Sermon Tone Analysis

To Judge or Not to Judge?

We’re going to see who’s awake this morning.

I’ve put together a list of some of the most common and familiar phrases that we hear all the time.

You probably use some of these in your everyday conversation.

I’ll read the first half of the phrase and if you recognize it, your job is to finish the second half of phrase.

Let’s try this out…

· The apple doesn’t fall… (far from the tree)

· He really hit the nail on… (the head)

· Beauty is in the… (eye of the beholder)

· A rose by any other name… (would smell as sweet)

· There’s no place like… (home)

· This is going to cost me… (an arm and a leg)

· March comes in like a lion… (and goes out like a lion?

/ not sure how that one goes)

How did you do?

I imagine most people have no trouble recognizing these phases.

These words been ingrained into our vocabulary.

We may not know the history or the background or the speaker, but we can finish the sentence.

We might find ourselves using some of these phrases without even thinking about it.

There’s one more phrase I have for you: “judge not… (lest ye be judged).

This is the focus of our sermon this morning.

Luke 6:37 is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible.

It’s become very popular in our world today, maybe even more popular than John 3:16.

We hear it used in conversations all the time.

We read it in articles, or see it on Facebook.

It is the world’s favorite verse.

Whether a person has ever been to church or not, they can probably quote these words.

They may not know where it’s found in the Bible, but they know it’s in there, somewhere.

They may not understand the point Jesus was making when he spoke these words, but they understand the point they are trying to make.

And that’s the problem; the verse is frequently taken out of context.

When we isolate a single phrase from the verses that surround it, it’s very easy to distort the intended meaning, to fit our own agenda.

Unfortunately, that’s how this verse is often used.

When people quote these words they may have little interest in following Jesus or learning his ways, but it becomes a convenient way of shutting down conversations about our choices and lifestyles.

Maybe we’re talking with a friend about spiritual things, and we find ourselves feeling a little convicted.

Instead of wrestling with the issue on a deeper level, we deflect by quoting our favorite verse.

“Hey, doesn’t the Bible say, ‘do not judge, not and you will not be judged?’”

But is that really what Jesus had in mind?

Even though this a familiar verse, it is also one of the most misused, misapplied, and misunderstood passages in the Bible.

And so as we unpack the message this morning, we first need to look at what Jesus isn’t saying, and then we will be able to understand the challenge that he is making to us.

This passage is from a section that is called the Sermon on the Mount.

We find it in Matthew chapters 5-7, and a more abbreviated version here in Luke chapter 6.

This is one of the more famous messages that Jesus preached in the gospels.

It came during the first year of his public ministry.

He has just recently chosen the 12 disciples, and his popularity is starting to spread throughout the land of Israel.

He has not yet faced much opposition from the religious leaders, although very soon he will.

While he was traveling through the region of Galilee, large crowds of people were coming out from the towns and villages to him to hear him preach and to see his miracles.

There were probably thousands of people sitting in the field to listen to his words and he spoke to them for hours about what it means to be a disciple.

It’s interesting that he doesn’t lower the standards from the OT.

He doesn’t water down God’s truth.

In a sense, he actually raises the bar.

In Matthew 5 Jesus quotes a list of commands from the Law of Moses and tells the people that God is not only concerned about outward obedience, but he cares about the inner condition of our heart.

He makes the statement, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’…But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court” (Mt.

5:21-22).

Or, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt.

5:27-28).

That kind of thinking was different from the religion of the Scribes and Pharisees.

They were mainly focused on outward appearances, but Jesus was showing us that we need more than religion to be right with God; we need to be transformed from the inside out.

Jesus tells the people that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees I’m sure that didn’t go over well with the spiritual leaders of the country, but he was showing them that righteousness and self-righteousness are not the same thing.

We need God’s cleansing and forgiveness, and then we are able to pursue a life that is pleasing to him.

And so that should give us some insight into the context of Jesus’s words in our passage.

What Jesus isn’t saying

When he says, “Do not judge…” Jesus is not doing away with moral standards.

He is not telling us that we are free to define right and wrong for ourselves, or that there aren’t any absolutes, or that no one has the right to question or choices or lifestyle.

This is how the verse is often used, but it wasn’t what Jesus had in mind.

Picture a man who knocks on the front door at the house of a friend.

His friend opens, and says, “hey, what’s going on, I wasn’t expecting to see you today?”

The man tells him, “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.

I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.

It’s not easy for me to bring this up, but I’ve noticed change in you lately.

You’ve been drinking a lot, going to the bar almost every night, stumbling into work in the morning hungover, and I’m really concerned about you.

You may not realize it, but it’s getting out of control.

It’s hurting your relationships with your family, and the people who love you.

It’s hurting your performance at work.

I overheard the boss say if you’re late one more time you’re going to get fired.

I’m worried about you, and want you to know I’m here for you.

I know some guys who attend the local AA meetings, and it’s really helped them to talk about their struggles.

Maybe that will help you.

What do you say?”

The man stands at his doorway quietly, for a couple of moments thinking about what he has just heard, and then he takes a couple of deep breaths before responding.

He looks at his friend and answers, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

You came over to my house to accuse me of being an alcoholic?

What kind of friend are you?

I don’t have to listen to this.

It’s my life and no one’s going to tell me how I should live it.

If I want to go to the bar every night, that doesn’t concern you.

Who are you to judge me?

You’re always talking about the Bible, well doesn’t Jesus say ‘judge not lest you be judged?’

I would appreciate it if you mind your own business, and leave me alone.”

And he slams the door.

That’s how a lot of people use (or I should say misuse) the verse.

One author writes,

“Those who mishandle this verse often use it as a “shield for sin,” a barrier to keep others at bay, allowing them to justify living as they please without any regard for moral boundaries or accountability.

Their objections sound like this: ‘Aren’t we all sinners?

What gives us the right to make moral judgments about someone else? Isn’t that God’s job?’

However, when we take a closer look at the context of [the passage] and the teachings of the rest of Scripture, it is clear that this verse cannot be used to substantiate unrestrained moral freedom, autonomy, and independence.

This was not Jesus’ intent.

He was not advocating a hands-off approach to moral accountability, refusing to allow anyone to make moral judgments in any sense.

Quite the opposite, Jesus was explicitly rebuking the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who were quick to see the sins of others but were blind and unwilling to hold themselves accountable to the same standard they were imposing on everyone else.” (Bargerhuff, Eric J. “The Most Misused Verses in the Bible,” p.25-26)

The buzzword of our culture today is “tolerance.”

We’re told everyone is supposed to be accepting of everyone else’s decisions.

“Who are you to tell me how I should live my life?”

If you disagree with someone, they call you judgmental.