“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

Our cat and dog are the best of pals.

Rev Chia’s dog and cat are best friends, despite this amusing photo that suggests otherwise.

Some may quip: “What do you expect? They are a pastor’s pets. And, what’s more, they live in a church building!”

To be serious, we should not presume my pets – like their owners – are any more moral or holy just by association. Or by accommodation in a religious premise.

In the same way, Jesus warned his countrymen of the fatal problem of presumption. They presumed they merited entry into God’s Kingdom by their spiritual osmosis through their racial pedigree or fanatical law-keeping.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) ends with Jesus challenging the crowds, and especially the disciples, to choose between believing their mistaken religious establishment’s teaching of works righteousness and his radical teaching of graced living.

Jesus’ message here in Matthew 7:1-5 is a stunner: “Kingdom people should not exercise subjective self-righteous judgementalism.”

Why? We are fallen and fallible beings. We surely have no right to usurp God’s rightful place as judge. He alone is the arbiter of truth and dispenser of justice.

Instead, we should exercise objective God-centred judgement, with his Word as the final arbiter of Gospel truth.

Jesus’ corrective between our subjective judgementalism and God’s objective judgement was perhaps made in the context of fanatical “religious policing” of half-true Pharisaic teaching which was wrecking their relationship with God and neighbour.

His classic diagnosis of their spiritual problem of spotting the “sawdust in your brother’s eye but missing the plank in our own eyes” was to awaken them to the fatal danger of self-centred judgementalism which would render them culpable of God’s endtime judgement.

1. Beware our danger

We may have all the theological sharpness of a Pharisee but none of the tenderness of a forgiven sinner.

Jesus condemns that ungrateful posture as he contrasts the unwelcoming Pharisee to the unbridled gratitude of a forgiven immoral woman (Luke 7:36-50).

Jesus masterfully unmasks the problem clinically as: “Forgiven much, love much. Forgiven little, love little.”

It makes us ponder soberly: “How would Jesus diagnose and describe you and me?”

2. Repent of our dangerous bifocals

We all tend to have 20/20 vision of people’s sins, while being blind to our own sin!

Have we not noticed that we have both telescopic vision to spot others’ sin from afar and microscopic vision to cross examine their sins at close range?

The crankiness of a child. The awkwardness of a teenager. The nagginess of a parent. The neediness of spouse. The edginess of tired households.

If we don’t watch it, we would blame the idiosyncracies of this whole mistaken family “business”, if not the whole world, as rightful triggers for our daily dose of righteous anger.

Left to ourselves, we can always spot the weakness of others from afar and rip into them when up close and personal.

If we don’t watch it, anything by anyone can be weaponised into another “legit” excuse for our daily dose of meltdowns.

So, whether we are sliding down the slippery slope of being a perpetrator of judgementalism, or are already in a bottomless pit as a victim of it, everyone who lives in such a family or environment has to walk on eggshells.

The self-righteous person walks around looking for the lightest excuse to gaslight a petty difference, a mistaken word, an overlooked chore, a minor irritation, a failed expectation or an undone task into World War 3.

3. Run to Him

When are we going to confess that the wars in our hearts are often caused by our subjective and destructive self-centred judgementalism?

When are we going to own up that our wars are caused mainly by magnifying people’s sins while minimising our own?

We often wield the same crushing judgementalism in church – whether we are sitting in pews cross-examining a sermon or walk around policing others’ sub standard ministries in our hearts.

Jesus declares that domestic violence and church fights begin internally in our hearts, not externally from our circumstances, for “out of our hearts comes all kinds of evil”.

There was a hit love song by the Bee Gees called “Run to me”. As a pop song, it naturally sang of the goodness of running to the romantic love of our life to find refuge from the pain of living.

Jesus offers us the better or, more rightly, the best way out. He lovingly invites us to “run to Him”!

That’s His offer, not of temporary refuge, but of eternal salvation as He tenderly holds out His hand to us with: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

We do well to humbly take up His gracious offer to live in blissful peace in our domestic homes. That will be a great witness – even to our domestic pets. Amen.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, save me from self-righteous judgementalism. Save me from this war in my heart. Save me from magnifying the sins of my neighbour/spouse/child/parent/sibling/friend (please name the person/s before God), while being blind to my own sin!

Stop me from weaponising others’ weaknesses into legitimate excuses for my daily meltdowns. Save me from being a perpetrator of judgementalism. Rescue me from being a victim of it. Save me from gas lighting wars.

Make me an instrument of Your peace. End this vicious war in my heart. I accept Your gracious offer of salvation. I need You, Lord Jesus Christ. Save me. Amen.