Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:1-5)

Matthew 7:1–5 KJV 1900

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Introduction

Previous chapter dealt with genuine exercise of our religion.

If we take Matthew 6 seriously and seek to apply Jesus’ words to our lives, we will face some hard truths about ourselves.

Much of our giving, prayer, and fasting are done for approval of others.

We actually have less faith in God to reward us then we claim.

Or, at least, i do.

Not only that, but our ideas of rewards don’t always line up with His idea.

We are interested in laying up treasures here on earth.

Meanwhile, He is seeking to help us lay up eternal treasures.

We worry that we won’t have enough to provide for our future.

Meanwhile, He is trying to get us to see how He provides for other parts of His creation that are much less valuable to Him than we are.

Now…as we are faced with our own struggles, if we are not careful, we can begin to read those same struggles into other people.

For example, if you give so that other people will give you a pat on the back and say thank you, then you will come to the conclusion that others are doing the same.

If you pray only so that others will see you, then you conclude that your fellow disciples are the same way.

If you are convicted about your materialism and lack of trust in God’s ability to provide for you, then you will look for that same fault in other Christians.

This leads us into the final chapter of this sermon, and perhaps one of the most misused verses in the Bible.

Good judgment vs. bad judgment.

How many of you are on social media?

How many of you have ever gone to see a doctor?

How many of you have ever witnessed a LEO upholding the law?

Compare the ignorance in judgments that you see on social media with the wisdom in judgment that you receive from a doctor.

Jesus gives His followers a directive regarding judgment. (1-2)

Jesus’ words to His disciples that they “judge not.” are only understood within the context of scripture.

Surely we don’t think that Jesus is telling His followers to turn a blind eye to all matters of sin, injustice, or inequality.

Is the disciple’s answer to murder supposed to be, “Oh well, judge not.”?

Is the disciple’s answer to rape supposed to be, “oh well, judge not.”?

I don’t think that we are willing to accept this type of Christian-approved lawlessness in the name of “judge not.”

In fact there are other passages where Jesus’ followers are commanded to judge.

In 1 Corinthians 6, for example, Paul rebuked the church in Corinth because they were taking each other to court to be judged by non-believers.

In response to this, Paul tells them 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 “2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

Even in the verses that we read a moment ago, we can see Jesus commend His followers to the ability to clearly point out and remove the imperfections in our brother’s eye.

So, what does Jesus mean for us to understand by these words?

We must first understand what the word “judge” means in the Bible.

What do you think of when you think of the word, “judge”?

Do you think of crimes being judged?

Do you think of punishments being doled out?

Strictly speaking, the word that is used, here, means to come to a conclusion.

What might Jesus’ disciple be trying to come to a conclusion regarding?

Could the answer be in the previous chapter’s topics?

Might disciples be tempted to judge other people’s motivations?

Might they be tempted to look at others and what they have and come to conclusions about their priorities?

Remember, Jesus already said, back in Matthew 5:7 “7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

This is revisited here in Jesus’ reinforcement of the sowing and reaping principle.

Someone who makes a habit out of judging others can expect to receive the same treatment.

Someone who makes mercy a priority in their lives will also be shown mercy.

Could the main thrust of this statement be restated to say, “let God be God” when it comes to judging the thoughts and intents of someone else’s heart?

Instead, we should all be reminded of Paul instructions for how Christians/disciples show love for each other.

1 Corinthians 13:5 “5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”

Charity among Jesus’ followers is seen we abstain from coming to an evil conclusion about our brothers and sisters actions.

This does not negate that your judgment may have true, but let’s consider the reality of picking apart someone else.

Jesus illustrates the common manner of passing judgment. (3-4)

This is a very well-known picture.

Due to the words used, we may have a slightly different picture in mind than the one that Jesus had.

The issue comes from our understanding of a mote and a beam.

Jesus asks His listeners why they are so enamored with the mote in their brother’s eye.

A mote is like a stray piece of straw that floats on the breeze and lands in your eye.

I mowed my yard on Friday.

As I did, grass clippings shot out the side of the mower.

Some of those clippings, tiny ones, got caught up in the wind and ended up in my eye.

Though it was bothersome, and made my eyes water, it was not debilitating.

I was in no pain.

I could still see my way to drive and continue on.

The fact was I did have an impurity in my eye.

But it was small and easily dealt with.

I did not have to go to the doctor.

I was aware that it was there.

No one else could have seen it from a normal distance.

People who are concerned by other people’s motes, have an even bigger problem.

How can you expend so much energy on someone’s mote, when you, yourself are suffering from a beam?

Now, I understand that there can be different understandings of this.

You’ve probably heard this referred to as a telephone pole sticking out your eye.

Or, maybe someone has said that this is the equivalent of 2x4 sticking out your eye.

From my study this week, I am convinced there is something else we are supposed to see here.

Instead of a pole, or a piece of lumber, imagine a toothpick or a similarly sized splinter.

Then, imagine your eye is skewered by that splinter.

How does this situation compare to the mote?

Is it painful?

Is it prohibitive?

Is it noticeable?

Jesus describes two different types of problems.

One is annoying, the other is painful.

One is relatively unseen, the other is obvious to everyone.

People with beams need to focus on their beams not someone else’s mote.

But, what happens when the beam is dealt with?

Jesus teaches that true judgment can only be passed once self-judgment has occurred. (5)

We mentioned that judgment is a necessary part of life.

The justice system judges crime to promote a healthy society.

A doctor judges sickness and disease to promote a healthy body.

Parents judge the actions of their children to promote a healthy home life.

In our church, we judge the presence of sin to promote a healthy ministry.

Jesus is not against judgement.

He is against hypocritical judgment.

He is against uninformed judgment.

He is against impaired judgment.

Which is why He tells His disciples to judge themselves first.

Deal with the beams in their own life.

Then, and only then, will they be able to help their brothers to see clearly too.

Consider this, are any of us beam free?

No.

But, do we all struggle with the same beams?

No.

I may have cast out a beam that you are dealing with.

If I have dealt with my beam, then I can help you with your mote.

Judging each other is a necessary part of fellowship.

The warning here is that how you judge is how you will be judged.

If you are to judge, then you must avoid hypocritical judgment.

Jesus warns His disciples that unjust hypocritical judgment must be replaced by merciful and helpful conclusions.

Application

How to know if you’re engaged in bad judgment.

If you are making assumptions about someone’s motives.

If you are talking about your diagnosis for someone else to everyone except the person you have diagnosed.

If you are nit-picking their life while ignoring the blatant problems in your own life.

You are engaged in bad judgment.

How to practice good judgment.

Assume the best about others.

Go directly to the person you have judged and speak only to them.

Practice regular, honest self-judgment.