December 17, 2008 (Matthew 7:1-12)

Today’s reading is a gold mine of devotional thoughts. Fortunately, time and attention-span conspire to restrict me to one topic—that of judging.

Let me say at the outset that I believe this to be a complicated (and therefore, easily misunderstood) topic. This is made worse by the fact that far too many self-serving people take isolated passages of the Bible and use them as though they were the only things God ever said on the topic of judgment.

Jesus opens by saying, rather simply, “Do not judge others...” If you’ve been caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar, this is the verse you throw out. Often, it’s what we say when we have been called out and we have absolutely no way to deny or evade responsibility for our sins. (I would imagine it is particularly popular around the Illinois governor’s mansion these days) The problem is that as we read on, Jesus says not only that we should “get rid of the log in your own eye,” but that we should do this so that, “you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (7:5)

What often goes unsaid in our commentary on these verses, is that Jesus nowhere advocates leaving the speck in your friend’s eye. He just said to get the log out of your own first. To our shame, some of us tacitly agree to act like we don’t see the blatant sin in each others’ lives. We go about our business with a polite nudge and a wink, and excuse our behavior because “we’re not to be the judging business.” Whatever Jesus meant, I find it impossible to believe He meant that! Otherwise, why did He go into such detail about how we ought to deal with sin in each others’ lives? (Matt. 18:15-17)

As you go through this week, I encourage you to do two things: First, take some time each day—preferably before bed at night—to honestly review your actions that day. If you sinned (and if you’re a human being, then you did) don’t make rationalizations. Offer repentance up to God. If you sinned against another person that day, do everything in your power to go and make it right with them tomorrow. Only after you’ve put yourself under the microscope, ask God to give you the vision to see the sins in your brothers and sisters. Ask Him to give you the mercy to use that vision as a way to help them…not a way for you to feel haughty or exercise power over them through guilt. Ask Him to give you the courage to confront your brother or sister with their sin, and the wisdom to know how to do so. Ask Him to give you the patient love that will allow you to bear with them even if they respond to you with threats, curses, and cold-shoulders. I know it isn’t easy. It isn’t what any of us want to do; But as Christians, we must put away our excuses and honestly answer this question: Am I avoiding dealing with the sin in my brother’s (or sister’s) life because I love them, or because I love me?

-- Justin