Judge Not Ps 23; 1 Sam 16:1-13; Eph 5:8-14; Matt 7:1-6

Introduction  https://youtu.be/d6O4xcTnZXw

Today’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount is designed to embarrass us.[1] Our Old Testament reading helpfully points us to the thrust of Jesus teaching. When the great prophet Samuel was commissioned by God to anoint a new king[2], he is first presented with one of the hulking sons of Jesse and reasons in himself, ““Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”, only to be immediately rebuked, “7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature[3], because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:6-7). Jesus made an identical point in his controversy with the Pharisees about his breaking the Sabbath, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24 cf. Deut 16:18-20; Zech 7:9). In saying this he both upholds our need to judge [in a fallen world] and denies the validity of judging from the outside. In an age when Christians are increasingly pushed to the margins of society*[4], because we are judged to be discriminatory, it is increasing obvious that all human beings were created to make divinely guided judgements between good and evil (Gen 1:27 etc.). Created in the image of God the Judge[5] (Gen 1:2-28; 1 Cor 11:7), judging is unavoidable. Going back to the beginning, our problem wasn’t making immoral choices as such, but to self-righteously decide what is right in our own eyes[6]. Today’s teaching isn’t an exhortation to try harder to live better but to live by what Paul calls “the obedience of faith” (Rom 1:4; 16:26)[7].

Exposition

In forbidding judging, Jesus exercised divine authority to command us to stop taking the place of the Judge of all the earth (Gen 18:25; Heb 12:23). He speaks with supreme authority knowing that he alone will represent the Father as the Righteous Judge at the Last Judgement (John 5:22)[8], and because he sees directly into the depths of the human heart.[9]

v. 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.”, is best interpreted by its parallel in Luke, ““Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;” (Luke 6:37). What Jesus prohibits isn’t the act of discernment, but deliberate fault finding. I expect many of you can quote John 3:16……but who can recite the very next verse….? “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17). It is no exaggeration to say that the history of Christianity has been spoiled by Christians condemning one another, let alone outsiders.[10]

v.2  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

This isn’t a statement about human “payback”[11], but an inescapable symmetry in the workings of the universe set by God[12]. Eastern religions might call it karma, but Christians recognise the personal hand of the Lord in the final outcome of what will come upon us (1 Thess 2:16)*[13]. It is a fearful thing to realise that you have set the standard for your own judgment. Donna occasionally says, in response to some harsh treatment from me, “I am thankful that you are not God”. Who could answer such a self-evidently true charge like that?

Logs and Specks

3 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?

The speck is something minute like a piece of sawdust, but the log is something like a beam or rafter. (The classic 3 by 2.) Since the eye can never see itself, the confident fault finder is blinded to their own one’s grotesque state.

4 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?

“how can you say to your brother” is an exasperated statement urging us all to serious self-examination*[14], for there is nothing as irrational as the self-justifying human conscience. A famous preacher was teaching a group of pastors and remarked, “We always justify ourselves”, at which point a man near the front was moved to exclaim, “I don’t!”

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 brother’s eye.

This seems to be the only place where Jesus applies the term “hypocrite” to us, to his own followers. When we fail to apply our criticisms to ourselves, we align ourselves with the scribes and pharisees who were the enemies of Christ. Jesus’ statement must penetrate our hearts. As self-righteous we look at persons made in the image of God through the obscuring lens of “principles”; Jesus was not a principled person. In fact, I believe principled people are those most likely to act in sub-human ways*[15]. Remember the Lord said, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39) Religious hypocrites make a show of correcting other believers[16] but are totally uninterested in restoring a brother/sister in love. Jesus is not opposing correction, but correction when we are filled with the greater sin of self-righteousness. The Bible famously says about itself, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (1 Tim 3:16). That the Bible’s nature is to correct us is one reason why the practice of daily Bible readings has become a minority habit across the Australian Church. The only solution for all our dreadful practices of self-righteous judgments is the cross.

Cross

Approaching death, the Lord prophetically declared, “Now is the judgment of this world” [; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31)], announcing the annihilation of condemnation in himself[17]. I want to confirm this through a personal experience some years ago in central Australia. Arriving at Uluru with a contingent of Indigenous Christians I intended to visit the rock early next morning but was strongly moved by the Spirit to go and pray alone facing the monolith in the moonlight. As I walked towards it, I was strangely conscious of demonic powers observing me plus could sense many other Christians had prayed at the Rock before me, some of whom had prayed cursing instead of blessing (Luke 6:28)[18]. Arriving in sight of Uluru I was, surprisingly, led, not to intercede, but to declare over and over in the hearing of the spiritual world, “Judgement has been taken away.” In Christ there is no more judgement. Only in Jesus is the all-forgiving power of the cross a completed victory over every determination of what is good and what is evil. He has a little bit more to say.

Dogs and Pigs

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

Pigs were abhorrent animals to the Jews and dogs were mongrel village scavengers. “Pearls” and “holy things” refer to the precious teachings of Jesus*[19]. We must never try to force the good news on those who show zero inclination to accept it. [A famous preacher wisely remarks that there is “not a single statement in Scripture that gives a more awful picture of the devastating effect of sin upon a man” (Lloyd Jones).] When the Pharisees “who were lovers of money” heard Jesus’ teaching on God and mammon, that brought by Mark last week (Matt 6:19-34), they openly “ridiculed him/Christ”, to which he replied, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 6:14-15). “Abomination” is a strong biblical word diligently avoided  today, particularly by many Anglicans. Let me try to sum things up.

Conclusion

Wayne has just come back from cataract surgery[20], but there is no way his surgeon needed an eye operation themselves! Only someone with perfect clarity of sight would operate, but we judge as if we possessed the vision of the Lord himself, it is this audacity which makes us hypocrites. Thank God he sent Jesus to take into himself on the cross all our planks and specks,  so we might be supernaturally empowered by grace to discern the sins of brothers and sisters without condemnation. [Only in the light of the finished work of Christ can we ever justifiable judge others.] Remember that on the Day of Judgment all of your sins will be openly displayed for the world to see (Luke 12:2-3)…. as forgiven sins. Hallelujah. Walking in this light (1 John 1:7) has powerful implications for our future as a community. During our COVID recovery the other week Donna and I were watching the “Great Cities of the World tour” on TV. That episode featured Berlin as a (to quote) “City without judgement”. This is a ridiculous claim*[21], but Christians are on a pilgrimage in living union with the eternal city[22] where every thought of condemnation has been forever abolished. To be a judgement/condemnation-free community walking in the light of the gospel because cleansed from all self-righteousness is an indispensable dimension on the call of God on us all. Let us pray.