March 20, 2016
Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-6
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For 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? 4How 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? 5You 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.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Questions for Reflection:
What does Jesus instruct us not to do in this passage? What does Jesus teach us about judging in this passage? It is really easy to drift into a judgmental attitude. For many, it seems to be their default position (and as I write that I feel like maybe I’m judging their judgmental attitudes). What is noteworthy to me is the standard by which we are personally judged when we judge others. Are you comfortable with that standard being applied to you? John Stott notes “the command to judge not is not a requirement to be blind, but rather a plea to be generous.” Instead of creating a critical spirit, Jesus is trying to develop disciples that are masters of mercy.
A couple of times over the past five years, Bret has taught on verses 3-5. The visual image that Jesus uses in this passage are hilarious. What is the message that Jesus is communicating in these verses? What are the planks that you have in your eyes? Are there planks that you have that you are unaware of (some might call these blind spots)? How can you go about removing the planks from your eyes?
This passage is also a great reminder of how powerful a communicator Jesus was. He uses a variety of literary devices to communicate powerful truths. Within this passage alone, we see Jesus employing proverbial statements, hyperbole, idioms and metaphors to communicate his message. Jesus was artistic in his use of language. At One Life, we believe in the power of artistic creativity. We believe that we should follow Jesus example and use every resource possible to communicate the message that we have been given.