By John Stallings
I once read the story of a young Canadian student in 1860 who was awakened one night by the sound of two ships colliding.
His name was Ed Spencer. He jumped out of bed, saw the situation and being a strong swimmer, jumped in and started swimming out to the rescue. Many passengers of those ships died that night but Ed’s willingness to risk his life saved seventeen of them.
Ed suffered from paralysis after that night and wasn’t able to complete his studies, basically becoming an invalid for the rest of his life. Years later, now an old man living in California, Ed was interviewed by a Los Angeles paper and asked what he recalled about the rescue. “Only this” replied Ed, “of the seventeen I saved, not one of them ever thanked me.”
Someone has said, “Of all the emotions we human beings experience, gratitude is the hardest for us to feel.”
A SIMPLE ENOUGH STORY, WITH A FAMILIAR RING
Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of ten men suffering from leprosy that Jesus healed and sent on their way. One turns back, happy and thankful to Jesus. But Jesus asks, “Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” Can none be found to return and give Glory to God except this outsider?” Message Bible.—
This sounds so eerily familiar that it reminds us of one of our first childhood lessons; “What do say when you’re given something? Thank you. Okay, good for you.
I often wonder when reading this story, was Jesus upset, surprised, amazed or disappointed; or maybe a combination of them all.
THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE BOXES IN THIS STORY.
1. THE BOX OF LEPROSY.
We know enough about leprosy to know it’s a dirty disease, a horrible flesh eating sickness and no one can recover from it. In Bible days a person infected with the disease had to give up home and family and live outside the social matrix because of its contagious nature. The physical suffering was compounded by the fact that lepers were social exiles, they were forever unclean.
Lepers were boxed in, not only by the disease, but because of its contagious nature, they were considered ritually unclean. A leper was allowed no contact with non-lepers, and that’s why, in this story, the lepers “stood at a distance” when they called out to Jesus. They stood far off like wounded animals with rags wrapped around their hands. Others had their feet wrapped up with pieces of cloth. They could stay just close enough to society to allow them to beg, as long as they cried loudly, unclean, unclean, unclean.
Think what it would be like to have leprosy. It’s hard to think about. Imagine the waiting, the hoping, wondering how long it will take and how much suffering will be experienced before death.
There was a very famous leper in the Old Testament named Naaman. His story is in 2 Kings 5.Naaman was boxed in by pride and anger and almost lost his miracle because of it. He finally dipped seven times in a muddy little river, quiet beneath his dignity, but his obedience enabled him to escape the terrible box of leprosy.
2. THE RACIAL BOX.
We are not told specifically if the non-returning lepers were Jews, but the fact that Jesus makes much of the tenth and thankful leper being a “foreigner” or Samaritan, seems to imply it. Also the fact that the Jews and Samaritans fraternize in this story is in itself an “out-of-the-box” experience. It’s also out-of-the-box for a Samaritan to be willing to come back and thank a Jewish healer.
We remember that in Jesus’ day the Jews looked down on the Samaritans. Racial prejudice is something that is still alive and well in our world. However the gospel of Christ is fundamentally incompatible with racial prejudice.
THE ISSUE IS SIN-NOT SKIN
When God sees this world he doesn’t look at skin color. All people regardless of their race, background or skin color are significant, loved, fallen and redeemable. No race has any advantage over any other race and no group is better than any other group. God doesn’t play favorites and skin color doesn’t matter to Him. Race isn’t an issue with God. “Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight.”
3. THERE WAS THE GEOGRAPHICAL BOX.
We know that Jews tried to avoid traveling through Samaria, yet here is Jesus, Luke tells us, in “the region between Samaria and Galilee.” Jesus was skirting the borderlands, the in-between area that doesn’t fit neatly in any geographical box.
4. JESUS STEPPED OUTSIDE THE HEALING BOX HERE.
Jesus usually healed with a touch, but in this case He didn’t. As a matter of fact, He didn’t pray, He didn’t pronounce their healing; He did very little except to tell the lepers to go show themselves to the priest. The priests controlled most everything in those days.
They even functioned as health inspectors. As the lepers started to go at Jesus’ instruction, they noticed that their sores and wounds were drying up, and their blemishes began to disappear. With every step they took they felt stronger, younger, and more energetic. When they rounded the final turn on the way to the village, they were completely healed. It must have been an incredible walk for them.
Think of it—after all their suffering, all of the sudden at the word of a stranger, their loneliness, pain and banishment began to evaporate. In a matter of moments they all had the clean, healthy, supple skin of a baby.
Friend if you’re sick or have a friend or relative who is, here are 101 reasons God will heal those who’ll trust Him for healing;
God said…
1) I am the Lord that healeth thee (Ex. 15:26).
2) Your days shall be one hundred and twenty years (Gen. 6:3).
3) You shall be buried in a good old age (Gen. 15:15).
4) You shall come to your grave in a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in his season (Job 5:26).
5) When I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you (Ex. 12:13).
6) I will take sickness away from the midst of you and the number of your days I will fulfill (Ex. 23: 25, 26).
7) I will not put any of the diseases you are afraid of on you, but I will take all sickness away from you (Deut. 7:15).
8) It will be well with you and your days shall be multiplied and prolonged as the days of heaven upon the earth (Deut. 11:9,21).
9) I turned the curse into a blessing unto you, because I loved you (Deut. 23:5 and Neh. 13:2).
10) I have redeemed you from every sickness and every plague (Deut. 28:61 and Gal. 3:13).
11) As your days, so shall your strength be (Deut. 33:25).
12) I have found a ransom for you, your flesh shall be fresher than a child’s and you shall return to the days of your youth (Job 33:24, 25).
13) I have healed you and brought up your soul from the grave; I have kept you alive from going down into the pit (Ps. 30:1, 2).
14) I will give you strength and bless you with peace (Ps. 29:11).
15) I will preserve you and keep you alive (Ps. 41:2).
16) I will strengthen you upon the bed of languishing; I will turn all your bed in your sickness (Ps. 41:3).
17) I am the health of your countenance and your God (Ps.43: 5).
18) No plague shall come near your dwelling (Ps. 91:10).
19) I will satisfy you with long life (Ps. 91:16).
20) I heal all your diseases (Ps. 103:3).
21) I sent My word and healed you and delivered you from your destructions (Ps.107:20).
22) You shall not die, but live, and declare My works (Ps. 118:17).
23) I heal your broken heart and bind up your wounds (Ps. 147:3).
24) The years of your life shall be many (Pr. 4:10).
25) Trusting Me brings health to your navel and marrow to your bones (Pr. 3:8).
26) My words are life to you, and health/medicine to all your flesh (Pr. 4:22).
27) (My) good report makes your bones fat (Pr. 15:30).
28) (My) pleasant words are sweet to your soul and health to your bones (Pr. 16:24).
29) My joy is your strength. A merry heart does good like a medicine (Neh. 8:10; Pr.17:22).
30) The eyes of the blind shall be opened. The eyes of them that see shall not be dim (Isa. 32:3; 35:5).
31) The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. The ears of them that hear shall hearken (Isa. 32:3; 35:5).
32) The tongue of the dumb shall sing. The tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly (Isa. 35:6; 32:4).
33) The lame man shall leap as a hart (Isa. 35:6).
34) I will recover you and make you to live. I am ready to save you (Isa. 38:16, 20).
35) I give power to the faint. I increase strength to them that have no might (Isa. 40:29).
36) I will renew your strength. I will strengthen and help you (Isa. 40:31; 41:10).
37) To your old age and gray hairs I will carry you and I will deliver you (Isa. 46:4).
38) I bore your sickness (Isa. 53:4).
39) I carried your pains (Isa. 53:4).
40) I was put to sickness for you (Isa. 53:10).
41) With My stripes you are healed (Isa. 53:5).
42) I will heal you (Isa. 57:19).
43) Your light shall break forth as the morning and your health shall spring forth speedily (Isa. 58:8).
44) I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds saith the Lord (Jer.30:17).
45) Behold I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure you, and will reveal unto you the abundance of peace and truth (Jer. 33:6).
46) I will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick (Eze.34:16).
47) Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. And I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live (Eze. 37:5,14).
48) Whithersoever the rivers shall come shall live. They shall be healed and everything shall live where the river comes (Eze. 47:9).
49) Seek Me and you shall live (Amos 5:4, 6).
50) I have arisen with healing in My wings (beams) (Mal. 4:2).
New Testament
51) I will, be thou clean (Mt. 8:3).
52) I took your infirmities (Mt. 8:17).
53) I bore your sicknesses (Mt. 8:17).
54) If you’re sick you need a physician. (I am the Lord your physician) (Mt. 9:12 &
55) I am moved with compassion toward the sick and I heal them (Mt. 14:14).
56) I heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Mt. 4:23).
57) According to your faith, be it unto you (Mt. 9:29).
58) I give you power and authority over all unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Mt. 10:1 & Lk. 9:1).
59) I heal them all (Mt. 12:15 & Heb. 13:8).
60) As many as touch Me are made perfectly whole (Mt. 14:36).
61) Healing is the children’s bread (Mt. 15:26).
62) I do all things well. I make the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak (Mk. 7:37).
63) If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mk. 9:23; 11:23,24).
64) When hands are laid on you, you shall recover (Mk. 16:18).
65) My anointing heals the brokenhearted, and delivers the captives, recovers sight to the blind, and sets at liberty those that are bruised (Lk. 4:18; Isa. 10:27; 61:1).
66) I heal all those who have need of healing (Lk. 9:11).
67) I am not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them (Lk. 9:56).
68) Behold, I give you authority over all the enemy’s power and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Lk. 10:19).
69) Sickness is satanic bondage and you ought to be loosed today (Lk. 13:16 & II Cor.6:2).
70) In Me is life (Jn. 1:4).
71) I am the bread of life. I give you life (Jn. 6:33, 35).
72) The words I speak unto you are spirit and life (Jn. 6:63).
73) I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).
74) I am the resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:25).
75) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it (Jn. 14:14).
76) Faith in My name makes you strong and gives you perfect soundness (Acts 3:16).
77) I stretch forth My hand to heal (Acts 4:30).
78) I, Jesus Christ, make you whole (Acts 9:34).
79) I do good and heal all that are oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38).
80) My power causes diseases to depart from you (Acts 19:12).
81) The law of the Spirit of life in Me has made you free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
82) The same Spirit that raised Me from the dead now lives in you and that Spirit will quicken your mortal body (Rom. 8:11).
83) Your body is a member of Me (I Cor. 6:15).
84) Your body is the temple of My Spirit and you’re to glorify Me in your body (I Cor.6:19, 20).
85) If you’ll rightly discern My body which was broken for you, and judge yourself, you’ll not be judged and you’ll not be weak, sickly or die prematurely (I Cor. 11:29-31).
86) I have set gifts of healing in My body (I Cor. 12:9).
87) My life may be made manifest in your mortal flesh (II Cor. 4:10, 11).
88) I have delivered you from death, I do deliver you, and if you trust Me I will yet deliver you (II Cor. 1:10).
89) I have given you My name and have put all things under your feet (Eph. 1:21, 22).
90) I want it to be well with you and I want you to live long on the earth. (Eph. 6:3).
91) I have delivered you from the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13).
92) I will deliver you from every evil work (II Tim. 4:18).
93) I tasted death for you. I destroyed the devil who had the power of death. I’ve delivered you from the fear of death and bondage (Heb. 2:9, 14, 15).
94) I wash your body with pure water (Heb. 10:22; Eph. 5:26).
95) Lift up the weak hands and the feeble knees. Don’t let that which is lame be turned aside but rather let Me heal it (Heb. 12:12, 13).
96) Let the elders anoint you and pray for you in My name and I will raise you up (Jas.5:14, 15).
97) Pray for one another and I will heal you (Jas. 5:16).
98) By My stripes you were healed (I Pet. 2:24).
99) My Divine power has given unto you all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Me (II Pet. 1:3).
100) Whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).
101) Beloved, I wish above all things that you may…be in health (III Jn. 2
NINE WAYS TO SAY “NO THANKS
What if a newspaper of that day had gone to do a story on these nine lepers who didn’t return to thank Jesus? Imagine them gathered in one room and the reporter asking for their side of this story. Let’s first talk to leper, Jim.
1. JIM, what happened to you after Jesus healed you of leprosy? Jim might reply, “Well, I guess I wanted to wait for just a little while longer to see if the cure was real and was going to last. After all, there’s a little thing called “remission” you know. And by the time I realized the healing was the real thing, Jesus was dead.
2. JACK. And how about you jack? “Well I started to wonder if I had ever had leprosy. Whatever I had was much improved so I really didn’t give it much more thought.
3. JASON. “And you Jason, why didn’t you return? “Well, I was grateful for the cure but I had to take my son to his baseball game that day. I have been so busy lately, you wouldn’t believe it. You know now-a-days, I don’t know where the time goes.” And another thing, I was very anxious to just get back to my old life, my old routine.
4. LYLE was next to speak; “I didn’t know we were supposed to return to thank Jesus. I was just following instructions. You know, Jesus told us to go and show ourselves to the priest and that’s what I did. As lepers, we’ve become so used to following orders that we really just do as we’re told. And another thing, when Jesus told us to go, our feet started to move before our minds could think about it. We lepers move, eat, sleep, and speak according to instructions with little choice in the matter.
5. TIM “Tim, can you tell us why you never returned to thank Jesus for your cure? Well, I once took a psychological behavioral test to show me what personality type I was, and would you believe, I’m a procrastinator? Yeah, that’s right, and also the test said that we procrastinators are indecisive, tentative, and I found I have a touch of ADD. Hey, look at that bird up in the sky.
6—8. THE LAST FOUR lepers were Deaf leper, who loved music, Leper-Con, he was Irish, Spotted leper; strange name I know, but his healing caused him to have an identity crisis. He’d been a leper so long he wasn’t prepared to change. He was so at home with lepers that he couldn’t readjust.
9. THE NINTH LEPER sent word that he highly resented being labeled an ingrate , simply because he conformed to the traditional way of expressing his thanks; in the Temple, before the priest, just like Jesus instructed. He also wanted to go on record that he felt a sense of “entitlement” to the better things in life, and added that it was about time God answered his prayers.
The leper who returned teaches us, by his actions, to be more spontaneous with our gratitude. Luke said that he was “praising God with a loud voice.” In fact, the ex-leper fell on his face before Jesus. He was completely carried away and beside himself with joy and happiness. He felt like dancing a jig and shouting from the housetops. He was so excited that he didn’t even take time to have his healing verified by the priest, he was so anxious to thank this stranger.
He didn’t show up at the interview because he was so busy telling people what Jesus had done, he didn’t feel he could spare the time. He said he was so ecstatic he wasn’t in any shape to answer questions, even a year later.
Sometimes it’s good to throw away the restraints and let yourself be carried away with gratitude and joy.
A SENSE OF URGENCY CHANGES US IN REGARDS TO PRAISE.
Most of us find it easy to stay inside the box, playing it safe and following directions until something earthshaking happens. At those times, we find it comfortable to throw off restraints. We seem more inclined to give gratitude free rein when we feel a sense of urgency. People stand up at funerals and weddings and shock others with their free-flowing expressions of love and praise.
If a person is diagnosed with cancer, they are quick to begin telling the people they love how much they love them. Now time is of the essence, so they do it, now. Most of us would agree that we shouldn’t operate like this, but being human we do.
Our lives would become almost heaven on earth if we would integrate appreciation and praise, not only to God but to one another into our everyday lives. If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself, have you ever grown tired of being loved, thanked and appreciated?
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THIS STORY TEACHES US.
# God reminds us that if we don’t cultivate thankfulness, it will take more and more to make us thankful.
Jesus would also remind us of some of the things for which HE gave thanks.
• He gave thanks for 5 loaves and 2 fishes, before He multiplied them to feed a multitude.
• He gave thanks for the bread and wine He ate with His disciples before His death, even though He said they were symbolic of His broken body and shed blood.
• He gave thanks to His father at the tomb of Lazarus, just for hearing His prayer.
One last thing in this story is found in Luke 17:19. Jesus told the returning leper, “Arise and go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.”
The returning leper received a gift the other nine missed out on. He received “wholeness” for body, mind, soul and spirit.
Blessings, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING,
John
Monday, November 25, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Logs, Hogs, and Dogs
By John Stallings
Judge not that ye be not judged.—Matt. 7:1
Did you know that according to surveys, Matthew 7:1 is replacing John 3:16 as the most memorized, well-known & quoted verse in the Bible?
There are some other contenders you’ll often hear quoted, like-- Take a little wine for the stomach's sake-(people use this one who have no earthly clue what it means) The truth shall set you free, &-the hand-writing's on the wall. All of these are popular verses. Judge not that ye be not judged is often quoted ignorantly, taken out of context, added where it doesn’t belong & the passage is seldom quoted in its entirety. The result is that many Christians are troubled by this verse.
· Is judging permissible at all?
· How far should we go?
· How can we know?
Let’s clear up some of these questions because they can be understandably baffling.
In the Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus uses strong words for people who criticize others because they have “Logs” or beams in their own eyes when seeking to pull the small mote or spec out of their neighbor's eye. Then He tells us that we have the responsibility to appraise & evaluate people & teachings because some of them are “dogs & hogs.” So how do we explain the seeming contradiction when we are told on the one hand to “Judge not” & then we are told to “Judge?” One thing we can be sure of is that God’s word never contradicts itself so we can always take comfort in that.
Is it right or wrong to pass judgment on the actions of others? The answer is simple; it depends. Sometimes it’s right & sometimes it’s not. In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus has some very important things to say about judging others. Whether we admit it or not, from time to time we all engage in judging. You name it, we judge it. Jesus speaks very clearly on this vital matter. The Greek word for judge is “Krino,” meaning;-----to separate, select, choose, to determine, to pronounce judgment; to express strong disapproval or harsh criticism- to act the part of a judge; or to pass judgment on the words or deeds of others. Jesus says—Judge not. But Jesus didn’t forbid any & all discerning, discriminating judgments on our part.
“TO JUDGE OR NOT JUDGE; --THAT IS THE QUESTION.”
Common sense tells us that if no one ever judged anyone, teachers could not give their students grades, & no citizen could ever sit on a jury. Furthermore, if we never judged, we’d never forgive, because we only forgive someone who we formally blamed for doing wrong, & the blaming followed a Judgment on our part. So judgment & forgiveness go hand in hand.
Here’s what we find when we look at the subject more closely. There are times when we’re called on to judge or evaluate others. In the truest sense, we don’t judge the person but rather their behavior. Only God can & will judge the person.
In 1 Cor. 5:3-5 Paul judges a man guilty of fornication with his father’s wife. He condemns his actions & calls on the church to do the same.
Matt. 7:6 we are called on to call some people dogs & swine & unworthy of the precious treasures of God & His word.
1 John 4:1 says,--Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. We as believers are commanded to judge religions & statements of preachers & teachers to see if they measure up with the Word of God & the teachings of the Gospel.
· Matt. 7:15-20 tells us we are obligated to examine the fruit of those around us & base our fellowship with them according to what we see in their life.
In Matt.18:15-18 we are told to exercise discipline on a wayward member & this will require the judging of their fruits according to the Word of God. If the person doesn’t respond we then relate to them as heathens or publicans. Of course we keep on loving them because isn’t that what we do to the heathen? We send missionaries to them to try to reach them for God.
In Acts 13:42-46 Paul & Barnabas spoke to the Jews & told them-- You judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS –JUDGE NOT?
Actually, Jesus never said, Judge not-period. He is actually forbidding a hypocrite engaging in fault-finding as a ploy to cover his own sin. Jesus is condemning an attitude that is critical of others & proposes to look at them & see what their motivations are. Jesus is telling us that we aren’t equipped to do this because only God can see the heart. The critic forgets that he himself must face judgment someday. Rom. 14: 12/ 2 Cor. 5:10. This is a scary thought is it not? In the same way we watch over someone & judge them there’s someone who’s watching our lives. Gal.6:7.
FAULT- FINDERS ARE NEVER GOOD FACT-FINDERS.
This is the reason doctors never treat their own selves or families. They have a problem being objective about themselves or those close to them. Human nature seems to feel “My dirt is clean, yours isn’t.” There are several reasons why we shouldn’t judge others.
1. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE,-- KNOW ALL THE FACTS.
Jesus said in John 7:24,--Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
A man who owned a large business was walking through one of his factories one day & saw a young man leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The owner got so mad he walked up to him & asked how much money he made. The young man answered that he made $300.00 a week. The owner took out that amount of money, handed it to the young man & told him he was fired. As the young man quickly left the building the boss walked up to one of the other workers & asked how long this young man had been working there. The worker told him that the young man didn’t work there he was just delivering a package.
How wrong can you be till you know?
I think the reality T.V shows are so popular because they give us the feeling we can know what it’s like to be other people. But can we truly know what it’s like to be someone else?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN HOOKED ON CRACK?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN A GOTTI?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN THE DAUGHTER OF ELVIS PRESLEY?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN THE SON OF A BILLIONAIRE?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE PARALYZED FROM THE NECK DOWN?
Some time back actor Tom Cruise while being interviewed on T.V, took a stab at people on antidepressants. Not long afterwards actress Brooke Shields gave Mr. Cruise what I considered to be the perfect squelch. She’d had her own bouts with depression & I guess wasn’t prepared to let his statement slide. She said, “I’m going to guess that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.”
Judgments are an important piece of work that we must all engage in especially in a world run amuck in moral relativism & rationalizations. But we must keep in mind that we can never be totally right in our judging & many times we will be dead wrong.
2. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE-- DON’T BE BLIND TO YOUR OWN FAULTS.
In verse 4 Jesus uses oriental wit by saying,--Or how wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull the mote out of thine eye; & behold there’s a beam in thine own eye?
Isn’t it true that we usually criticize our own weaknesses we see in other people? If we didn’t have the weakness we wouldn’t be so quick to spot it. I learned in the 4th grade, “it takes one to know one.” In other words, we many times are unconsciously judging ourselves when we judge others. We all have “beams” so to speak, in our eyes which means we’ll all experience distorted perspectives. This in a way makes us blind & you know what happens when the blind try to lead the blind; they both fall in the ditch. You have no doubt observed that very often the most outwardly critical people have the most flaws in their own life. They are so mesmerized by the little specks in others peoples lives their own problems go unrecognized.
I heard about a man who was looking in the window of a taxidermy shop at an Owl perched on a fake limb. The man went on & on about the Owl telling people that the man had stuffed him wrong, the beak wasn’t right & the colors of the feathers on his tail were done all wrong. He continued to criticize what the taxidermist had done & as he turned to walk away the Owl winked at him.
I heard another story about a man who was looking at some paintings in a museum & criticizing them. He told his wife that the so-called works of art were junk. As he continued to criticize, he walked up to one painting & really began to point out the flaws. The colors were wrong, the face of the man in the painting didn’t have the proper shape & on he went. Finally his wife said, “Honey, stop it, that’s not a painting, it’s a mirror.”
We tend to judge ourselves lightly because we judge ourselves on the basis of our hearts & our intentions. When it comes to others, we can’t know their hearts & innermost motivations so we judge merely by what we see them do. The end result is that we’re biased in our judgments.
. You lose your temper----I have righteous indignation
· You are a jerk-------------I’m having a bad day
· You have a critical spirit------I’m just blunt
· You gossip------- I make prayer requests
· You curse---------I let off steam
· You are pushy-----I’m goal oriented
· You are greedy-----I’m taking care of business
· You’re a hypochondriac—I’m really sick
· You stink-----I just smell earthy
3. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE, --REMEMBER YOU’LL BE JUDGED BY THE SAME STANDARD THAT YOU JUDGE.
Jesus is giving us a stern warning here in Matthew 7:1— “JUDGE NOT.”
Verse 2 says,-- For with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged…..
In Romans 2:1-5 Paul gives us some very valuable information about judging.
Therefore thou art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherin thou judgest another, thou condemest thyself; for thou that judgest doeth the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinketh thou this O man thou that judgest them that doest such things and doest the same that thou should escape the judgment of God vr.5—But after thy hardness & impenitent heart treasureth up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
A. PAUL TELLS US THAT BY JUDGING WE CAUSE GOD TO BE HARDER ON US. V.1.
B. WE DO MANY OF THE THINGS WE CONDEMN IN OTHERS.v.1
C. GOD CAN ALWAYS BE COUNTED ON TO BE FAIR & RIGHTEOUS, WE CANNOT. V.5.
4. DON’T JUDGE, BUT WHEN YOU DO JUDGE, SHOW MERCY & LOVE.
When I look at your life & see your faults, I’m blind to the problems that dwell in my own heart. If my heart was as pure & holy as I would like to believe it is, I wouldn’t be focused on criticizing & condemning you for your failures. I would instead love you, pray for you & try to help you. I wouldn’t be in the business of tearing you down but I’d be seeking how I might build you up & restore you.
WHY DO PEOPLE TEND TO CRITICIZE & JUDGE OTHERS?
1. Criticism boosts our own self-image. Pointing out someone else’s failure & tearing him down makes us seem a little better, at least in our own eyes. It adds to our sense of pride, ego & self-image.
2. Criticism is often enjoyed. There’s a tendency in fallen human nature to take pleasure in hearing bad news & revel in the shortcomings of others.
3. Criticism makes us feel that our own lives are better than the person who failed. In other words, criticism builds our pride up.
4. Criticism helps us justify the decisions we’ve made & the things we have done in our lives. We rationalize our decisions & acts by pointing out the failure of others.
5. Criticism points out to our friends & relatives how strong we are. Criticism gives us good feelings because our rigid beliefs & strong lives are proven again by our brother’s failure.
6. Criticism is an outlet for hurt & revenge. We feel “they” deserve it. Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, “they hurt me so they deserve to hurt too.” So we criticize the person who failed. Make no mistake; criticism is generally aimed at making us feel better about ourselves.
Jack Parr used to tell the story of a woman he knew as a child during the depression. To keep her family from starving she followed the oldest profession in the world. She was loved by all the neighborhood kids because she always gave them candy & took an interest in them. After the depression this lady got “religion” & by then Parr was a teenager. This woman’s change was both amazing & disturbing. She now became very judgmental, suspicious & haughty. Before conversion she’d been kind & loving now she became as mean as a snake. Parr said, “She always nosed around in our business & it was clear she suspected the worst of us, particularly what we did on our dates.” So Parr concluded, “Every time I meet someone who is judgmental & suspicious of other people, I wonder what they were doing during the depression.”
Sadly, if you were to ask people on the street what they think of when you say the word “Christian,” many would say, “Judgmental, suspicious, arrogant & haughty.”
I find it very disturbing that Paul had to deal with this very issue so early in the life of the church. Romans the 14th chapter starts off with those who were quarreling over opinions. They weren’t differing with weighty issues of the faith but over “opinions.” Things like what to eat, & how to celebrate holy days etc. Paul told them, in essence, “Who died & made you the judge of others?” I say potato, you say potato.’ I say tomato, you say tomato.’ It shouldn’t matter whether we open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning. What’s the difference? My experience tells me that most of the problems Christians get bent out of shape over are petty things & “non-essentials.” Paul gives a clear Word—don’t do it!
If differences develop over ideas about true Christian issues then we should contend for the faith & stand against the things that could lead to our spiritual destruction. Certainly we should have convictions & be able & willing to defend them. We shouldn’t have an “anything goes” attitude but we should as someone has said, have this attitude; “In essentials unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” Some people condemn all those who don’t row their spiritual boat like they do. They talk out of both sides of their mouth by on the one hand declaring Jesus Christ Lord of all & with the other hand condemning half the Christian world to hell.
I heard the story of a Bishop who was sailing for Europe on one of the great ocean liners. He found he had another man sharing a room with him & judging from his appearance decided he’d better take his valuables & lock them up in the ships safe. When he took them to the purser’s desk he told him he was doing it because of the way the other man looked. The purser accepted the valuables & told the Bishop, “I’ll be glad to take care of them sir, & don’t be embarrassed, your roommate just left here & left his valuables for the same reason.”
Through the years many people have been critical of the late Tammy Baker for being so “on the edge” emotionally & for using so much make-up. I remember reading in her book years ago about something that happened in her childhood. Her father abandoned his family & later divorced her mother. Her mother played the organ in the little church they attended. When the divorce was final, the pastor of the church fired Tammy’s mother & asked her & Tammy to sit on the back seat for awhile to show penitence for the divorce. Tammy was so traumatized by it all that she grew up riddled by guilt & shame as if the whole thing was her fault & of course it wasn’t. It was a miracle that Tammy Faye kept her faith & still had a heart for God after all that had happened in her childhood. What those experiences had to do with too much make-up or a silly little laugh I don’t know but one thing I do know, I have no right to criticize her until I’ve walked in her shoes.
Here are a few helpful hints about making judgments.
1. Give people the benefit of the doubt. After all, isn’t that what we’d want for ourselves?
2. Give people little “escape loopholes” to explain occasional strange or even bad behavior. Don’t put the worst construction on things you see & hear.
3. Be gentle with people. It won’t hurt a thing.
4. Be fair & gracious with people. Allow them to save face. Doesn’t Christian love demand this?
5. Look at a person’s “track record.” Do you have any real reason to assume the worst? If a loving rebuke is needed there’ll be plenty of time for that.
6. If people mess-up, why not give them a second chance? Go the second mile.
7. Don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions & impute evil to people’s motivations.
8. Remember that often the “gift of discernment” is only the “gift of suspicion.”
9. Remember harshness with people is a dead give-away to our own spiritual immaturity.
10. Don’t let your judgments be too “all-inclusive.” There’s hidden good in people & thankfully, God waits until the end of our lives to judge us. Heb.9:27
In closing, judgments are opinions that should be arrived at only after we have;
Gotten all the facts,
Consulted the moral teachings of the Word of God,
And sought spirit-led discernment.
IF WE HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF PASSING JUDGMENT ON OTHERS BECAUSE THEY DON’T LOOK OR ACT LIKE US, WE NEED TO PRAY & ASK GOD TO HELP US GET THE “LOG” OUT OF OUR EYE.
-IF WE'VE BEEN UNJUSTLY JUDGED BY OTHERS, WE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN WE'VE FORGIVEN THEM, ALWAYS REMEMBERING;
FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH, AND THIS IS NOT YOUR OWN DOING; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.-Eph.2:8---
JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED!—MATT.7:1
Blessings,
John
Judge not that ye be not judged.—Matt. 7:1
Did you know that according to surveys, Matthew 7:1 is replacing John 3:16 as the most memorized, well-known & quoted verse in the Bible?
There are some other contenders you’ll often hear quoted, like-- Take a little wine for the stomach's sake-(people use this one who have no earthly clue what it means) The truth shall set you free, &-the hand-writing's on the wall. All of these are popular verses. Judge not that ye be not judged is often quoted ignorantly, taken out of context, added where it doesn’t belong & the passage is seldom quoted in its entirety. The result is that many Christians are troubled by this verse.
· Is judging permissible at all?
· How far should we go?
· How can we know?
Let’s clear up some of these questions because they can be understandably baffling.
In the Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus uses strong words for people who criticize others because they have “Logs” or beams in their own eyes when seeking to pull the small mote or spec out of their neighbor's eye. Then He tells us that we have the responsibility to appraise & evaluate people & teachings because some of them are “dogs & hogs.” So how do we explain the seeming contradiction when we are told on the one hand to “Judge not” & then we are told to “Judge?” One thing we can be sure of is that God’s word never contradicts itself so we can always take comfort in that.
Is it right or wrong to pass judgment on the actions of others? The answer is simple; it depends. Sometimes it’s right & sometimes it’s not. In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus has some very important things to say about judging others. Whether we admit it or not, from time to time we all engage in judging. You name it, we judge it. Jesus speaks very clearly on this vital matter. The Greek word for judge is “Krino,” meaning;-----to separate, select, choose, to determine, to pronounce judgment; to express strong disapproval or harsh criticism- to act the part of a judge; or to pass judgment on the words or deeds of others. Jesus says—Judge not. But Jesus didn’t forbid any & all discerning, discriminating judgments on our part.
“TO JUDGE OR NOT JUDGE; --THAT IS THE QUESTION.”
Common sense tells us that if no one ever judged anyone, teachers could not give their students grades, & no citizen could ever sit on a jury. Furthermore, if we never judged, we’d never forgive, because we only forgive someone who we formally blamed for doing wrong, & the blaming followed a Judgment on our part. So judgment & forgiveness go hand in hand.
Here’s what we find when we look at the subject more closely. There are times when we’re called on to judge or evaluate others. In the truest sense, we don’t judge the person but rather their behavior. Only God can & will judge the person.
In 1 Cor. 5:3-5 Paul judges a man guilty of fornication with his father’s wife. He condemns his actions & calls on the church to do the same.
Matt. 7:6 we are called on to call some people dogs & swine & unworthy of the precious treasures of God & His word.
1 John 4:1 says,--Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. We as believers are commanded to judge religions & statements of preachers & teachers to see if they measure up with the Word of God & the teachings of the Gospel.
· Matt. 7:15-20 tells us we are obligated to examine the fruit of those around us & base our fellowship with them according to what we see in their life.
In Matt.18:15-18 we are told to exercise discipline on a wayward member & this will require the judging of their fruits according to the Word of God. If the person doesn’t respond we then relate to them as heathens or publicans. Of course we keep on loving them because isn’t that what we do to the heathen? We send missionaries to them to try to reach them for God.
In Acts 13:42-46 Paul & Barnabas spoke to the Jews & told them-- You judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS –JUDGE NOT?
Actually, Jesus never said, Judge not-period. He is actually forbidding a hypocrite engaging in fault-finding as a ploy to cover his own sin. Jesus is condemning an attitude that is critical of others & proposes to look at them & see what their motivations are. Jesus is telling us that we aren’t equipped to do this because only God can see the heart. The critic forgets that he himself must face judgment someday. Rom. 14: 12/ 2 Cor. 5:10. This is a scary thought is it not? In the same way we watch over someone & judge them there’s someone who’s watching our lives. Gal.6:7.
FAULT- FINDERS ARE NEVER GOOD FACT-FINDERS.
This is the reason doctors never treat their own selves or families. They have a problem being objective about themselves or those close to them. Human nature seems to feel “My dirt is clean, yours isn’t.” There are several reasons why we shouldn’t judge others.
1. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE,-- KNOW ALL THE FACTS.
Jesus said in John 7:24,--Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
A man who owned a large business was walking through one of his factories one day & saw a young man leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The owner got so mad he walked up to him & asked how much money he made. The young man answered that he made $300.00 a week. The owner took out that amount of money, handed it to the young man & told him he was fired. As the young man quickly left the building the boss walked up to one of the other workers & asked how long this young man had been working there. The worker told him that the young man didn’t work there he was just delivering a package.
How wrong can you be till you know?
I think the reality T.V shows are so popular because they give us the feeling we can know what it’s like to be other people. But can we truly know what it’s like to be someone else?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN HOOKED ON CRACK?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN A GOTTI?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN THE DAUGHTER OF ELVIS PRESLEY?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN THE SON OF A BILLIONAIRE?
CAN WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE PARALYZED FROM THE NECK DOWN?
Some time back actor Tom Cruise while being interviewed on T.V, took a stab at people on antidepressants. Not long afterwards actress Brooke Shields gave Mr. Cruise what I considered to be the perfect squelch. She’d had her own bouts with depression & I guess wasn’t prepared to let his statement slide. She said, “I’m going to guess that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.”
Judgments are an important piece of work that we must all engage in especially in a world run amuck in moral relativism & rationalizations. But we must keep in mind that we can never be totally right in our judging & many times we will be dead wrong.
2. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE-- DON’T BE BLIND TO YOUR OWN FAULTS.
In verse 4 Jesus uses oriental wit by saying,--Or how wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull the mote out of thine eye; & behold there’s a beam in thine own eye?
Isn’t it true that we usually criticize our own weaknesses we see in other people? If we didn’t have the weakness we wouldn’t be so quick to spot it. I learned in the 4th grade, “it takes one to know one.” In other words, we many times are unconsciously judging ourselves when we judge others. We all have “beams” so to speak, in our eyes which means we’ll all experience distorted perspectives. This in a way makes us blind & you know what happens when the blind try to lead the blind; they both fall in the ditch. You have no doubt observed that very often the most outwardly critical people have the most flaws in their own life. They are so mesmerized by the little specks in others peoples lives their own problems go unrecognized.
I heard about a man who was looking in the window of a taxidermy shop at an Owl perched on a fake limb. The man went on & on about the Owl telling people that the man had stuffed him wrong, the beak wasn’t right & the colors of the feathers on his tail were done all wrong. He continued to criticize what the taxidermist had done & as he turned to walk away the Owl winked at him.
I heard another story about a man who was looking at some paintings in a museum & criticizing them. He told his wife that the so-called works of art were junk. As he continued to criticize, he walked up to one painting & really began to point out the flaws. The colors were wrong, the face of the man in the painting didn’t have the proper shape & on he went. Finally his wife said, “Honey, stop it, that’s not a painting, it’s a mirror.”
We tend to judge ourselves lightly because we judge ourselves on the basis of our hearts & our intentions. When it comes to others, we can’t know their hearts & innermost motivations so we judge merely by what we see them do. The end result is that we’re biased in our judgments.
. You lose your temper----I have righteous indignation
· You are a jerk-------------I’m having a bad day
· You have a critical spirit------I’m just blunt
· You gossip------- I make prayer requests
· You curse---------I let off steam
· You are pushy-----I’m goal oriented
· You are greedy-----I’m taking care of business
· You’re a hypochondriac—I’m really sick
· You stink-----I just smell earthy
3. DON’T JUDGE, BUT IF YOU DO JUDGE, --REMEMBER YOU’LL BE JUDGED BY THE SAME STANDARD THAT YOU JUDGE.
Jesus is giving us a stern warning here in Matthew 7:1— “JUDGE NOT.”
Verse 2 says,-- For with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged…..
In Romans 2:1-5 Paul gives us some very valuable information about judging.
Therefore thou art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherin thou judgest another, thou condemest thyself; for thou that judgest doeth the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinketh thou this O man thou that judgest them that doest such things and doest the same that thou should escape the judgment of God vr.5—But after thy hardness & impenitent heart treasureth up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
A. PAUL TELLS US THAT BY JUDGING WE CAUSE GOD TO BE HARDER ON US. V.1.
B. WE DO MANY OF THE THINGS WE CONDEMN IN OTHERS.v.1
C. GOD CAN ALWAYS BE COUNTED ON TO BE FAIR & RIGHTEOUS, WE CANNOT. V.5.
4. DON’T JUDGE, BUT WHEN YOU DO JUDGE, SHOW MERCY & LOVE.
When I look at your life & see your faults, I’m blind to the problems that dwell in my own heart. If my heart was as pure & holy as I would like to believe it is, I wouldn’t be focused on criticizing & condemning you for your failures. I would instead love you, pray for you & try to help you. I wouldn’t be in the business of tearing you down but I’d be seeking how I might build you up & restore you.
WHY DO PEOPLE TEND TO CRITICIZE & JUDGE OTHERS?
1. Criticism boosts our own self-image. Pointing out someone else’s failure & tearing him down makes us seem a little better, at least in our own eyes. It adds to our sense of pride, ego & self-image.
2. Criticism is often enjoyed. There’s a tendency in fallen human nature to take pleasure in hearing bad news & revel in the shortcomings of others.
3. Criticism makes us feel that our own lives are better than the person who failed. In other words, criticism builds our pride up.
4. Criticism helps us justify the decisions we’ve made & the things we have done in our lives. We rationalize our decisions & acts by pointing out the failure of others.
5. Criticism points out to our friends & relatives how strong we are. Criticism gives us good feelings because our rigid beliefs & strong lives are proven again by our brother’s failure.
6. Criticism is an outlet for hurt & revenge. We feel “they” deserve it. Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, “they hurt me so they deserve to hurt too.” So we criticize the person who failed. Make no mistake; criticism is generally aimed at making us feel better about ourselves.
Jack Parr used to tell the story of a woman he knew as a child during the depression. To keep her family from starving she followed the oldest profession in the world. She was loved by all the neighborhood kids because she always gave them candy & took an interest in them. After the depression this lady got “religion” & by then Parr was a teenager. This woman’s change was both amazing & disturbing. She now became very judgmental, suspicious & haughty. Before conversion she’d been kind & loving now she became as mean as a snake. Parr said, “She always nosed around in our business & it was clear she suspected the worst of us, particularly what we did on our dates.” So Parr concluded, “Every time I meet someone who is judgmental & suspicious of other people, I wonder what they were doing during the depression.”
Sadly, if you were to ask people on the street what they think of when you say the word “Christian,” many would say, “Judgmental, suspicious, arrogant & haughty.”
I find it very disturbing that Paul had to deal with this very issue so early in the life of the church. Romans the 14th chapter starts off with those who were quarreling over opinions. They weren’t differing with weighty issues of the faith but over “opinions.” Things like what to eat, & how to celebrate holy days etc. Paul told them, in essence, “Who died & made you the judge of others?” I say potato, you say potato.’ I say tomato, you say tomato.’ It shouldn’t matter whether we open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning. What’s the difference? My experience tells me that most of the problems Christians get bent out of shape over are petty things & “non-essentials.” Paul gives a clear Word—don’t do it!
If differences develop over ideas about true Christian issues then we should contend for the faith & stand against the things that could lead to our spiritual destruction. Certainly we should have convictions & be able & willing to defend them. We shouldn’t have an “anything goes” attitude but we should as someone has said, have this attitude; “In essentials unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” Some people condemn all those who don’t row their spiritual boat like they do. They talk out of both sides of their mouth by on the one hand declaring Jesus Christ Lord of all & with the other hand condemning half the Christian world to hell.
I heard the story of a Bishop who was sailing for Europe on one of the great ocean liners. He found he had another man sharing a room with him & judging from his appearance decided he’d better take his valuables & lock them up in the ships safe. When he took them to the purser’s desk he told him he was doing it because of the way the other man looked. The purser accepted the valuables & told the Bishop, “I’ll be glad to take care of them sir, & don’t be embarrassed, your roommate just left here & left his valuables for the same reason.”
Through the years many people have been critical of the late Tammy Baker for being so “on the edge” emotionally & for using so much make-up. I remember reading in her book years ago about something that happened in her childhood. Her father abandoned his family & later divorced her mother. Her mother played the organ in the little church they attended. When the divorce was final, the pastor of the church fired Tammy’s mother & asked her & Tammy to sit on the back seat for awhile to show penitence for the divorce. Tammy was so traumatized by it all that she grew up riddled by guilt & shame as if the whole thing was her fault & of course it wasn’t. It was a miracle that Tammy Faye kept her faith & still had a heart for God after all that had happened in her childhood. What those experiences had to do with too much make-up or a silly little laugh I don’t know but one thing I do know, I have no right to criticize her until I’ve walked in her shoes.
Here are a few helpful hints about making judgments.
1. Give people the benefit of the doubt. After all, isn’t that what we’d want for ourselves?
2. Give people little “escape loopholes” to explain occasional strange or even bad behavior. Don’t put the worst construction on things you see & hear.
3. Be gentle with people. It won’t hurt a thing.
4. Be fair & gracious with people. Allow them to save face. Doesn’t Christian love demand this?
5. Look at a person’s “track record.” Do you have any real reason to assume the worst? If a loving rebuke is needed there’ll be plenty of time for that.
6. If people mess-up, why not give them a second chance? Go the second mile.
7. Don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions & impute evil to people’s motivations.
8. Remember that often the “gift of discernment” is only the “gift of suspicion.”
9. Remember harshness with people is a dead give-away to our own spiritual immaturity.
10. Don’t let your judgments be too “all-inclusive.” There’s hidden good in people & thankfully, God waits until the end of our lives to judge us. Heb.9:27
In closing, judgments are opinions that should be arrived at only after we have;
Gotten all the facts,
Consulted the moral teachings of the Word of God,
And sought spirit-led discernment.
IF WE HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF PASSING JUDGMENT ON OTHERS BECAUSE THEY DON’T LOOK OR ACT LIKE US, WE NEED TO PRAY & ASK GOD TO HELP US GET THE “LOG” OUT OF OUR EYE.
-IF WE'VE BEEN UNJUSTLY JUDGED BY OTHERS, WE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN WE'VE FORGIVEN THEM, ALWAYS REMEMBERING;
FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH, AND THIS IS NOT YOUR OWN DOING; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.-Eph.2:8---
JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED!—MATT.7:1
Blessings,
John
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