Oh Yeah…What about You?

“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye! “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you. Matthew 7:1-6

Have I got a log in my eye?

I just noticed that verse 6 seems to be off topic. But is it? Looking at the context, in verses 1-5 Jesus is telling us not to judge unless or until we have cleaned up our own act. Because when we haven’t kept a short account with God ourselves, He says in verse 6, that we have opened the Holy word of God, up to ridicule and shame.

I don’t think this passage is about NOT judging.

It seems that Jesus is telling us how to judge our brothers correctly. Just the word “judge” or the merest hint of judging in today’s society brings such a vitriolic fire-storm that most of us just keep our thoughts to ourselves. That attitude has had a poisonous effect of the body of Christ, on both sides of this coin. When we “turn a sinner from the error of his way, we are in effect, saving his soul from death…” James 5:20. So, when we aren’t our brothers keeper, we are allowing them to head down a path that very well may end in hell! Also, I wonder if this attitude, hasn’t made it easier on our own consciences, if it’s not my place to say anything, then I don’t have to think about the “log” in my own eye. We both just stay in our comfy mess.

“Moreover, if your brother commits a sin against you, go and show him his fault — but privately, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation can be supported by the testimony of two or three witnesses.l If he refuses to hear them, tell the congregation; and if he refuses to listen even to the congregation, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax-collector. Matthew 18:15-17

During a Bible study I attended, I wrote in the margin of my Bible, next to Matthew 7, “My sin looks really ugly on someone else–so, how am I looking to others?”