“Making a Right Judgement”

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ 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? ⁵ 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.”

Greetings all!  I read what follows below the other day, and it hit me right between my “Speck-filled eyes!” Perhaps you can relate to this as well.

*When we live in a system of rules and regulations, it’s easy to think we’re righteous because we’re keeping all the rules. It’s pretty tempting to feel better about ourselves by comparing our ability to get our act together with somebody else who’s not doing too well.  “I’m on time to work every day. Jim over there is a royal slacker; he’s always late.”  What you don’t know is that Jim has an autistic daughter he has to take across town to child care and you, my arrogant little poser, live 5 minutes from work.  When it comes to true holiness, Jesus had been saying “It’s the condition of your heart.” Now He spoke to the issue of looking at someone else’s life.  Notice that He didn’t say “Never acknowledge there is a speck in your brother’s eye.”  He said, “Deal with your own life first, and then you will be in a position to help others with theirs.”

     Most Christians know the passage, but we often think it means “Don’t ever let yourself get in the mind-set where you think you’re right and someone else is wrong.” But, how will we know when we ARE right? And how will we help someone else who IS wrong?

Jesus also said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.” (John 7:24). Wait a second.  Now Jesus is telling His followers to judge, and carefully. The context of this passage is Jesus’ healing of a blind man on the Sabbath and the Jewish leaders being so upset about it that they wanted to kill Him.  Talk about missing the point.  They had come to worship the law, not the God of the law.  As with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows them that they missed the spirit of the law entirely. “You circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.” (7:22-24)

Jesus says, “You guys just don’t get it. I established the Sabbath for your restoration. A day of restoration so that you may be restored.  Now you’re angry with me for restoring a man on the Sabbath?  I want you to start making the right distinctions and not the wrong ones.” He does not say “Don’t make any distinctions.” He says “Start making a right judgement.”

*From the book “Walking with God” by John Eldredge

     For me, this passage makes it painfully, but truthfully, obvious that I still have some things to deal with in my own life before I’m in a position to help others with theirs.  Thankfully, I have God’s word and a Savior who’s always right here with me so that I may learn from Him. Thank you Jesus.

Grace and Peace,

Dennis