Judgement

Judgement is an obvious sin of every human heart. Even great men of God have been corrected by the Lord because of their judgement of heart. I Samuel 16:7 states, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." We as humans tend to judge through wrong motive, bias or various other reasons. I am in no way saying that every human being judges out of prejudice. The idea that is tying to be conveyed her is that we cannot sees as the Lord sees, so we can never judge as He is able to judge.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Matthew 7:1-2, NKJV

This is not necessarily saying that the Lord will judge us for our judgement, rather our fellow man will judge us the same way that we have judged. As I read this portion of Scripture I am reminded of one of my favorite movies. In a "Knight's Tale" Rufus Sewell's character Count Adhemar uses the phrase, "You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting." This character is easily detested. By the end of the movie, Count Adhemar is defeated and the same line is used on him. I use a fictitious film to portray a truth for one reason. There is a sense of satisfaction for the audience as Adhemar is being judged just as he himself had judged. I do not feel that this is a place any of us would want to find ourselves, on the receiving end of judgement, so why then would we ourselves judge.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove he speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3-4, NKJV

I love how the Lord approaches the subject of judging by using this word picture. The answer to His rhetorical allusion is obvious. It is impossible to remove a speck when a plank is impeding your own vision. "A speck of sawdust and a plank are identical in nature; they differ in size. Instead of dealing with the personal problem, the one who judges seeks to divert attention away from self." (J. Dwight Pentecost) The size of the two objects is also related to intimacy. The better understood something is, the more defined it becomes. Our own problems in life seem bigger and though the plank and speck may be same in nature you may not fully understand the speck.

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5, NKJV

The solution to the problem is obvious. Take care of your own problems so that you may be able to help another in need. We have a better chance of helping our brothers through experience. A recovering alcoholic has a better opportunity to minister to a struggling alcoholic because he has overcome the obstacle in his own life. Experience is key in our walk with the Lord. When watching infomercials, they always seem to have testimonials of how they love the product. This is a key in getting one to buy the product because of other's experience with the product and their satisfaction.

"Do not give what is holy tot he dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Matthew 7:6, NKJV

This seems to be a very obscure verse and almost out of place. But is it really? "[We] are not to judge, but [we] are not to act without judgment." (Spurgeon) How do we classify a dog or swine unless we make a judgement call? Judgement has it place, but that judgement comes as one purifies himself. After the plank is removed, then we can see clearly. Who is a dog or a swine? The term "dog" here is a derogatory word and the swine of course is an impure creature. "Count not men to be dogs or swine; but when they avow themselves to be such, or by their conduct act as if they were such, do not put occasions in their way for displaying their evil character." (Spurgeon) By action, men will show themselves to be dogs or swine. It is our duty and responsibility not to throw the pearls of Jesus Christ before them. We see this precept practiced by Jesus throughout the Gospels in His interaction with the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Jesus words were always directed to the masses or to the disciples. There was the occasional Pharisee who Jesus ministered to like Nicodemas and Jarius, religious men who proved themselves to not be swine or dogs. Those who reach out to you help are not dogs, those who desire spiritual advice from you are not swine. In short, do not seek for the dog or the swine.