Do Not Judge

MATTHEW 7:1-29

7:1 ”Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 ”For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 ”Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 ”Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, 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 brother’s eye.

6 ”Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will 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 it will be opened to you. 8 ”For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 ”Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 ”Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 ”If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

12 ”In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

13 ”Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 ”For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 ”Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 ”You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 ”So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 ”A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 ”Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 ”So then, you will know them by their fruits.

21 ”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 ”Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 ”And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

24 ”Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 ”And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 ”Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 ”The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

MATTHEW 7:1-6

6 ”Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged…”

Judge [G2919 Krinō] condemn, conclude, determine, go to law, sue, try or go to trial

Christians and Christianity should be viewed as an “open door of compassion,” rather than the “closed gates of judgment.” However, increasingly young people leave the church because they see the closed judgmental standards of the church rather than invitational compassion.

In his study of the church and the millennial generation, Hemorrhaging Faith [2013], Canadian researcher and sociologist, James Penner et al has identified a common thread of many young people regarding religion, “If I have to choose my gay friend and your judgmental religion, see ya’. And… thanks for making it such an easy decision!”

From my own experience with thousands of young people, I believe we drive many of them to say they are atheist because they don’t want to be the type of judgmental Christians our generation has revealed to them. This generation has not seen religion as a rebinding factor in society. They’ve seen it as a factor driving major divisions.

If they saw their religious leaders stand out for justice on behalf of those whose rights are frequently trampled, they would be inspired to come forward and stand up as well. This is a deeply motivated generation of Social Entrepreneurs. They see a cause and want to do something about it. But they’ve also grown up with a distrust of the systems around them. They see that many of those systems are broken and divided by political in-fighting and they don’t want any part of it.

“The log that is in your own eye?”

Speck [G2595 Karphos] a small dry stalk but also to dry up and wither

Log [G1385 Dokos] Beam of wood that holds up a roof or the walls of the home

There was a double-entendre in this statement for the listening crowd and especially for the religious leaders. Speck means not just a small sliver of wood but also to dry up and wither. The log referred to is specifically a supporting beam of a home or building, designed to hold up a roof or support a wall.

Remember Jesus was a carpenter and a craftsman. He would understand the use of these specific terms — and so would his common laborer followers. A carpenter was pretty much just a day-laborer, but a craftsman was someone you would call specifically to hewn a beam for your house or carve a yoke for your oxen.

Jesus is not just mocking the religious leaders for their blindness but also saying, “Who are you to advise others when your own lives and visions have dried up and become worthless?”

How inspiring is our vision and our lives? Do we support others like a beam in their lives holding a roof over their heads and walls to protect their young dreams?

MATTHEW 7:7-11

“Ask, and it will be given to you…”

This verse speaks to the amazingly generous nature of God while simultaneously reminding us that generosity should be at the core of our character as well. He even compares evil as the opposite of generosity. Last week, Oxfam reported that less than 85 people control more resources than one-half the poorest nations in the world.

In their report, Oxfam states [Oxfam Briefing Paper Summary, 20 January, 2014]:

· “In the U.S., where the gap between rich and poor has grown at a faster rate than any other developed country, the top 1 percent captured 95 percent of post-recession growth (since 2009), while 90 percent of Americans became poorer.”

· “Oxfam is concerned that, left unchecked, the effects are potentially immutable, and will lead to ‘opportunity capture’ — in which the lowest tax rates, the best education, and the best healthcare are claimed by the children of the rich,” the relief agency writes. “This creates dynamic and mutually reinforcing cycles of advantage that are transmitted across generations.”

How could this type of hoarding and income inequality take place? Simply, it could not unless those in political power can be coaxed to write laws that protect the lives of people who all together could fit on a tour bus.

How do we overcome such systems? Only by raising a generous and compassionate generation that are directly connected — not insulated — from those around them who are in need. The world simply cannot bear such continued inequality. As those who are income deprived begin to see their state as their fate and those who are hoarding the world’s resources create legal systems to lock in their continued access to more such resources, world peace will evade us. I simply don’t believe that poverty is a lack of resources. It is also a lack of access and relationships. We must raise a generation more compassionate than ours. A generation that prioritizes generosity and fairness as core values.

“If you then, being evil…”

Jesus himself spent a great deal of time taking his disciples to visit and dine with the least accepted and most rejected. He also sought to create bridges between those who had and those who did not — as in the story of the leader of tax collectors, Zacceus [Luke 19:1-10].

Just to survive, let alone foster peace, this generation will have to be the most compassionate and innovative generation in history. Studies show they have these traits as long as we don’t hold them back from entrepreneurialism by an encumbered education system focused on memorization and recitation or a religious system focused on theological divisions rather than compassion and justice.

MATTHEW 7:12-14

12 ”In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Treat people the same way you want them to treat you

Some semblance of this Golden Rule been shared by almost all major religious and influential social leaders in history. Only Jesus goes two steps further.

1. Beyond Reciprocity

Luke 6:27

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Jesus goes beyond reciprocity to intentional and unconditional love.

2. Beyond sayings

John 13:34

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jesus goes beyond the sayings to consistently invite followers to personal role-modeling. He tells us not just what we should do, but uses his entire life — and death — as an example, “Did you see how I loved you? Love like that...”

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life…”

After setting God’s generosity as the model and calling our hoarding evil, he tells us only a few can love to that extent and yet, that is what we’re called to do if we want life — not spiritually rich someday life — but a rich today life!

The richest life is a life of grateful giving and joyful simplicity.

MATTHEW 7:15-20

“Beware of the false prophets…”

How will we know a true prophet? By the gifts of his or her life. What is good fruit according to God (reflect on the beatitudes)? It is a community who love with unconditional charity. We will be acknowledged by the people who we have encouraged to live lives of compassion and charity. It is not how many converts behind us who yell, “Lord, Lord...” And then do nothing for God’s most vulnerable (look at the next verses).

Whatever our mouths say, if charity does not sprout in our path, we are not true prophets and we’re leading others astray.

MATTHEW 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…”

Twice in Matthew, we are told that it is not just calling Jesus, “Lord,” that makes us followers. Once here and again in Matthew 25:41-46. Words without acts of compassion seem to infuriate Jesus. He even condemns those who called him “Lord,” while ignoring the hungry, the immigrant stranger or the incarcerated. The way beyond that sorrow is to live a life of joyful giving now.

If we never knew the poor, he says he will not know us. We know Jesus through those in need. If we are not comfortable with them in this life, we will not be comfortable with him in eternity.

MATTHEW 7:24-29

28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Hears these words of Mine and acts on them

Hears [G191 Aokuō] hears and heeds

Acts [G4160 Poeieō] makes my words come to pass

Hear, heed and act. For Jesus there was no distinguishing between these three terms. You weren’t a follower if you didn’t hear, heed and act. You were a false prophet. Calling on his name as Lord without showing compassion was hypocritical. Whenever we see Jesus say, “Hear my words,” we should substitute, “Heed my words.”

Jesus even tells his family, “You aren’t my family if you don’t act on my words [Matthew 12:30].”

The crowds were amazed at His teaching

The crowds were amazed with Jesus’ teachings because — unlike all the other leaders of his time — he didn’t take all of his lessons from scripture and tied the truth of his teaching into common experiences that farmers, fishers and common folk could understand. They religious leaders would constantly reference scriptures because they primarily weren’t trying to lead people; they were trying to impress each other and the hierarchy with their knowledge.

Who do I seek to impress with the lessons I share? Those who are experts in theology or have climbed the rungs of religiousity or those who are in need of hope and direction?