A speck of dust

A speck of dust

Scripture:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “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.“ 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 Matthew 7:1-6

Observation:

Coming to Chapter 7, our Lord now teaches us some very simple and logical lessons about judging others. Quite simply, He commands us not to judge, as in to condemn others in our minds because with the measure we judge others, we too will be judged the same way. This same vein is similar to how our Lord taught earlier:- forgive others that your Heavenly Father may forgive you.  

Our Lord then goes on to give us a very comical example of a man trying to take a speck of sawdust from his brother’s eye when he has a plank in his own eye. The Lord teaches us here to first look at our own shortcomings before rushing to judge others. It is only with the attitude of humility in knowing that we are all fallen sinners saved by grace that we can effectively help our others.

In concluding this subject, the Lord then gives us the curious illustration of being careful not to give dogs what is sacred or to throw pearls to pigs. Putting this in context, it seems to refer to situations where a person with some degree of maturity may genuinely try to correct the fault or misperception of another but his actions, instead of being gratefully received, is met with hostility and anger.

A great example of this was when Stephen the martyr taught wisdom and precious Word to the Jews but his listeners, instead of being repentant, turned on Stephen and stoned him to death. There is a time, place and method to impart wisdom and we need a spirit of discernment to adjudge whether our listeners will receive what we may tell them.

Application:

Some of us are too quick to judge others, in our family, in our workplace, and we even judge strangers in the restaurants and public places. The solution to curb a judgmental spirit is to in humility, considering others better than ourselves. In situations where we feel a calling to speak out, to share a word of correction perhaps, we need to be mindful of the Lord’s warning not to throw pearls to pigs or sacred things to dogs.

Prayer:

Praise thee, Lord Jesus, for the beauty and simplicity of Your teachings. Forgive me O Lord, for the many times I have been so quick to judge. Give me a humble spirit, to learn to reflect and know myself and my weaknesses that I may be able to help others gently yet effectively. In helping others, grant me, Heavenly Father, Thy spirit of discernment, that I may know the right person who will receive Your wisdom and the right time to speak. Bless thee, Heavenly Father. In Jesus name, Amen.