Matthew 7
Matthew 5-7 is the sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 7 "do not judge lest you be judged"
We all judge. But we hate when others judge us.
Why is judgement so easy for us to do? Where does it come from?
- insecurity
- cynicism
- pride
- anger
- sometimes we like to mutually hate things with people to try to build relationships with them
Judgement dehumanizes the other person because we see a problem instead of a person.
Matthew 7:1-6 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. [3] “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? [4] How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? [5] Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. [6] “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
From Pride to Humility
Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
What he's NOT saying is to disregard any moral clarity. Many of Jesus' teachings require us to have discernment, to make judgements.
We may be tempted to take Jesus' words out of context to justify doing whatever we want. We would tell others "you can't judge me".
Jesus is not prohibiting judgement, but judgementalism.
Judgement is considering how to wisely respond to a situation.
Judgementalism is thinking that you have the answer for all situations.
If we want to navigate situations wisely, we need be people of prayer rather than panic.
How often do you encourage, rather than critique?
Self-righteousness is the art of always being bothered by someone else's sin.
1 Peter 5:5 NLT
[5] In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
From opinion to Introspection
Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
[3] “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? [4] How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? [5] Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
It's hard to be self aware and pick out your own logs. We all have blind spots. Areas we don't realize are underdeveloped, nonexistent, or unhealthy.
Psalms 19:12 NLT
[12] How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
We all need mirrors in our lives.
Mirrors are people or things who show us what we can't see about ourselves.
- do the closest people in your life feel comfortable bringing up your faults?
- do you have wise counsel in your life?
Jesus says "and then"
Once the log is out of your eye, help your brother get the speck.
Some of us walk around looking for specks in other's eyes. Some of us see logs and think "who am I to say something?" Or "I don't want to be confrontational".
To make this practical, instead of telling people to change, ask questions. Jesus asked a lot of questions.
Galatians 6:1-4 NLT
[1] Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. [2] Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. [3] If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. [4] Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
People may respond poorly, but we are called to carry that burden.
This may be a long-term process of speck removal. We are called to carry that burden too.
From disinterest to discernment
Matthew 7:6 NLT
[6] “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
Who are the pigs and dogs?
Jesus is NOT saying that the pigs and dogs are the big sinners. He spent his whole life with some of the worst sinners.
It's the Pharisees that struggled most to hear Jesus' teaching. Jesus is using "pigs" to describe those who are hostile to his message.
What is the pearl?
There is one other place in scripture where Jesus talks about a pearl.
Matthew 13:44-46 NLT
[44] “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. [45] “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. [46] When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
The pearl is the gospel. The pearl is the kingdom of God.
What is the greatest treasure in life? To know God.
If we don't understand the weight of the pearl, then Matthew 7:6 just sounds mean.
"There is no problem to which the ultimate answer is not discipleship to Jesus"
- Dallas Willard
If the priority is politics, then the bible will just be a partisan book. If the priority is winning arguments, it will just be a series of proofs.
But if the priority is the kingdom, then the bible will be the story of a great pearl.
You cannot convince someone of beauty. The beauty itself must compel them. So it is with the gospel.