Author: james bruce mcnaughton

Through time with God I continue to try to learn and develop my understanding of Matthew Chapter 7.

I hope this is better than similar previous attempts.

Judging Others
verses
Healing Others
verses
Don’t Mess with My Perfection (i.e., Great Need)

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

If I judge you it is because I have done the same thing (or in some way a similar thing) and I have condemned myself for it.  I don’t judge people with problems I don’t have.  I tend to have compassion on those people.

3 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

I decide my brother has a fault.  My deciding my brother has a fault is my fault.

4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?

How can I remove my brother’s supposed fault, if thinking he has a fault is my fault?

5 “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.

If I remove the log from my eye (i.e. I stop identifying my brother’s behavior as a fault), I see that what I thought was a fault is really the outward expression of an internal need.  Now I don’t want to punish his “fault” to correct him, I want to meet his need to heal him.  (And the “speck” is removed).

6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Some people don’t want their “speck” removed, i.e., they don’t want their need met, because they don’t want their sin exposed so it can be healed. They reject the idea that they even have a speck.  They reject the Healer (Jesus), and His messengers: such as me, because they don’t have any problem or need that requires healing and they are already happy and perfect the way they are and they reject anything that implies otherwise…   

Those are the faults.  But Jesus might say:  Their need is great. 

They may have hoped for unconditional love and been rejected at critical times in their life. They may not have been able to find true love when they needed it and were open to it.  Cynicism filled the space where love should have lived and it became critical, and at the same time too dangerous, to hope for unconditional love again.  Unwilling to risk rejection again they become entrenched in what they knew was wrong, blaming others, defying God, hardening their heart and rejecting their only option for true love and peace:  Jesus.  But, until you take your last breath Jesus offers unconditional love and says, Anyone who comes to me, I will not cast out.

(I have experienced my pearls trampled and my self being verbally torn to pieces.  I ignored Jesus’ warning and talked about Jesus to someone Jesus said not to talk to right now.  It was not fun, I recommend heeding Jesus’ warnings).

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 7). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.  NASB Scripture less than 25% of total.