"The Good Life" - Week 26

Week 26 - Matthew 7:1-5

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Matthew 7:1 has to be one of the most relevant passages in all of Scripture for our postmodern world. It's a verse that non-Christians throw in the face of Christians often to point out our failure to follow Scripture.

A few years ago, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons put out a book called UnChristian. In it, they shared their research of the 6 most prevalent assumptions 18-29 year olds hold about Christians. And 1 of those 6 was that Christians are "too judgmental."

And you know what I say, "They were being judgmental for calling us judgmental."

Just kidding. But you can see how judgment has a way of being a tit-for-tat game that never ends.

Is Jesus telling us that we should never pass judgment on anything? Doesn't that contradict plenty of other parts of Scripture? Doesn't that contradict verses in this same passage? Are we just supposed to turn off our brains?

I don't think so. But the passage is difficult.

And if you're anything like me, you have something at stake in how to we interpret this passage. Because I'm pretty good at judging people. I'm really good at it. But is that a gift from God or a sin that destroys relationships? My answer is: Yes!

As you dwell in Matthew 7:1-5, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:

1) What does it mean to judge? What is Jesus condemning?

2) In what way does Jesus promise judgment when we judge others? Is that divine judgment or human judgment?

3) Spend some time dwelling on the humorous image in verses 3-4. How have you been played out this embarrassing drama?

4) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display in 2012) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?