Burying Judgment

Matthew 7:1-5

Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. (Matt 7:4-5)

We enter dangerous territory when we start using the Bible as means for judging the deeds, character, behavior and motivation of others. It’s easy to cherry pick verses to support our own personal opinions and morality, but that is never true to the Bible’s intent or purpose. That would be like using a fairy tale to prove that “all princes are frogs.” One of the least quoted passages of scripture follows the one that people use to condemn homosexuality. In the first chapter of Romans, Paul describes an unravelling world filled with deceit, envy, craftiness, gossip, and on and on. But the verse people always leave out of their argument is the one that follows Paul’s laundry list:  Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. (Romans 2:1) Jesus said it a bit more colorfully when he said that we’re too concerned about the specks in other people’s eyes even though we have large beams of timber protruding from our skulls.

Judgment is a function of God’s law. It accuses us, shows us where we’ve fallen short, and creates space for us to encounter the gospel. But as long as we’re too busy using the law to judge others, we’ll never get around to doing the personal repentance that Jesus first called for when he showed up proclaiming that God’s kingdom was at hand. 

This week, we’re going to work on that prayer of confession we made on Ash Wednesday: Our false judgments, our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, we confess to you.

Burying Judgment

·         Make a mental note of the times you make judgments about others

·         Get to know someone different than you

·         Don’t judge based on stereotypes

·         Be intentional about offering someone a compliment

     Matthew 7:1-5 NRSV

      1 "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.
 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?
 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.