Matthew 7:3-5
"Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye."
We who follow the Lord, Christians, are commanded to give unconditional love. The world reads this first part of Matthew chapter seven and concludes that we are never to make judgments about anyone's lifestyle, and then they put the book away. They don't read on. They stop right there and then judge the Christian character by this one principle. And this will probably anger you, but they are right to do so. But maybe not for the reasons they have been doing it. These people who are castigating the Christians for pointing out unholy characteristics are right in that the Christians are likely guilty of those very same crimes against righteousness. This is why Jesus immediately directs his followers to examine themselves BEFORE they go among the unholy dogs and pigs spreading their pearls of wisdom.
Jesus sets the standard by which God judges our righteousness.
Think back to what we've just learned from Jesus in Matthew 5:20 "For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will..." And now here we are being told that we should not measure another's strengths and weaknesses by any measure that we wouldn't want to be measured in ourselves. The principal Jesus offers is to keep from judging at all so that the pigs and dogs won't trample your righteousness under their feet in unkind useless debates and controversies.
Jesus then goes on (v. 15-16) to command us to know ourselves and others by the fruit of our lives, and of course judgement (discernment) is necessary for that to happen.
So, what's a Christian to do?
Shall we never exhort?
Shall we forgive all blasphemy and unholy practices?
Shall we turn the other cheek when the world is committing crimes against the Holy Spirit?
Earlier I said that we are commanded to give unconditional love. And of course, for our righteous love to remain righteous we must submit to this command. But does that mean we are called to unconditional approval?
Quick answer: No. But let's take a look into what Jesus is teaching on this.
We break from Jesus' command of unconditional love when we judge the hidden motives of others without considering ourselves in those same circumstances. We break from Jesus' command when we judge an entire life by its worst moments. So, we're examining the fruits and veggies of a persons life and we're dwelling on all their rotten imperfections. We're keenly examining the roots all covered in dirt, and the blotches of rust and disease spotting the green tops, and ignoring the fruit of the person.
Yesterday I harvested some of beets out of my garden. And I got to tell ya, they are not easy to get clean. I mean, after all they grow in the dirt. They spend a majority of their lives growing in the dirt. And their foliage is ugly. They’re knobby, they're a scary blood-red and give off a rich, earthy aroma (they smell like manure). But it’s certainly worth the effort to get to know these nutritionally dense roots. These roots are packed with goodness. It's one of the best foods you could eat. Dieticians say that due to a combination of compounds found in beets, they're able to enhance blood flow, improve the health of arteries, support lower homocysteine levels and reduce LDL cholesterol.
But they're ugly.
They smell.
But with the right preparation, they can be surprisingly delicious!
"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged"
"With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you"
It boils down to, don't be a hypocrite. Measure justice. Measure mercy. Don't be a hypocrite. We should judge another’s justice and mercy only when we have first been genuinely mindful of the fact that we ourselves will also be judged accordingly.
So...are you doing justice?
Are you loving mercy?
A good example of this kind of hypocrisy is King David’s reaction to Nathan’s story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man’s lamb. David quickly condemned the man. Meanwhile he's guilty of lust and murder for having caused the death Uriah the Hittite with the sword and he took his wife to be his own (2 Samuel 12).
"First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye"
You've got to balance your love with discernment and discipline. Self-control is the spiritual fruit that is absolutely necessary in these situations.
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs"
“The gospel is to be preached to every creature", (Mark 16:15), but often times when you're getting caught up in hypothetical situations you have likely lost any respect and sense of righteousness. The debates and controversies get out of hand, and you end up playing right into the hands of the Devil.
Act 19:9
"But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus."
Know when to hold up, know when to fold up. Know when to walk away, know when to run (shout out to Kenny Rogers).
Jesus did not say this to discourage us from sharing the gospel, he told us to let our lights shine before the world. So be light, and salt and shine the good news. You've got to do a little work to help the dirty beets get cleaned up. You've got to boil them and slice them and pickle them in apple cider vinegar and salt. That'll fix them. And they will give you a blessing in the nutrition they provide.
They have value. God sees through their ugly and sees the value in them.
Do your best to see that first, before you start pointing out the ugly. Just tell the judgement to beet it.
Amen?