Relating To "others" Series

Matthew 7:1-12

“Relating To Others”

We all have people in our lives who are different from us.

They have different approaches.

They hold a different perspective.

They have different Christian priorities.

“Their” approach to life can be quite outside “our” approach to life.

It can be messy … unpredictable … challenging.

In Matthew 7:1-12 one of the outcomes Jesus provides is to equip us to respond to this mess … and unpredictability … and challenge … in a Godly manner.

1 ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way as 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.

6 ‘Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will Your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

We are taking these verses as one unit because of the way they are structured.

The section starts with

1 ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged

The section closes with

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

This opening and closing directs us towards an overall theme of how we interact with the people around us … the “others”.

What attitudes are we to avoid?

What attitudes are we to adopt?

What’s our approach to the “others” – the ones who are different to us?

As we make our way through 5hses verses let’s all be open to the possibility that we need to be better equipped to deal with the “others”.

So, how should we approach those who are different to us? Jesus starts with

1 ‘Do not judge

When Jesus says, Do not judge, He is not saying. “Just accept everyone’s behaviour.”

How do we know that isn’t what Jesus is saying that?

Jesus talks about specks and logs – a person with a log in their eye can still make a discerning judgment about a speck in someone else’s eye.

Jesus talks about not giving dogs what is sacred … and not throwing pearls to pigs. At the very least you will have to judge who is a dog and a pig.

Later in the sermon Jesus will talk about wolves in sheep’s clothing … and using the fruit of people’s lives to discern what sort of tree they are. They are judgement calls.

Do not judge is not the same as saying “stop being discerning.”

Do not judge is not the same as “no one can comment on my sin, or rebuke my sinful behaviour.”

Do not judge is not the same as “tolerate unacceptable behaviour without comment”.

Jesus is not prohibiting any and every form of judgement.

Jesus is prohibiting unmeasured judgement.

Put up but don’t read.

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.

Measure for measure.

Accepting that, when we judge, we need to be prepared to be judged by others with the same standard that we have judged them?

What’s our approach to the “others” – to the ones who are different to us.

We use the same measure or standard of judgement that we would apply to ourselves.

Not being hypocritical in our judgement because we are applying a standard to others that we are not willing to apply to ourselves.