Matthew

Righteous judgment
Asking, seeking and Knocking
The Narrow way
Recognition of men
Recognition by God

 

It's a wise man that evaluates a way before pursuing it.

At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, way back in chapter 5 Jesus set the standards of a Christian ethics with the Beatitudes.  These are the characteristics of the kingdom; these are principles adopted by a kingdom servant.  The end of chapter five and all of chapter six are examples of the ethic of an unbelieving world in contrast with a Christian ethic.  It's as if Jesus held up the modern belief and then held up the godly standard in comparison.  In each case it became clear they weren't even close to being the same. 

A kingdom servant is one who makes wise judgments and uses discernment in every aspect of their life.  As we move into chapter 7 we see more contrasts with the culture as Jesus moves toward the end of this sermon and a call for action. 

 

7 "Judge  not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Verse one has to be the most quoted bible verse among unbelievers.  It's also quoted and misapplied by many Christians.  No one ever gets a compliment from someone and says, "Don't judge me!"  No complaint is ever made when someone is rewarded for accomplishments.  No one ever won an Academy Award and said, "Hey don't judge me!"  In fact, while these people receive an award for their achievement someone often throws in their evaluation of a politician or gives their editorial on some world event; in essence offering their judgment. 

However, when criticism is offered, or there is a disagreement, particularly regarding moral or religious values, it is quickly thrown out that we are not to judge.  This is just a flat out misunderstanding of the verse.  We make judgments all day long.  Every preference or where we shop, what brands we buy, which doctor we see, what church we go to, what music we listen to, etc. are all judgments.  We make judgments about people constantly, we like our boss; we dislike a teacher; we disagree with our neighbor; we find some family members annoying and avoid them.  Judgments are part of our everyday life. 

So what is this call to judge not?  As kingdom servants we aren't to have a critical spirit.  This is walking around just looking for something to critique or criticize about someone.  Sometimes this takes the form of determining that anyone not doing everything just like you is out of line, worthless, lost and confused or otherwise missing the mark that you've established.  Remember, we don't set the mark, God does; and we've missed it just like everyone else. 

We are called to be fruit inspectors, not judge, jury and executioner.  Someone once said that Christians form their firing squads in circles.  Are we really qualified to criticize another child of God?  Isn't it God's business to transform them from the inside out?  When we judge are we saying we don't think God is doing a good enough job?  In fact we aren't qualified because we can't see the heart and intentions.  We rarely have all the facts.

When we share our critical spirit with others on a regular basis, we begin to get the same critical spirit offered in return.  Others look at us look at the judge and judge them by the same standard.  Look, from time to time, we all fall into this trap of judging and we could rarely meet the same standard we apply for others.

How it is one can see a spec in their brother's eye when they have that log in there?  It's a ridiculous sounding notion isn't it?  But the point is that we can apply our own judgments to our self first.  When we do this we often find our own justifications and reasons as explanations.  Suddenly, we become a little more understanding and less critical.

 

When we are reminded of how imperfect we are, we are thankful for God's grace.  We don't want to judge our self, we give our self grace.  Jesus calls us to offer that same spirit of grace to our brothers and sisters.  When we do so, we will get that same grace in return.

This idea of getting back what you put forth is called the law of reciprocity.  This same idea is present in other places in the bible.  A few examples are:

Luke 6:38
"For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

2 Cor 9:6-11
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Gal 6:7-9
A man reaps what he sows.

Heb 12:11-13
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Jesus is speaking this to believers but we shouldn't think this idea doesn't apply to our relationship with all people.  This looks like a good place to remind ourselves that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

The Pharisees were known for their critical spirit.  They saw themselves as righteous by their works.  The critical spirit they offered in judgment was a standard they couldn't even meet.  In light of Matthew 5:20, it may well have been the Pharisees Jesus had in mind when He called these judges Hypocrites!

 

⁶ "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Right on the tails of hearing 'don't judge' we are called to make evaluations.  The priests of the temple would never offer a holy offering to a dog or a pig, both unclean.  As believers we are sheep and we recognize we are surrounded by wolves.  We are a kingdom of priests (Rev 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9).  We are handling the word of God and we bear his image.  In this evaluation, we are to make a determination and decision to keep the holy and the precious from those who would trample it. 

It's our judgment, applied correctly and without a critical spirit, that keeps the holy from the dogs and the precious and valuable pearls from the pigs.

 

⁷ "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

At first this verse might seem like Jesus just changed the subject.  In the context of the teaching though, its as if someone asked, "How do we correctly make these judgments?" This is taking it to the Lord in prayer.  To ask, seek and knock is to verbally make a request, be in pursuit of it and make your presence known.  The verbs used tall us to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking.  In keeping up our asking, seeking and knocking our sincerity is revealed.  As a kingdom servant this is quite an invitation.  We can come to the throne room of God most high with our requests to seek answers and guidance in any situation. 

 

⁹ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The stones in this are were round and flat, looking very much like the bread they made.  While they may look the same, they weren't even close to be similar.  A father would take more care and never do that to his son. 

A son asking for a fish wouldn't get a serpent from his father either.  The serpent is probably a water snake.  A father wouldn't say, "Here's your fish," and hand his son an eel.

A normal human father wouldn't do such a thing.  Even though every human father is fallen and sinful by nature he knows how to give good gifts.  We know this to be true.  So, if that is true, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good things to His sons and daughters when they ask? 

 

¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

It's fascinating that this 'golden rule' verse is linked to the verse on prayer which is a response to judging correctly.  As a conclusion to the discussion on judging rightly, we are to actively do to others what we want done with us. 

This golden rule wasn't anything new when Jesus said this.  It existed in philosophy and even other religions.  There were many Rabbinical writings using a similar idea.  Each of these stated the rule in the negative.  They would say:

• Don't do to others what you don't want done to you.
• Or, that which you hate done to you, don't do it to others.

But this saying from Jesus was new in that it was stated in the positive.  It had a cost.  It required something.  In the old understanding, one could merely stay home and do nothing and fulfill the rule.  They would have done nothing, and they would get the same nothing in return; nothing bad.  But in Jesus' revision of this idea, a Christian is called to 'do' something.  Those things we like to receive, we are to be out there doing them. 

 

To love our neighbor as our self and to do the things we like done to us, we operate in love.  We love when someone is kind to us, greets us, offers a smile, goes out o their way to do something nice for us, gives of their time, their money or resources.  We all love that, therefore, those things we ought to be doing for others.

This isn't waiting for something nice to happen to you and then returning the favor.  This is doing something nice and nice things come your way.  It's being a kingdom servant who begins to resemble Jesus. 

 

¹³ "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The contrasts of understanding continue.  A fallen and unbelieving world says, everyone is doing it, it must be okay.  It's the broad way, the easy way, the most available and comfortable to the flesh.  There is no cost.

It's as if the world saw there were two ways to salvation, two ways leading to God.  Without examining the way or taking careful heed, one could be fooled into this broad way.  The wide gate on the broad way leads to destruction.  Please note that 'many' will go that way.  Some will be sure they are right and many will be sincere in their belief.  Others will simply follow the flood of people and assume most everyone can't be wrong.  Many follow their hearts believing you can never go wrong in doing so.  They fail to realize their heart is deceitful and wicked above all else. 

Narrow is that gate.  Jesus said He is the door.  It's exclusive; He's exclusive.  Difficult is the way.  The word 'difficult' implies the way is also narrow.  Jesus is The Way.  He is exclusive.  Our heavenly Father, knowing exactly what we need provided for us. 

Many on the broad way object to this exclusivity.  How dare anyone being excluded?  (In declaring Jesus is The Way, you might even be called judgmental!")  Mankind in general doesn't like this exclusive offer because it costs them something.  A sinful world loves its sin and being their own master and won't submit to another.  Few will find this way.  While that 'few' is millions of Christians, it is relatively few in contrast to every human ever born. 

 

¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

A ravenous wolf dressed as a sheep could make his way among the sheep so that he could destroy as many as possible.  John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets; dressed in animal skin, eating locust and honey.  The false prophets may come dressed in a animal skin also, very much resembling a prophet.  How do we tell them apart?  We can only identify them by their fruit.

 

Bad trees bear bad fruit.  As hard as they may try, they can do no other.  We must be good discernment to inspect the fruit and make a wise judgment.  We can't judge by looks, heritage, education, money, good morals or anything else.  We look at the fruit of their ministry. 

 

²¹ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' ²³ And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Not everyone who believes they are a kingdom servant really is.  They may have spent their life in moral fashion and been very religious.  But if they trusted in anything other than Jesus, they don't have their sins forgiven.  Of the many that have taken, and continue to stay, on the broad way to destruction, there are a lot of very sincere people.  They are just sincerely wrong. 

Many on the broad way will appeal to God that they performed religious works; even casting out demons and doing miracles that displayed great power.  It's not enough to look the part and act the part.  You have to have a personal relationship with Christ.  What a shock this will be to many.   Imagine hearing that from God, "I don't know who you!  Depart from me."  God condemns them because they lived in lawlessness; open defiance of His law. 

 

²⁴ "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Not just hearing, but doing as Jesus says, prepares a person.  Like a house built on a rock, our life can be built on the Rock of Jesus.  We'll have a strong foundation and structure that will withstand anything this life can throw at us. 

But if you hear and don't do, ignore the word, make excuses and justify your ungodly life and sin, then you will be a foolish man.  You won't be able to withstand what this world and this life throws at you.  You aren't built on the rock. 

As a hearer of the word, I ask you, are you a doer?  Are you in pursuit of the Lord on the narrow way, passing through the narrow gate?  

 

²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, ²⁹ for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

They were astonished, hearing from the Son of God.  The scribes taught by quoting others of authority.  It taught as men who had none, they simply passed along the authoritative sayings of others.  Jesus spoke to these disciples in genuine love and truth.  Jesus believed and lived out what He taught; they were His words, His character, His life.  These people weren't used to hearing and seeing anything like this.  Astonishment is probably a vast understatement.  These people heard the original Sermon on the Mount from the Jesus Himself.  What a day!!

 

©2015 Doug Ford