planks & specks

Matthew 7:1-6

I do not judge you—I take care to look beyond appearances and try to see the person behind the package of clothes, hair, and body habitus. Piercings, tattoos and unconventional hair color pique my interest. Religious beliefs or political affiliation are not boundaries but rather curiosities—I want to know what makes you tick. Why you believe what you believe.

I tend to pride myself on my ability to be non-judgmental. But then I read this:

“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? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Mt. 7:3-5).

I am not judgmental.

Really?

What about that argument Brian and I just had? He is decidedly wrong and I am wholeheartedly right. I am quick to determine that his intentions were unkind and my snarky attitude is completely justifiable.

Or that family I know who just bought a million-dollar home. My brain processes their decision (not devoid of envy), and concludes that they must have gone into major debt to afford such a lovely sanctuary.

Or that friend who was just let go from a job at a place I love. I am privy to just one side of the story, but combined with the well of my infinite wisdom, I just know that my friend was deeply wronged and the employer will have to answer to the Lord for this injustice.

Or that neighbor whose yard is a total disaster—their life must be a mess, and can you even imagine what the inside looks like? (Not you, Ira & Jessica!)

Or the friend who just brought home an absolutely precious golden retriever puppy. I adore the dog but inwardly shake my head, Oh boy, do you know how much you will be vacuuming?! Everyone should just jump on the doodle bandwagon like we did 7 years ago. Addie and Walter are the best dogs to ever roam the face of this earth (or the quarter acre that is our yard).

I am a hypocrite. I judge on the daily. No, the hourly.

The truth is, even those of us who like to think of ourselves as the most accepting, the most merciful, the most understanding, even we do not escape the curse of being judgmental human beings. In fact, it only takes looking at the thoughts that flit through our minds moment by moment to know we are the worst. We have planks afflicting us, yet we want to point out the specks in others. Lord, help us!

He knows. He knows we all struggle with this. It’s why he addresses it throughout Scripture. I would argue that every time the Bible teaches us to be merciful or forgiving, God is instructing us in the art of being non-judgmental. In John 8:7, Jesus tells the crowd who has brought an adulterous woman before him, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” It’s far more important that we recognize the depth of our own depravity than throw stones at someone else.

In the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Mt. 5:7). When he teaches the disciples to pray, he includes, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt. 6:12). Jesus expects a posture of mercy and forgiveness from his followers.

As Paul later teaches in Romans 14:10-12, “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

Why are we called to bear a non-judgmental attitude toward others? Because God is the only righteous judge, and every human will stand before His throne one day to give an account of their sins. He has commanded us to remove the burden of judgment from our shoulders. Freedom is found in that release if we can just trust that God will bring about His perfect justice in His perfect timing.

In studying Matthew 7, there is an important distinction that Jesus presents. He follows up his illustration of planks and specks with a sober warning, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Mt. 7:6).

Jesus is reminding us that not all will live by God's law, so we must think of judgment in two different ways. We are called to a non-judgmental attitude (v. 1-5), but right on the heels of that we are called to be discerning. Jesus is literally referring to people as dogs and pigs! Ironically judgmental. But remember, Jesus is God, perfectly just, and he alone can make that judgment.

We need our rational-human-thought-processing-apparatus to be discerning. Being non-judgmental does not equal being non-discerning. This is the crucial distinction. We are to “judge” in a discerning manner so that we make wise choices, but we are not to “judge” in an attitude of self-righteousness.

We cannot be morally apathetic. We must make some judgment calls so that we walk in wisdom and not foolishness. This is a tough lesson—one of those fine lines we must walk as disciples of Christ. If Jesus teaches it, we must do it.

God’s Word is humbling. Just when I think I’ve got it together, the sword pierces and reveals my thoughts to be what they are—sinful, repulsive and ungodly. I thank Him for that revelation. He is not leaving me to my own devices, but rather patiently and repeatedly showing me the error of my ways, in this case the judgment in my heart, and I can trust that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion (Phil. 1:6).

(Just as He brought dog breeding to completion in the doodle! Perfection.)

Walter & Addie