Matthew 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42
Our Bible reading for today is Matthew 7:1-6. We will read verses 1 and 2.
[1] “Do not judge, or you will be judged. [2] For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Two life changing lessons come from these verses.
Lesson 1.
1. Do Not Judge Others
Or as the King James says, “Judge not that you be not judged.”
Many nonbelievers quote this verse. They always use the King James, and say, “Judge not!” But Jesus did not stop there. He said, “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)
When Jesus was in the temple area, he was approached by a crowd. They brought a woman whom they caught in the act of committing adultery. They wanted Jesus to condemn her. He simply said, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
As he looked away, the accusers left one at a time. What Jesus really said to them was that they should not judge her in a way that they didn’t want to be judged.
Jesus is cautioning us to avoid one-sided, hasty, mean-spirited, judging.
Lesson 2.
2. Recognize Your Own Flaws.
Jesus put it in these words, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Self-awareness is necessary before we criticize others.
When I was a child, my sweet grandmother told me, “I don’t know why people can’t see their own faults. I know I could see mine, if I had any.” She was joking, but a lot of people believe that way.
The American poet Edgar Guest said: “There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.”
In these verses, Jesus teaches before you criticize, recognize your own flaws.
Lonnie Davis