The Splinter and the Cross beam

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Lesson 1 - DO NOT JUDGE

This is not just a teaching but a rebuke

Jesus teaches about criticizing or judging others

The Pharisees were very judgemental - especially about Jesus

they though he was inadequate - coz he was not bringing the kingdom they had anticipated

he was not even talking about the rightousness they were showing

Reason why he says in

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So in their judgement - the rejected him

Jesus therefore was warning them against hypocritical judging.

Meaning of Judging

Greek word for Judge : Krino:

express an opinion about

pass an unfavorable judgment upon,

criticize - forming a critical opinion of something - in this case negative by examination or scrutiny

seperate, disect - pick out for oneself - a concluding opinion about another

find fault with,

condemn

to judge as guilty

administer justcie

decide - determine

evaluation of another

Splinter: Karphos (Karofhos)- a chip of wood

a piece of wood

wood shaving

minor fault

Beam: dokos - log

a beam of wood

major fault

Logs

The Eye

ophthalmos - Greek

the whole human person conceived of in terms of the eye

Luke 11:34

Lesson 2 : SELF - EVALUATE

Question

Vs 3. Why do you see:

blepo - percieve, obeserve, notice, become aware - what is in another’s eye/life

But

do NOT Notice

katanoeō - consider, contemplate, envisage, take notice - or learn - about what is in your life

not self aware

do you know yourself?

You are an expert at others - but totally ignorant about your own life

Its time for:

self observation

self examination

Whoever therefore is guided by good sense does not look at the sins of others, nor busies himself about the faults of his neighbor, but closely scans his own misdoings.

Jesus is saying - before you can pass judgement on the life of another - first be certain of your own life.

Do not be a habitual critical and condemnatory person

that will make you a hypocrite - coz you too has some issues

Proverbs 18:17 ESV

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

Self -rightousness

lack of self observation/ awareness - leads to self-rightouesness

A lady in an airport bought a book to read and a package of cookies to eat while she waited for her plane. After she had taken her seat in the terminal and gotten engrossed in her book, she noticed that the man one seat away from her was fumbling to open the package of cookies on the seat between them. She was so shocked that a stranger would eat her cookies that she didn’t really know what to do, so she just reached over and took one of the cookies and ate it. The man didn’t say anything but soon reached over and took another. Well, the woman wasn’t going to let him eat them all, so she took another, too. When they were down to one cookie, the man reached over, broke the cookie in half, and got up and left. The lady couldn’t believe the man’s nerve, but soon the announcement came to board the plane.

Once the woman was aboard, still angry at the man’s audacity and puzzling over the incident, she reached into her purse for a tissue. It suddenly dawned on her that she really shouldn’t judge people too harshly—for there in her purse lay her still-unopened package of cookies.

Woman caught in the act

John 8:

Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery

placed her in the middle

said to Jesus - Moses taught that such are to be stonned

what say you?

they did this to test him

wanted him to judge her

but he refused to do so

John 8:5–10 ESV

Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

He refused to condemn her

Jesus - I judge no one

John 8:15–16 ESV

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

John 7:24 ESV

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Prophet Isaiah spoke about him

Isaiah 11:3 ESV

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Lesson 3: JUDGING OTHERS IS SELF JUDGEMENT

Back to Mat 7:2

Matthew 7:2 AMP

For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

When you judge another - you are measuring what will come back to you.

Metron - with the same metron - it will be metereod agaisnst you

what you deal agaisnt others - will be dealt against you - in the same measure

in other words, when you judge others, you judge yourself

Apostle Paul writes about this

Romans 2:1–3 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?

You and I will stand before Judgement

Always remember that before you attempt to pass Judgement

Romans 14:10 ESV

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

Let us stop judging

Ever heard of people who say:

“ I don’t mean to judge, but....

“ I was not judging you, but, ....

Always give people the benefit of the doubt

Its not your place to judge

Its not my place to judge

if you want to find rest in this life and the next, say at every turn “Who am I?” and then judge no man.

Romans 14:13 ESV

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Leave the judging to the only one who has the right to do so - God

James 4:11–12 ESV

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Never speak evil of anyone or suppose that you make yourself better by assailing the reputations of others. The charges we bring against them often come home to ourselves; we inveigh against faults that are as much ours as theirs; and so our eloquence ends by telling against ourselves.

Stop grumbling against one another in Judgement

James 5:9 ESV

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Judge no man according to the flesh

2 Corinthians 5:16 ESV

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

Conclusion

Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be,

because you also have many faults which others must endure.

If you cannot make yourself what you would wish to be, how can you bend others to your will?