Judgement and Humility
Jesus continues to show us the vision of what people of the Kingdom look like through his sermon on the Mount. He exposes the heart of what correct judgement looks like and how we also need to evaluate or reflect on ourselves before we judge others. The passage of focus is Matthew 7:1-5 and it highlights the dangers of judgement but also the right kind of judgement we need to exercise.
Definition of Judging
Judgement is forming an opinion or conclusion about something or someone. Judging is something that we do every day and it’s important for us to understand Jesus’ stance or view on judgement as shown in Matthew 7. Jesus illuminates how judgement should be formed beyond the surface of what someone looks like or what they do (John 7:24). This simply highlights what judgement should not be which is uncalled criticism. Uncalled criticism is unfair in nature as we rush to make judgements of others before developing or taking the time to understand the situation that someone else may find themselves in. We choose to write people off without scratching the surface. We often judge people with a critical spirit when we don’t even hold ourselves to those same standards. We also tend to pile on the judgements on one person because it makes us feel good about ourselves and it’s easier to point to the fault of others. All these examples are not part of Jesus’ understanding of what judgement should look like. Rather they highlight the dangers of judgement that Jesus warns us of.
The Danger of Judging (v. 1-2)
Jesus warns us of the danger of judging others in an unfair manner which is that it will come back to bite us and blinds us. Jesus is blunt in saying that when we judge others with incorrect standards or with uncalled criticism we should expect the same to be shown to us. We might think that it just has to do with others criticising or judging us in the same way rather the judgement that we should expect is an eternal one. We need to understand that when we criticise those around us it means that we do not have grace or mercy. When we don’t have grace or mercy for those that are around us, God will not show us mercy when we are being judged (James 2:13). Jesus highlights the importance of understanding that the standard that we use to judge people will be the same standard that will be used to judge us. Another danger is that judgement can blind us as it causes us to evaluate others and ourselves in totally different ways. We are quick to defend ourselves when someone points out our faults but we can easily point out the faults of others instead of looking at our own faults and working on them. This danger that Jesus warns us of is a toxic trait because we are holding ourselves at a higher standard than others to the point that we don’t think that we need to change but those around us need to work on their faults. It’s very clear that judgement can be used the wrong way but we also need to recognise that judgement can be used in a good way that not only helps ourselves but those around us as well.
The Good Kind of Judging (v. 5)
Before we point out our friend’s faults or pass on judgement to those around us, we need to remove the bias from our own eyes first. Jesus makes it clear that before we start thinking of helping those around us, we need to take the splinters or the log out of our eyes first. This points out that the only people that can be trusted to remove splinters out of the eyes of others are those who deal with their own junk in their lives. We are reminded that we need each other in our growth as Kingdom people but that we should be helping those around us get back on the path with gentleness and humility (Galatians 6:1). This is the vision that Jesus has for the community. It’s important to understand that we need help and we shouldn’t be afraid of working on our faults or to hear them from those who want to see the inner transformation. The gospel will tell and show us our imperfections and it humbles us. The gospel will also show us how to correct ourselves but it also reveals the ways that we can help each other.
Father God,
Thank you for showing us grace and mercy first so that we are able to show others the same grace. I pray that we continue to look at others in the same way that Jesus did and we learn to look at ourselves. I pray that we ask daily for the Holy Spirit to help us with transforming from the inside out.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen