"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
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 (NIV)
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
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 (NIV)
It
looks like Jesus is using the humor of a ridiculous image to make a huge point.
When
I really think about what’s wrong with me
and how God deals with that, it’s
really quite incredible isn’t it, that I have the gall to be critical of,
condescending toward, unforgiving of, condemning toward anyone else?
God sees what’s wrong with me takes its consequences (to me and those
I’ve hurt) fully into and onto Himself and simply let’s me off the hook.
He forgives me. He
even goes so far as to say, “Lord,
Jeff doesn’t know what he’s doing” (Luke 23:34).
He does this while hanging on a cross!!!!!!
Given
this, it is just beyond incredible
that I can find it within myself to complain about another's driving when mine
is just as bad or worse, to criticize another for being so critical when
that’s exactly what I’m doing, to
be judgmental about another’s extravagant lifestyle when I am equally
extravagant in my own way. How
can I call another a hypocrite when I’m no different?
Wait,
you say. Shouldn’t we call
out sin and hypocrisy? That’s a
dilemma isn’t it? The answer
must be yes, and we should all feel anger toward injustice, but our starting
point for naming sin must always be ourselves.
It is in the humility that results from full disclosure self examination
before a Holy God that allows us to “see
clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye”.
Why name the speck from the eye of another and remove it?
Not first and foremost for my sake but for his and for the sake of those
whom that speck harms.
“Lord, do whatever you need to do in me to kill that critical,
ungrateful, condemning-of-others nature that keeps trying to rear its ugly head.
Help me not just to be non critical of others, help me instead to love
them, to delight in them, to be the encourager that others need me to be for
them. Amen”
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