Even though I should have said this yesterday, I'm going to start off today's blog with this thought. The challenge that Jesus gives about loving those who hate you and praying for those who hurt you are definitely not the average characteristics of Americans. But get this, it is supposed to be common for Christ-followers! The more you devote yourself to God and the service of other people, the more you become unlike the average person and the more in common you have with Jesus.
I'm only asking you to read 13 verses today for my birthday. Jenny tells me I have to be done by 6pm (I sense a surprise coming) and it is currently 5:05.
Read Luke 6:37-49 (find it here)
The same thought as above (average vs. common) continues in today's section of Scripture. Isn't it common for people to judge? Sure. I still do it all the time, even though I would prefer not to. But Jesus insists that the more you refrain from judging, the more grace people will give you (which is the same thing as not being judged, in many cases).
Condemn and forgive go hand-in-hand. If you condemn someone, it's almost the opposite of forgiving them. The less you blame people, the more forgiveness you'll receive. The more you forgive, the more likelihood that you'll be forgiven (even if you're in the wrong!).
It is better to give than receive because Jesus promises not only that gifts will return to you but that you'll have to create room to receive all the blessings in return! With the end of verse 39 (the amount you give will determine the amount you get back), Jesus is reflecting back on those who are rich, fat and those who laugh. If a rich person doesn't give, he won't receive riches back from God. If someone doesn't share their food with the hungry, that person will eventually be hungry in return.
And, yes, verse 39 is where the saying "the blind leading the blind" comes from:)
Jesus just spoke on judging but decides to probe the subject further in verses 41 and 42. Two of the greatest things I've ever learned revolved around this: 1.) You can only lead a person as far as you yourself will go (if I'm not serious about my faith, how can I expect those I teach to take theirs seriously?) and 2.) Practice what you preach. Get it? In summary, get yourself together before you decide to fix anyone else OR be honest that you have "a log in your eye" and bond together with someone who has the same "log" for help.
Verses 43 and 44 are very helpful but have the potential to be misused quite often. Even though we should not judge, there is a way to tell the sincerity of someone's faith and the "fruit" of their lifestyle. Jesus said that "good trees can't produce bad fruit" and vice versa. So if a person follows Christ then good fruit should be evident. If someone doesn't follow Christ, you should see different "fruit" from their life. You can tell a lot by a person by what they say because Jesus says, "what you say flows from what is in your heart."
Makes sense, right? I know you could name plenty of people who seemingly have good and bad fruit.
But here's the danger.
You don't squat! You have no way of knowing for sure if someone is truly a follower of Christ or not. Yes, you can make assumptions but as a friend of mine always said, "Assumptions only make an @$$ out of you and me." Thanks, Kate Klein:)
I believe that pretending as if we knew who was "in the Christian club" and who was "going to hell" really, really ticks God off. Who do we think we are? God?! That's just it. The act of judging puts you in the place of God. A place and a mindset that we're never supposed to be in (but we're all guilty of from time to time).
It is great that Jesus ends this talk about judging, condemning and forgiveness with the illustration of a house. When someone follows Jesus' teachings, they are like a person who builds a house on a rock. Someone who constantly judges, condemns and doesn't forgive is like a person who builds a house on sand. Sooner or later all the judging, condemning and bitterness is going to burn bridges, leave you lonely and in a "heap of ruins." So, let me ask you this question in closing. Do you want to be average or be in common with Jesus (and his teachings)?
Questions
1.) Be honest with yourself, how often do you judge others? Do you "people watch" and, in your mind, make assumptions about people by the way they dress or act? If those thoughts were known, how would YOU be treated? Even if no one knows, how do you think God feels (since He even knows your secret thoughts)?
2.) Have you ever met a person and immediately thought you had them figured out only to find out that they were a much more delightful person than you first thought? Has the opposite been true, where someone looks all together on the outside but is a wreck on the inside?
3.) I hope it makes sense that judging is basically pretending to be God (knowing what people are like just by looking at them). How can you stop yourself from assuming that certain people are angelic and others are hellions? God being upset aside, how can those assumptions hurt you or others?
By the way, it's now 6:20 and Jenny has been waiting:)
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