Matthew 7:1-6, Mark 4:24-25, Luke 6:37-42 (On Judging) (On Profaning the Holy)

Rachel Workman:

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
(On Judging) 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.[b] 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[c] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (On Profaning the Holy) 6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.	(On Judging) 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given[c]—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”	(On Judging) 37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.[c]” This is my favorite version. I can't really add to today's reading. All of these verses stand out to me. The one verse I think that stands out the most is Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and pouring into your lap. Churches use this a lot with tithes. But I think it's just as applicable to everything we give. Our time, our affection, our sympathy, love, encouragement ect. What you give to others is what you get back only it's returned to us full and pressed down. How I am treating that co-worker, that phone call that seems to keep interrupting me? How am I treating my husband, children, parents and friends? Am I giving everything I can to them? Am I making sure I give enough sympathy, affection and love ect.? All of those things will return to me full and shaken down. The amount I give will determine what I receive in return. Am I giving everything I have in the relationships in my life? If I'm honest the answer is no. 39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students[d] are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. We as Christians are in training. There will never be a point in this life that we are done learning. 41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[e] when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend,[f] let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. We are all hypocrites at one point or another. Because we are human and we are sinners. But it's important that we examine ourselves before we start to examine the other person.

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Mike Grimm: 

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
(On Judging) 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.[b] Jesus tells us to examine our own motives and conduct instead of judging others. The traits that bother us in others are often the habits we dislike in ourselves. Our untamed bad habits and behavior patterns are the very ones that we most want to change in others. If you are ready to criticize someone, check to see if you deserve the same criticism. Judge yourself first, and then lovingly forgive and help your neighbor. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[c] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (On Profaning the Holy) 6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy.[e] Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Jesus is saying that we should not entrust holy teachings to unholy or unclean people. We should not stop giving God’s Word to unbelievers, but we should be wise and discerning in what we teach to whom, so that we will not be wasting our time.	(On Judging) 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given[c]—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” This verse simply means that we are responsible to use well what we have. How much we have is not nearly as important as to what we do with it.	(On Judging) 37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.[c]” A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God’s forgiveness. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, not judge them. 39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students[d] are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. Make sure you’re following the right teachers and leaders, because you will go no farther than they do. Look for leaders who will show you more about faith and whose guidance you can trust. 41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[e] when you have a log in your own? Jesus doesn’t mean we should ignore wrong doing, but we should not be so worried about others’ sins that we overlook our own. We often rationalize our sins by pointing out the same mistake in others. 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend,[f] let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. We should not be so afraid of the label “hypocrite” that we stand still in our Christian life, hiding our faith and making no attempt to grow. A person who tries to do right but often fails is not a hypocrite. Neither are those who fulfill their duty even when they don’t feel like doing it – it is often necessary and good to set aside our desires in order to do what needs doing. It is not hypocrisy to be weak in faith. A hypocrite is a person who puts on religious behavior in order to gain attention, approval, acceptance, or admiration from others.