JESUS SPEAKING
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye” (Mathew 7: 1-3.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Of all the sins one can possibly commit, hypocrisy is often the most offensive; Jesus embraced repenting murderers, rapists, and prostitutes; yet he openly loathed unrepentant religious hypocrites. Hypocrisy occurs when an individual judges or evaluates another based upon standards they themselves are incapable of achieving. Practicing hypocrisy is dangerous, because God judges his followers based upon the same principles they use to judge others. If we outwardly condemn adulterers, yet secretly commit adultery, we are condemning ourselves. Jesus warned his disciples that such unrighteous judgments served only to separate them from God. Before we judge anyone, we must make absolutely certain that we have been victorious over the sins that have caused others to fail.
Surprisingly, the first attempted extermination of the Jewish people did not occur within the boundaries of 20th century Nazi Germany. Nor was Adolf Hitler the first man to attempt such a hideous undertaking. In fact, nearly 2400 years earlier a man named Haman made efforts to execute every Jew living within the Persian Empire. He hated the Hebrews and believed they were troublemakers who deserved to die. Haman was a high ranking official in the court of Artexerxes the 2nd (King of the Persia.) He convinced the King to exterminate the Jews; which would have included Haman’s mortal Hebrew enemy, Mordicai (another high ranking official who showed distain for Haman.) Mordicai had graciously adopted his orphan cousin Esther, who grew in to one of the most beautiful women in all of Persia; the king became enamored with Esther and married her, not knowing that she was a Jew. As the day approached for the extermination, Haman joyfully built a scaffold fifty feet tall near his home, from which he planned to hang Mordicai. Just before the mass murder was to be carried out, Esther came forward and revealed to the king that she was in fact a Jew. She begged him to end the genocidal plan. The king compassionately agreed and her people were spared. The king was also made aware of Haman’s treachery. In a cruel twist of fate, the king ordered Haman to be hung from the very gallows he himself had constructed to kill Mordicai. The judgment he had so eagerly reserved for others, had been visited upon him and his entire household.
Many, like Haman build scaffolds to hang others from. Such people are often hypocrites who rightly incur the wrath of God; they are condemned by the very judgments they use to condemn others. We must examine ourselves daily; and we must ask God to search our hearts and minds; if we find that the sins of others produce in us anger and resentment, then we must ask the question, “Am I guilty of any similar sins?” If the answer is yes, then we need to change; we need abandon hypocrisy and embrace a right relationship with God. [Note: As Christians we are given guidelines for living; standards by which every believer is commanded to live (as outlined in the bible.) Often, it becomes necessary to evaluate others in order to reach them. For example, a woman practicing prostitution is unsaved; we are told that no one who practices such activities can be saved. When we approach someone who is living in sin, it is not wrong to automatically assume, or judge that they are unsaved by their behaviors and actions. In such ways, judgment serves God’s purposes for evangelism.]
“Lord Heavenly Father, we recognize that we are unworthy servants; that we are sinners who do not deserve Your forgiveness; yet we thank You that we have received it. Search our hearts; if You find hypocrisy, please reveal it to us; correct us if we have been judging others unjustly. Take away our sinful resentments, that we may more effectively reach those who are lost; and please continue to fill our hearts with gratitude, sincerity, and humility. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 