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SOTK said:The following is something I wrote to teach at my Church. Comments and opinions please.
Teaching on Matthew 7:1-6
Matthew 7
[jesus]1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.[/jesus]
Central Idea of the Text (CIT):
When we judge unrighteously, we are hypocrites.
Thesis:
We are to judge righteously and not hypocritically.
Judging:
The above scripture is not stating that we are not to judge. Throughout the scriptures we are commanded to judge each other (the Body of Christ) and the non-believer. Our governments are to judge. The scripture cited below does not contradict what is written in Matthew 7:1-6.
Matthew 7:15
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Ephesians 5:11
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
2 Thessalonians 3:6
6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he[a] received from us.
Romans 16:17
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
What is being communicated in Matthew 7:1-6 is unrighteous judgment. This is the type of judgment which is usually critical and harmful in nature. It’s harmful and critical because the person who is doing the “judging” is in no position to offer truthful and constructive rebuke. We are talking about motivation and intent here. What’s coming from the heart? Is it love and concern or cruelty and selfishness? Do we care about the person who is in error?
Hypocriticalness is also being addressed by Jesus. It’s plain as day that Jesus despised hypocrisy. He especially despised this in the religious leaders of the day. (see Matthew 23)
Let’s look at what the dictionary says:
Encyclopedia says this:
I think what Jesus meant in Matthew 7 is the example of “denouncing another for carrying out some action whilst carrying out the same action oneself” or “when one honestly believes that one group of individuals should be held to a different set of morals than another group”.
If we judge others as is described above hypocritically or judge others unrighteously by a motivation derived from a selfish intent, we are wrong. We will be guilty of exactly what Jesus was exhorting us to not do.
Illustration:
I remember one day at work I vented to a friend and co-worker of mine, who is also a brother in Christ, how tired I was of certain people at work who were constantly being lazy. I vented for a good 10 minutes how most of these people were setting a bad example to the people who were working harder. There were two individuals who especially bothered me, and I was telling my friend that I was planning on confronting them (I am in a supervisory position at work). My friend was silent through most of my venting. He just kind of looked at me funny while I was talking. He had a twinkle in his eye like he was waiting for something. I continued venting for another a couple of minutes. After I was done, I asked him what he thought. He said, “What do you think about calling in sick too much or arriving late?” This caught me off guard, and I couldn’t understand what he was getting at. I asked him what he meant. He said, “Aaron, you have been sick entirely too much lately and have also arrived late to work much more than you should.” He said, “You are a supervisor, a leader. How can you expect people to put in a day of solid work performance when you are the leader and the one setting the bad example?” Well, this hit me like a ton of bricks! I was a little defensive at first, and attempted to justify my tardiness and absenteeism, however, I began to see my hypocrisy. I also saw that I had some work to do. I was not being a very good leader. I am very grateful that God puts good brothers in Christ like my friend, Jonathan, in my life. I remembered Matthew 7:1-6 that day.
Conclusion:
The above story shows an example of unrighteous and hypocritical judgment (me) and shows an example of righteous judgment (Jonathan). Jonathan judged me in righteousness, love, and truth. This is the type of judgment that Jesus wants from us.
SOTK
Great post, SOTK. And how great of you to share a personal work experience. Very courageous and sacrificial on your part. :up:
Context
