more than my first offer.”
“Oh, I don’t know said the farmer...He don’t look too good.”
They made the deal and when the new owner got him home he saddled up the horse and jumped up on the horse and kicked him in the sides. The horse immediately galloped into the trunk of a huge tree, fell over and died. The new owner was furious.
“You crook! You sold me a blind horse!”
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, “I tried to tell you--he don’t look too good!” (source unknown)
Let us not be blind to our own faults. Jesus said, “take the plank out of your own eye first.”
Sometimes we want to avoid doing that because we don’t like what we see. It’s often too painful to see ourselves as being severe and unloving and unmerciful.
When you are tempted to criticize others, check to see if you deserve the same criticism.
Jesus went on to say that being severe and critical of the faults of others while hanging on to our own by justifying them is a mark of hypocrisy. The Pharisees were most haughty in justifying themselves while at the same time were most scornful and condemning of others. Judging becomes hypocritical because it implies that the critic is free of similar or even the very same faults.
3. How Do You Break the Habit of Judging Others?: Highly effective Christians know that they should not fear or beat themselves down over past actions because God is a God of New Beginnings for all of us. He forgives sin and helps us to live in new and better ways. When we see our own sins we can become better able to work on them and break the habits that hinder us.
People shrink from contact with those who systematically deal out harsh judgment upon others because they are afraid they might be the next to get it.
When we go to the Lord, he deals with us in love and mercy. When we confess our sins, he is there to forgive us and to cleanse us--not to beat us down.
James 2:13 says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
As God forgives us and cleanses us there are three things to remember that will help us to break the habit of judging others.
1. Remember you will be judged by the same standards that you use to judge others.
2. Remember that each of us is accountable to God. How is God going to judge us? He will judge honestly, fairly and truthfully.
3. Remember how much God has been merciful to us. It’s the principle of forgiveness and mercy.
It is a liberating experience when we realize that God has not called us to judge other people. He’s called us to be accountable to Him. James 4:11 says, “If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God’s law. But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it. God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge among us.” (New Living Translation).
When tempted to judge I remember one old saying of Grandma’s that we all know but don’t always put into practice. I think it is pretty good advice.
“If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything.”
Let us Pray:
