Judge Not

How Christ-Followers Are to Approach Relationships

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 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? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Jesus, Matthew 7:1–5)

Not Being Critical of Others

            This section of the sermon begins with one of the most well-known (and oft-quoted) verses in our culture: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”  This is a popular theme in a society greatly concerned with promoting tolerance. However, this verse is often taken out of context and must be seen in light of all Jesus is saying here.

            It is true, though, that Jesus is hitting on a principle that needs to be heard by many who are, indeed, intolerant and judgmental. It is ironic that Christians can be most known for having critical attitudes when Christ Himself taught the very opposite. In fact, it seems to be a tendency for religious people in general to fall into this mindset. A graphic example is seen in Luke Chapter 7:

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him [Jesus] to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:36–39)

So we see that the Pharisee Simon (a religious person) has a very critical attitude toward this woman who was a known sinner. He even questions Jesus’ authority because of how He accepted this woman’s worship, but Jesus uses this situation to teach a judgmental, religious person an important lesson:

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:40–48)

Some religious people (as we have seen earlier in this sermon) have a tendency to think they are better than others. Jesus here shows that this woman (because she recognized she was a sinner and sought forgiveness) loved Jesus more than the one who had been forgiven little (the one who thought he was better). In His sermon, Jesus teaches His followers that they must beware of a critical attitude, though they are pursuing a life of righteousness and it may be easy to look down on others. Sadly, it is true that even Christians can forget this. I remember hearing a sermon by a preacher who was so judgmental that he was actually snarling as he lambasted people for their sinfulness. On the other hand, it must be said that some Christians are wrongly accused of being judgmental simply because they uphold certain moral standards and desire others to do the same.

But it is not only religious people who have a tendency to be judgmental—all people have this tendency at times. One only needs to read blog posts and comments on the internet to see just how harsh, biased, and critical people can be. We must realize that being judgmental is not a set of beliefs, it is the attitude in which those beliefs are held. I have witnessed judgmental attitudes from certain Republicans, and I have witnessed the same from certain Democrats. I have observed judgmental attitudes from some devoutly religious people, and I have observed the same from some devoutly anti-religious people. The standard for Jesus’ followers, however, is not to have a proud, condescending attitude toward others.

Often, a critical mindset assumes something about others which we do not know (such as their motives). Perhaps the Pharisee Simon did not understand the woman’s motive for washing and kissing Jesus’ feet. There are many things that we do not know or see about others, and we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. The following story about the preacher Chuck Swindoll shows why:

At a pastor's conference in Spokane, Chuck Swindoll told of being at a California Christian camp. The first day there a man approached him and said how greatly he had looked forward to hearing Dr. Swindoll speak and his delight at now finally being able to realize that desire.

That evening Swindoll noticed the man sitting near the front. But only a few minutes into the message the man was sound asleep. Swindoll thought to himself that perhaps he was tired after a long day's drive and couldn't help himself. But the same thing happened the next few nights, and Dr. Swindoll found his exasperation with the man growing.

On the last night the man's wife came up and apologized for her husband's inattention to the messages. She then explained that he had recently been diagnosed as having terminal cancer and the medication he was taking to ease the pain made him extremely sleepy. But it had been one of his life-long ambitions to hear Dr. Swindoll speak before he died, and now he had fulfilled that goal.

So it is time to do an attitude check. No matter how loving and tolerant you may claim to be, what is your attitude toward others? Do you find yourself assuming bad things about certain people, or do you truly care about them and pray for them? Do you feel you are better than others, or do you see yourself in as much need of forgiveness as anyone else? Jesus wants followers who have great conviction but who hold this conviction with great concern for others.

Works Cited:

“Sleepy Man” (available at http://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-illustrations/view/3615/ accessed November 2012; Internet).

All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Antidote to Materialism and Worry

The Antidote to Materialism and Worry

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Jesus, Matthew 6:33–34)

Jesus ends His teaching about seeking security in material things with a couple of concluding directives. The first is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” This is the antidote to the materialism that so easily plagues our lives. Caring too much about this life reveals a lack of focus on heaven. The Scriptures, in contrast, teach Christians to set their minds on heaven, and speak of us pilgrims in this world, not permanent residents (cf. Col. 3:2; I Pet. 2:11). As one hymn-writer aptly put it:

This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Much of Christianity in America seems to lose sight of this perspective, probably because of the abundance of material wealth we enjoy all around us. But our stay in this world is temporary, and as Jesus has already shown, the truly wise long-term investment plan is to lay up treasures in heaven. If we seek God’s kingdom above all else, knowing Him and sharing His truth and love with others, then we have no need to worry about anything else. He’ll take of meeting our needs as we take care of seeking Him and His righteousness.

            Jesus’ second directive is “do not worry about tomorrow.” A common trait of people who struggle with anxiety is fortune-telling—that is, predicting what may happen and believing it to be true. Reneau Peurifoy writes, “Essentially, fortune-telling is the confusion of a possibility with a probability” (Peurifoy, 113). Perhaps you have caught yourself thinking, “I just know this is going to turn out bad,” or “I’ll never be able to do this.” Jesus addresses the tendency to get ahead of ourselves, when our focus should be on the present. His common sense argument is that “Each day has enough trouble of its own” for us to be concerned about (Matt. 6:34, NIV). Why worry about the future (which we cannot control) when there is enough to deal with in the present (which we can influence)? So seek God’s kingdom and righteousness above all else in the present, and do not worry (or begin fortune-telling) about the future.

            Ultimately, worry is just a form of meditating on the wrong things, and so the apostle Paul advises:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:6–9, NIV)

If we diligently work on keeping our hearts and minds in the right place, we can be freed from the materialism and anxiety that is so rampant in our culture.

Works Cited:

Albert E. Brumley, “This World Is Not My Home,” © 1936. Renewed 1964 Albert E. Brumley And Sons (Admin. by ClearBox Rights, LLC)

Reneau Z. Peurifoy, M.A., M.F.T., Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic (New York: Warner Books, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2005).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Focus of a Christ-Follower - Part 3

Finding Your Security in Wealth

            When we speak of people who seek ultimate satisfaction in wealth, we may describe them as materialistic. Truly, one form of materialism is spending too much on yourself, but another, more subtle form of materialism is saving too much for yourself. Saving wisely is a good thing, but saving obsessively is a sign of trusting in wealth rather than God. So one form of materialism is finding satisfaction in riches, another form of materialism is finding security in riches. Both forms are encouraged in our culture. We are always told that we need more stuff (the bigger and better thing that has just come along), and we need more financial protection (to make sure our lifestyle is secure). Jesus has already hit on the issue of spending on ourselves; now He deals with our tendency to worry about security.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Jesus, Matthew 6:25–32)

            Americans, by and large, have plenty to supply for their needs. Still, it is common for us to be worried. This is a human tendency, and it is exacerbated by scores of books, newscasts, and documentaries feeding us with more to be worried about: Will the food we eat or the water we drink harm us? Will an economic disaster occur? Will the earth be destroyed by human activity? Though there may seem to be legitimate reasons for worry, Jesus tells us not to and provides logical reasons for support. First, worry makes too much out of certain things, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” He asks. When you look at what you worry about, often it involves fixating on something relatively minor at the expense of enjoying or appreciating what is most important. We worry about how a particular event will turn out, when in reality, there are more important things we can focus on, such as family and meeting the needs of others.

            Second, worry is unable to produce what it craves. Worry is actually an attempt to control what happens, as if thinking about it will somehow help. Jesus shrewdly points out, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Or, as it can also be translated, “which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^” (Matt. 6:27, ESV) Obviously, worrying cannot actually produce a longer life. If anything, it can actually shorten your life. Dr. Charles Mayo said, “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man or known a man to die of overwork, but I have known a lot who died of worry” (MacArthur, 423). We should not worry because it does not help us.

            Third, Jesus encourages His hearers by pointing to the tender care of God the Father. God feeds the birds, which do not even know how to farm. God clothes flowers with incredible beauty, and they are merely short-lived plants. So certainly He can make sure to clothe you, feed you, and provide you with all that you need. When we don’t trust God to take care of us, we are demonstrating “little faith,” Jesus says.

            Finally, Jesus points out that worrying about our needs being met is acting like “Gentiles,” which basically means acting as if we do not have a heavenly Father. Believers, of all people, should go through life knowing that Someone is taking care of them. My children do not worry about their needs because they have a father who works and provides for them. Ultimately, I do not have to worry because I have a Father in heaven who provides for me.

Works Cited:

John F. MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1–7 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.