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In my last post I asked the question, "Is anyone ever all bad or all good? If not, then are we still able to judge the quality of the man or woman by his or her actions?" One reader asked me what I thought and I promised a reply, but before I do let's look at one more section of this parable in Luke 6. Remember, we are working our way backwards in this story.
Luk 6:41 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?
Luk 6:42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
You hypocrite. Hmmmmm, pretty strong words these, wouldn't you say? In the verses following this (previous post) Jesus clearly says that "yes, we can" and even "yes, we should" judge a person by his/her actions. He even goes so far as to give us a practical comparison using our everyday surroundings. (fruit trees). In these verses He even tells us that we ARE to remove the speck in our brother's eye.
BUT, in these verses Jesus warns us in no uncertain terms to beware. I am continually amazed at the HUGE blind spots OTHERS have. Time after time, for instance, I have seen people complain about some one's lack of consideration for others and they themselves are some of the greatest offenders in this area. Blind spots being blind spots and people being people, I am assuming that I too must have them. My wife tells me that without doubt I have them. LOL. So what do I think?
I think that we are very clearly given the "okay" to judge people's hearts by their actions. BUT, we had better scrutinize our own lives and actions closely, perhaps with the help of a close friend, before we pass judgement. Without condoning the sin, Jesus was very compassionate to sinners, but whew...to hypocrites...not so much.
Original question. Does it matter how we live our lives? Why is it so difficult for us to be honest with ourselves and face our own weaknesses, failures, character flaws and even hypocrisies?
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The obvious answer to your question is YES it matters how you live your life. If you believe in the bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles then you cannot abdicate your personal responsibility to live the things that Christ taught.
ReplyDeleteAlso maybe it's not a matter of people having blind spots but instead having a full realization of their faults and maybe unconsciously they focus in on that weakness. This unconscious focus may be the reason they criticize others but truly are criticizing themselves.
While I agree that judging people is definitely given the okay in the bible I do think it is a slippery slope to judge people. For example, where is the line between someone making a mistake in life and those mistakes evolving into a characteristic? This is why I think many people try and leave the judging to God because he is aware of all the variables.
First, thank you for your comment. There has been an extreme misuse within the Christian church in the area of judging. Extreme! Often it is over man made rules and ideas of what we should or should not do or questionable matters. Some examples have been dress, alcohol, dancing, movies etc. This is NOT the kind of judging I, or I beleive Jesus was refering to.
DeleteIn my post I was using the idea of judging the church in general terms and ourselves personally as a very necessary ingredient in our lives. IF our lives are going to be a valid witness of Jesus' life and love.
Oh, I wanted to also reply about your idea of unconsciously focusing on our own faults resulting in criticizing others. There may be something to that. I have actually seen that happen in some well known preachers. They preach strongly against a particular sin and it happens to be the one they have a weakness for.
DeleteNow the question would be, does that play out for me in this case. Do I feel as though I am not living my life close enough to Jesus' commands and therefore am looking at others failings in this area.
Well, I'm pretty honest with myself and I know I fall far short of His life, but...no...I have too many friends and relatives that have told me in all honesty how little respect they have for Chrisitans in general. They have also been honest enough with me to tell me personally where my "blind spots" are. And I appreciate them for that...even if it does hurt a little.
Well introspection is tough for anyone and I can't see any harm if you're honestly trying to be better.
ReplyDeleteI have another question for you.
What do you think of the Westboro church that protests at soldiers funerals?
Obviously I don't think that their mind set is the same as mainstream Christians but I can't say I have ever heard Christians come out and say that do not agree with the actions of Westboro church.
Well we should. The only funerals Jesus ever interrupted was to raise those who were dead, to bring joy to those suffering. Not to bring agony and cause grief to those who are already mourning.
DeleteHere is another example of what I'm talking about. The Church seems unable or unwilling to face head on it's own problems, deal with them and move on. Why? Is it really that difficult to care about love, honor and truth? Is it really that difficult to STAND against injustice?