06.08.08
Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 5)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 2)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 3)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 4)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 5)
6 – Judging (Matt. 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42)
The Pharisees practice of setting themselves up as judges of all men – as measured by themselves, of course – is now examined. This should be a fun lesson for those of us chided again and again as others take this verse out of context when we say, observe, or otherwise comment on things that are amiss. When Jesus tells His disciples (and us) not to judge;
- He is not forbidding them (or us) to discern between good and evil.
- He was not forbidding them (or us) to discern between truth and error in doctrine.
- He was not dealing primarily with actions, instead He is instructing on motives behind the actions.
We see results or actions of folks, but it is hard (impossible) for us to see the motives behind the actions. That was no deterrent to the Pharisees, and they claimed to be able to determine the motives and therefore judged the motives of people – and that is expressly what Christ forbade.
The illustration Jesus was using of sawdust and a plank are identical in nature with the difference being the size of the object. Jesus was saying that what one is quick to judge in another is often a major concern in his or her own life. Instead of dealing with the personal problem, is is easier to rally the cry against another – in doing so the spotlight shifts from self to the same problem existing in another. In saying this, again let me point out that we would be mindful of looking at removing impurities in our own lives before we choose to move the spotlight to another and begin to crucify them for similar or identical things.
Then we see the final set of information that indicates that Jesus did not expect the truths that He had been proclaiming to be accepted by the Pharisees (Matt. 7:6). While He did not expect them to accept His standards of righteousness as their own, the Lord’s expectations for His own children is different – we need to do as God instructs.
We have just gone through a whole heap of information where Jesus documents why He rejected Pharisaic interpretations and practices of the law. For us – do we see any indications that we may need to reexamine why we do what we do? How we look at righteousness and expect it to be carried out in our families, homes, churches, society? Would Jesus be overly concerned about our society – or more concerned about how we treat each other and relate to Him?
