Sermon on the Mount - Part 19

 Today I want to look at verses 1-6 of chapter 7, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message.

Matthew 7:1-6

(1)“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.  (3)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?  (4)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?  (5)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.
 (6)“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

As I have stated before, I believe the context of the message that Jesus is giving to be that of restoring our relationship with God by getting back to what it was meant to be rather than what men have made it out to be. On of the common tactics we use when there is something wrong is to point the finger at others rather than deal with our own issues, You can take this idea all the way beck to the fall in the Garden of Eden, when Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)And the woman's reply also exemplifies this tactic, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:13)  So either they don't accept the blame for their actions, or they think that blaming someone else will mitigate their deed. How did that work for you, Adam and Eve?

Real relationship begins and ends with the parties involved in the relationship. Does it erase or mitigate one spouse having an affair if they blame the person they cheated with? "But they knew I was married!" And you didn't? Not buying it.

So don't sit in judgment of others, for when you do you are focusing on their behavior instead of your own, and that is not how a healthy relationship functions. Jesus continues, and as usual takes it farther. If you want to use that measure to judge others, know that the same measure will be used to measure and judge you. Who will measure us this way? Some would say God, and they may be right. But I believe the reference is to others. If Adam can blame Eve for his behavior, think of what Eve will say in response. Will she not defend herself by blaming Adam? Maybe if he didn't spend so much time naming the animals and showed me more attention! So now, I am not only guilty for my own choices, but for the choices I have led others to make, and that is a burden that no one could carry. 

He concludes with these words in verse 6,  “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."  What does this mean? I surmise that what is holy is our relationship with God. But that gets trampled when we don't treat it as holy, when we judge others or use their behavior to justify our actions. 

In a sense, the problem with the fall was not just that Adam and Eve disobeyed God, but in doing so, they altered the relationship they had with God. A huge part of this was their seeking to justify their behavior by using the actions of others. True relationship requires honesty, and they had lost that, they had trampled that relationship under their feet.    

Edited 2/11/2022