Who's the Judge

If I had to choose between being a judge or being judged, I have to tell you that I much prefer being the one in the judges seat. I have experienced the judgement of others - it isn’t fun - especially when people are unfair in their judgement. As part of the front desk staff at a hotel, I have been the object of guest’s judgement. Sometimes it is positive feedback, but it is only the negative judgements that I usually notice. I just don’t like being judged!

However, when the shoe is on the other foot, and it often is - I get the option of handing out judgements. I go to a hotel, or I go to a restaurant, or wherever I go, I get this question that pops up on my phone for me to evaluate my experience. I can tell other people about my experiences of whatever I do. You can too! It’s called Yelp. You can do the same thing on Google. Today businesses, especially in the service industry are always looking for people to give positive judgements. In fact, we’re not too proud to beg for them. If somebody raves about our hotel, we will often ask them to go online and give us a positive review.

This year was supposed to be an Olympic year. Of course, like so many other things in 2020, the Olympics were postponed. But when they do happen there will be some sports that are decided by judges. Usually they seem very fair, but there are always times when the judges seem to get in wrong in my opinion. Referees in football have to make judgments all the time, and when my team loses, as often happens, sometimes I judge those referees as being bad at their job of judging.

None of us like to be judged by others, but it’s something that we all experience isn’t it? Otherwise, why would we go to the trouble of all the things we do to impress others? Most people like to say that they don’t care what other people think of them, but deep down we really do, don’t we? We all like to be appreciated and loved for who we are.

I’d like to take just a moment here to tell you how much I appreciate our church leadership and everybody involved in a ministry of any kind here at our church. We have some of the finest lay leaders that I have ever worked with in my 30 years in the ministry.

They take their positions seriously, and they do all kinds of things behind the scenes that you may not even know about. They are flexible and willing to do whatever we can to reach people for Jesus. They always make me feel important and appreciated as your Pastor, and I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you! I love you, and I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do! It has been a difficult year, but you continue to be a joy to work with!

While waiting for a plane a woman went in to a gift shop to buy herself a magazine. While she was there she also bought a package of cookies. She then sat down to wait for her plane.

A gentleman came and sat one seat away. He soon opened the package of cookies that was in the seat between them and took out one and began to eat it.

Shocked that this stranger would do such a thing she immediately reached over and took one and ate it. Not saying anything the man then took another cookie and ate it. This prompted the woman to do so as well.

This scenario continued to play itself out until there was only one cookie left. The man then picked up the cookie and broke it in two, giving her half. He then stood up and walked away.

By now the woman was completely beside herself, but before she could do anything they announced that boarding would begin. After boarding she was still upset until she reached in her purse and found a package of cookies.

We have been diving deep into the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7. Jesus often would take time away from the crowds and teach His disciples . They were special. They were the 12 people Jesus chose to be His followers out of all of the thousands that came out to here Him. They saw it too. Can you imagine what it would be like to be one of the chosen ones? Here they are sitting at the feet of the great teacher. He was spending special time with them because, of course, they deserved it. I mean as they looked around they had to feel pretty special - they were on top of the world. Of course, they probably looked at each other and wondered how some of them made the cut.

Jesus was the talk of the town - in fact, He was the talk of the town in every town they went to, and He saw something so special in the disciples that they got to spend all of this special time with Him. I mean, clearly, Jesus saw something extra in these 12, and the rest of the people were just not quite up to being part of this inner circle. Of course, Peter, James, and John especially had to feel like the chosen ones as He would often take just those three and spend time with them away from even the other 9. As the disciples were sitting there, and I assume they were experiencing these feelings, Jesus continues to teach them, and He says, beginning in chapter 7.

Matthew 7:1–6 NRSV

1 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. 6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

And people doubt that Jesus had a sense of humor. These disciples, they were feeling so smug about who they were - that they were the ones He chose out of all these other people that were constantly surrounding Him. Jesus saw right through their hypocrisy. why are you concerned about the speck of sawdust in everybody else, but not concerned about the plank that is sticking out of your own eye.

Roger Hahn says: “The human tendency is to magnify one’s virtues and the other’s faults.”

Hahn, R. L. (2007). Matthew: a commentary for Bible students (p. 107). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

I think that is why sometimes we feel so inadequate when we look at other people’s lives on social media. Usually on social media, when people aren’t arguing or trying to make political points, people will put their best forward. When they take pictures, it often looks like their lives are idyllic. We will often compare other people’s best with our worst, but what we really like to do is to see their faults and compare them with our virtues as Hahn has said.

These verses are some of the favorites for those who don’t know much about Jesus’ teaching or about what it means to be a Christian. They love that He says Judge not - literally, don’t be overly critical of people! I think He saw it in the disciples hearts and in the way they looked at other people. Do not judge, He says, or you too will be judged. It’s a fact of life isn’t it? If you are critical of people, they will be equally critical of you.

We have this tendency to see the faults of other people but excuse our own. Imagine this image that Jesus uses here, You have a log or beam in your eye, but you are more concerned with the speck of sawdust that your neighbor has in theirs! Note that He doesn’t say we should never notice the speck in our neighbor’s eye, He says, get rid of your plank, then you can see clearly to help your neighbor with the speck.

In fact, that is the point of what He tells them in verses 3-5. Get rid of your beam! Make clear and sober evaluations and be willing to help your brother or sister. He is telling them that in order to make the Kingdom of God or the community of believers be all that we can be, we need to be able to see clearly enough to offer clear guidance and to accept clear guidance from one another.

As leaders, He even clarifies for the disciples that they need to be able to see clear enough to distinguish between those who will be genuine in their faith and full participants in the message and those that will treat the message with disdain.

Matthew 7:6 NRSV

6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

When He talks about dogs, here, it is not like the family pet that we love and lavish all kinds of gifts on. Dogs, in their culture were not the family pet - they were wild and would roam in packs, scavenging scraps of food and what not. They weren’t the cute and cuddly or even the loyal watch dog, they were vicious, and when they were in packs, they were fearless. Wild dogs can be dangerous! You wouldn’t give what is sacred to a pack of wild dogs.

Pigs were not like Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web - they were also vicious animals. Precious pearls were not meant to be thrown before the swine!

In order to determine who these people who were dangerous to the community of faith, the disciples needed to be able to see clearly, and in order to see clearly, they needed to get the beam out. Before you ever evaluate another, make sure that there is not a beam sticking out of your own eye. Get the beam out!

There is a huge contrast here between the one who looks at people with a critical spirit and one who looks at people with a loving spirit seeking only to help others to grow. We have all probably experienced the sideways glance from somebody who was hyper critical of us, while seemingly walking around with a beam in their own eye.

We want to see God’s Kingdom grow. As believers in Jesus, we want to see other people get to experience His love and His grace in life-changing ways. That ought to be our motivation to share the message of the good news to those we experience on a daily basis. But before we can do that, we need to get the beam out!