Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Tuesday, 2 September 2014 "Don't judge"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Tuesday, 2 September 2014 "Don't judge" 
Daily Scripture:  Matthew 7: A Simple Guide for Behavior
1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Reflection Questions:
Jesus noted that we are quick to judge others, while overlooking or excusing any tendency on our part to do similar (or even worse) things. That is destructive and hurtful enough in families or workplaces. Taken into the realm of politics, it seems to go on steroids. Think about it: when was the last time a political figure you disagree with came under fire, and you said, "That's not good, but our side does the same thing, or even worse?"
Jesus' words applied, of course, to family relationships. Think about your spouse, or if you're not married, your parents or siblings. Can two people both care deeply about a family and its well-being, and yet come to different conclusions about the best way to address certain problems? Can they disagree without impugning each other's honesty or motives?
In what ways do you believe Jesus' words also apply to our local, state or national political "family"? Can you recall a campaign in which two candidates disagreed about the best approaches to issues, yet did so with respect and without claiming that the other person is a dishonest, unpatriotic slimeball? If candidates did that, do you believe their supporters (including you) might follow suit?
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I seek to decide for whom I wish to vote, please rid my spirit of contempt and judgment. Help me remember that people can disagree with me from honest, worthy motives. Amen.
Insight from Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at the Vibe, West, and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
Ah, the old plank in the eye metaphor. It’s one of the most well-known parables of Jesus. It inspired a Christian band, Plankeye. It’s responsible for more Christian zingers than most other parables. It’s so well known that we don’t often take the time to unpack and analyze it.
The important thing to remember with the old plank in the eye metaphor is what it follows. It would be one thing if it followed, “Be careful when you judge; make sure to follow all of the instructions.” But that’s not what it follows. Matthew 7:1 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” So the implication with the metaphor isn’t that you simply have to fix what’s wrong with yourself in order to judge others; the implication is that there will always be something we need to fix in ourselves, and that’s why we shouldn’t judge.
When Jesus was born, there was a strong religious movement (the Pharisee movement) that basically sought to lay out exactly where the line was between good and not good enough. They defined incredibly mundane things, like how many steps you could take on the sabbath without breaking the law. They said you were not allowed to spit on the ground on the sabbath, because it might mix with clay, which could be forming a brick, which could be construed as “work.”
In this system, you knew that if you were following all of the rules they set out, you were good enough. If you could somehow keep up with all of those rules, you didn’t have to try any harder. You’d made it. You’re a good person. Of course, unless you knew all these rules like the back of your hand and planned your life around them, you were probably going to break a few. That’s why it was mostly just the religious leaders (the people making the rules) who were “good.”
This is why Jesus was so shocking when he said, “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” For the first time in these people’s lifetime, someone was saying, “No matter how many of these rules you keep, we’re all on the same page. You can do better. You can always do better.” Jesus took their ideal of goodness and shattered it. He gave them an ideal so high that it would keep them busy the rest of their lives.
This seems to be a misunderstood (and in some circles, unpopular) notion among Christians. I regularly talk to Christians who denounce others as “living in sin,” which apparently means sinning and not confessing it and repenting, as if we are somehow in the clear as long as we remember to confess every sin we commit. Just like the Pharisees, many of us want to know exactly how far we can go before we’re in the wrong, or what we can do to be in the right. We come up with little rules like that to help our heavy consciences. For some, it’s a few issues; for others, it’s a more general disposition; but in all cases, it’s usually something we don’t struggle with that others do.
The sin Jesus spoke of wasn’t as simple as a lie or an unkind word. If, at any point, you can say you could have done better, you could have tried harder, you could have believed a little more, then you have sinned. In some cases, we’re not even aware of our shortcomings until years down the road. In many cases, we simply don’t have the strength to do this all the time. It’s not something you can simply confess at the end of the day, because we are always falling short of perfection. Every time I walk right by someone instead of helping them, I have sinned. Every time I spend money on shoes I don’t need instead of giving it to the poor, I have sinned. Every time I choose to watch something dumb on television rather than do something to edify and strengthen my mind, I have sinned. Every time I choose an unhealthy meal over a healthy one, I have sinned.
This notion is apparent in the etymological root of the English word for sin. It comes from the Indo-European root es, which is also where we get our English words “yes” and “is.” The original meaning of the word sin was “that which is.” So it wasn’t a simple act that we could atone for at the end of the day; it was an enduring state of brokenness held by everyone in this world. It is all we have ever known, and it is only through grace that we can even catch a glimpse of a life without it.
If this all sounds somewhat dismal and defeating, it is. We will never be okay. We will never atone for our sins on our own. Without God’s constant grace, we would be defeated by sin. The point is that we sin all the time, in ways we may not even be aware of, and we’re on a journey to get better, but we will never reach that destination in this lifetime.
Pointing at someone else on that journey and thinking that we’re better than them is like saying God was wrong to give us as much grace as He gave them. You can always do better. You can always try harder or believe a little more. We are all on that journey, and none of us are any closer to the end than anyone else. If you see someone struggling in their journey, don’t denounce them or write them off–help them. And be prepared for any help that they can offer you in your journey, because you’re just as much in need of help as they are. It’s not sin that divides us, but a need for grace that unites us, and all of us need as much help on that journey as we can get.
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