Again we need to keep in mind that this is primarily for believers and how we should behave in relation to other believers as well as to the world. We all make judgments in our lives, and that's fine. We need to do that! Is this person safe for my child to be around? Can I safely walk down this street alone at night? These are judgments we make that are important and necessary. The judgment in this passage is about sin and calling out people who do wrong.
But Stott says it better, I think.
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"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eve? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour's eye.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.
"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
"In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7.1-12 (NRSV)
Notes from my HarperCollins Study Bible
- Prohibition of hypocritical judging.
- This is about fellow believers (brothers).
- The "golden rule" is found in many cultures at this time.
A Christian's relationships: to his brothers and his father.
- The Christian counter-culture is a community thing, not individualistic.
Our attitude to our brother.
- Brother = fellow Christian.
- Judgment in relationship, not in law.
- Judgment ≠ an absence of criticism or critical thought.
- Judgment that is overly harsh or critical, destructive, self-aggrandizing.
- What standards we set for others are the ones we will be held to.
- It's hypocritical to take someone to task for something we also do.
- Stop minimizing! It's all bad!
- See to yourself, then you'll be in a better position to guide others.
- It's about criticism in the right order.
- Care for others so much that we first handle our issues and then reach out to help others.
Our attitude to 'dogs' and 'pigs'.
- Jesus called a spade a spade; outspoken but honest assessments.
- Not everyone is grateful for criticism & correction (they are fools; wise men take on these things [Proverbs 9.8]).
- Non-Christians do not possess eternal life.
- These are people who have been given many opportunities to believe, and have outright rejected Truth every single time. (Dawkins, for example)
- People 'living in incurable ungodliness' (Chrysostom).
- It's useless to keep offering past a certain point, because all you'll get in return is contempt and blasphemy.
Our normal Christian duty is to be patient and persevere with others as God has patiently persevered with us. (p. 183).
Our attitude to our heavenly Father.
- We need grace if we are to fulfill our Christian duty.
- The promises Jesus makes.
- Ask... seek... knock...
- Be persistent.
- Everyone is answered accordingly.
- Jesus calls God Abba, which is not a word used for God by anyone who preceded Him. What's more, He makes it clear that Christians are God's children and can also call Him Abba.
The problems men raise.
Prayer is unseemly.
- Actually a sign of humility.
Prayer is unnecessary.
- There is a difference between God's gifts as Creator (creation-gifts) and as Father (redemption-gifts).
- Some things are part of creation; others are only for His children.
- Daily forgiveness; deliverance from evil; peace; the increase of faith, hope and love; the indwelling work of Holy Spirit.
- We pray for creation-gifts because all things come from God; we pray for redemption-gifts because it is the only way to receive them.
Prayer is unproductive.
- These promises are conditional.
- God is good and only gives us good things; He is also wise and knows what is best for us.
- We are not all-knowing, so sometimes we will ask for things we should not have. God won't give us those things.
The lessons we learn.
- Prayer presupposes knowledge.
- Prayer presupposes faith.
- Prayer presupposes desire.
- Before we ask, we must know what to ask for and whether it accords with God's will; we must believe God can grant it; and we must genuinely want to receive. (pp. 189-190).
Our attitude to all men.
- Following the Golden Rule (expressed negatively in other cultures) is the practical application of 'love your neighbour as yourself'.
- Christianity is a community, a family.
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| Graphic to illustrate how we should focus our love. It's in the shape of a circle with two rings around it. God is in the centre. The first ring is Fellow Christians, and the outer ring is Non-Christians. The space outside of the circle is The Utterly Lost (that would be the people who are given the information many times and just keep rejecting Truth). |
If we put ourselves sensitively into the place of the other person, and wish for him what we would wish for ourselves, we would be never mean, always generous; never harsh, always understanding; never cruel, always kind. (p. 192)
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I absolutely need to work on that last quote there. I can be exceptionally harsh sometimes, especially when I feel I've been disrespected or ignored and my efforts unrecognized. Waaaay back when I first did my name meaning and it came out as "God's Flourishing Graceful Warrior", I noted that "graceful" in this context has nothing to do with physical prowess (I am a klutz) and everything to do with extending grace to others. And I do try to do that, but it's not easy sometimes. Maybe that's part of me turning the other cheek in the end. Definitely part of my Becoming.
We were made to live in community, to worship in community. We can't be Christians by ourselves for very long. We need to be with others who share our faith. Part of being in community is recognizing when others are straying off the narrow way and helping them pick their way back, while also accepting correction when we ourselves stray. It's one of the lovely things about living in community with others; we care for one another and help each other when needed, and we work together to care for those outside of our community, as well.
And this is where Christianity stops being about the individual and starts being about the Church.
One person can do some good, but many people working together can do so much more good. The problem is that we don't seem to agree on what is actually good. We've lost sight of Truth. I hope we can get back on the narrow path, though we may have slipped and slid so far away that it's going to take a lot of hard work to climb back to it. Happily there are some who are still there, waiting to encourage us and pull us that last little bit. But we do need to do our part and get most of the way there.
The first step is recognizing our errors.
May the Church as a whole come back to Truth.
Peace & Blessings.
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