Treating Others with Respect and Grace

 

[Jesus said] “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 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? 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? 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.” (Matthew 7:1-5 ESV).

 

The next section of the Sermon on the Mount may be the most difficult to both understand and practice. There are three things Jesus says about judgementalism in this section. We will need to look at each part over the next few days as space and time is restricted in this format. In our reading today Jesus is very clear about who should be the judge… and it’s not us. I often remind myself of this truth by remembering that judging others is way above my paygrade.

 

However, it is often a struggle. When I see someone doing something wrong, my first impulse is to judge and correct. There are times when I want to get angry and condemn what I see in their behavior. Sometimes I might go as far as thinking I’m doing the world a favor by pointing out their sin. But in this passage Jesus urges us to slow down and ask ourselves if we have ever done such a thing—or worse.

 

If you find yourself attacking others instead of having a calm, grace-filled conversation about your differences then we must find a way to change our behavior toward them. This doesn’t mean we never confront others. But doing some self-reflection first helps our conversations to be more helpful, and less critical, because we are coming from a place of humility rather than judgment.

 

All through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been challenging us to focus not only on our behavior but also on our thoughts, our attitudes, and our motives as well—even in times of conflict. Before you pass judgment on someone else, take a good, long look at your own heart. When you do, you may realize that your sin may be different, but it is still sin in God’s eyes and only the love of God through Jesus can correct that. Remember who you are before you make a judgement about who someone else is.