Title: 20/20 VISION

Focus: We are to see ourselves in light of God’s dealings with us. Therefore, Jesus calls us to avoid a judgmental, condemnatory spirit in relationships with people around us.

Function: To encourage the people to grow in God’s grace by being gracious to others.

Text: Luke 6:36-42

Jeremy’s father is always down on Jeremy—so it seems. Jeremy is 12 years old and he feels as if he can never please his Dad enough. No matter what task Jeremy takes on, his father has some critical comment that dampens Jeremy’s enthusiasm and spirit. It’s no wonder then that Jeremy is an unhappy kid and can’t get along well with his Dad.

There are many Jeremies and parents like Jeremy’s Dad. Perhaps you have met them too, or perhaps you see a little bit of yourself in them. I do. So, I was intrigued when I learned that the Cadets have been focusing on the Bible’s teaching found in Luke 6:36-42. And the more I began reflecting on Jesus’ words in that passage, the more I realized the power and the truth of Jesus’ teaching.

For example, early on in my ministry as a pastor , I discovered a truth (which I try to apply every day): If I want to get the best out of my congregation, I must avoid a critical, judgmental spirit. I must learn to encourage, praise, and commend people in a loving, truthful manner. That same truth applies to me and the children God gave Rosanne and me.

And here’s the converse of that truth: If you want the best out of your pastor, you need to avoid a critical, condemnatory spirit of judgment. Encouragement, truth spoken in love, and gentle admonition are far more effective and wholesome than raw opinions or insensitive comments. That’s true for you and me; it’s also true for our children and grandchildren.

Here’s what I learn from the gospel of Luke today: All of us flourish as individuals, when we see ourselves in light of God’s dealings with us. Thus Jesus calls us to avoid a judgmental spirit in relationships with people around us.

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As we encounter the Lord’s teachings today, let’s first consider the setting, and then its movement or flow of thought. The Lord Jesus is in the company of a large crowd. That crowd consists of his disciples and “a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon”(Lk.6:17-19). Many of Jesus’ listeners are curious about Jesus; they want to hear his teachings; others have come to see him and find healing from diseases and evil spirits. In his interaction with the crowd, the Lord Jesus has now taken some time out to address them, in particular his own disciples. Here we see Jesus as our master teacher. Such is the setting.

As we listen to Jesus’ teaching, we now observe the flow or movement or thought in the text: It begins with an “umbrella statement”: (vs. 36) “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” I call this an “umbrella statement” because that statement—like an umbrella—hangs over the rest of the passage. It’s a statement that functions as a foundation for the rest of Jesus’ teaching in this passage.

The next two verses (37,38) confront us with the issue that Jesus wants to focus on: Jesus states that issue very briefly—negatively and positively: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.” (Positively) “Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure…will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” That’s the issue at hand.

Jesus then applies his teaching about judging and condemning by way of a parable or two rhetorical questions, followed with a wisdom saying: (vs.39-40) “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teaching, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Then Jesus, like a master teacher, looks us in the eyes and forces us to look inside of ourselves (v.41-42) “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?”

And to make sure that we get Jesus’ point, he pierces our souls saying “You hypocrite.” And then he applies his medicine to us saying, “First take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Such is the setting, and the flow of thought or teaching in this passage.

Now we must consider the issue: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.” Let’s be clear on this: Jesus does NOT teach here that we put our brains in neutral, or that Christians should never use their analytical skills or powers of observations. Jesus is NOT saying that we may not draw conclusions about other people’s words or actions.

On the contrary, Scripture teaches Christians to discern right from wrong. The 10 commandments are our guide in such matters; and so is the Holy Spirit bringing to mind the entire Scripture’s teaching. There are virtues and vices. There is conduct that qualifies as bad fruit (uncontrolled anger and rage, and immorality) and there is good fruit (such as love, patience, and kindness). There is biblical teaching, and there is heretical teaching. Surely, Jesus does not mean that we avoid using our brains and our capacity to draw conclusions.

On the contrary, Jesus warns us against being judgmental in spirit. He warns against a spirit of condemnation, and of putting people in their place. Jesus warns against a self-righteous spirit, where we project a feeling of superiority, a feeling that we are all right while others are not; Jesus warns against a tendency to despise, or put down, or marginalize others. He warns against a tendency to be hypercritical, to be critical for its own sake, expecting to find faults with others—and enjoying it in the process. The hypercritical spirit of condemnation wounds, and hurts and disables people—it’s a loveless, paralyzing, kill-joy spirit.

Fed by prejudice, shaped by thoughtless opinions, and flimsy feelings, fueled by ignorance of facts, circumstances, or motives, the spirit of condemnation does much damage in relationships. Jesus warns us against being judgmental and hypercritical and condemnatory in spirit: “Do not judge—do not condemn. Forgive—and give.” Why? We must see ourselves in light of God’s dealings with us. We need 20/20 vision—to see ourselves in the light of God; and then to see our neighbors in a similar light.

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We know the issue; now let’s consider Jesus’ remedy to overcome a spirit of judgmentalism and condemnation. Jesus says: “…first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eyes.” In other words, Jesus is saying that we must first obtain clear eyesight or vision ourselves before we can begin to help others to see clearly themselves.

A judgmental person may think that others will benefit from his superior wisdom. But the blind cannot lead the blind. Both will fall into a pit. A judgmental person is like an eye doctor who can’t see a stitch himself. Would such an eye doctor qualify being your eye doctor? Would you go to him or her while it’s clear that a blind eye doctor cannot fix your eye problem? When an eye doctor, however, has 20/20 vision he or she may be of great benefit to you or me as a patient. So what is Jesus teaching us to do so that we avoid nurturing or living with a judgmental spirit?

#1. Jesus tells us to see ourselves in light of how God sees us. Remember that “umbrella statement”? “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Remember these positives? “Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you.” Mercy, forgiveness and grace—these virtues make up the medicine that will cure us from a judgmental spirit. That’s the medicine that lead to us removing the plank out of our own eyes.

Let me explain. Although all people are sinners and deserve to die (for the wages of sin is death), God in Christ, sees us as forgiven sinners. Through faith in Christ, and through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and because of Christ’s victory over death, all God’s people are no longer “under condemnation.” In Christ, God views us as forgiven; his mercy is such that he adopts us as his children. He sees us in a new light. We who follow Christ must see ourselves and others in that same light.

Yes, no one is perfect. All have flaws; all have sinned; all stand in need of mercy and forgiveness. And since God is merciful toward us, so we are to be merciful to others, especially toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

God showers us with his grace; he gives us his benefits or favors; we must practice to give grace or to be gracious to people around us. God forgives us through Christ—time and time again; we must develop a spirit of grace and forgiveness that helps people to overcome their shortcomings and sins.

When we see ourselves in the light of Christ’s work and in the way God views us today, we begin to remove the plank in our own eyes—for then we realize that we are just as frail and sinful and imperfect and full of flaws as anyone else we may encounter. The more we contemplate and ponder God’s way with us in Christ, the more deeply we come to appreciate how graciously God deals with us. That appreciation and self-awareness will help us to relate to people around us without a judgmental spirit.

Think back about Jeremy and his father. The one is judgmental in spirit; the other is unhappy and squashed in spirit.

Let me encourage all of you—parents and children alike:

Parents, assert your parental authority. Be wise and insist that your children listen to you and learn to obey you. When you see your child do something wrong and harmful to himself or to others, don’t be a fool and close your eyes. Rather, assert your authority. But do so, seeing yourself in light of God’s mercy and forgiveness and grace. Then deal with your son or daughter in the same way.

When you discipline, do so in love; when you criticize and reject certain behavior or conduct, do so firmly, but in a spirit of forgiveness and grace. When you mete out punishment (and there are times we must), do so in a way that communicates that you are on the side of your child. Always ask yourself: how can I build up my children? And acknowledge to yourself that there may be moments when you should say to your child “I’m sorry; I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”

And children, let me encourage you too: Yes, it’s true. Sometimes your parents miss the boat and get it wrong. Learn to forgive them and try to keep the lines of communication open. Respect the rules of your home; respect the rhythms of discipline and faith in your home.

Your time at home under your parents’ care and disciplined love, is God’s gift to you. Yes, there will be times of testing and making mistakes—sometimes foolish mistakes. These are part of growing up into mature young adults. You’ll get there.

But remember, your parents have more wisdom or life experience then you do. They see at times more clearly than you do what is helpful and what is best for you. Therefore, honor your parents and listen to them and work with them to become what God intends you to be and become—men and women who love the Lord and serve him with all their hearts. Grow in grace by being gracious to others. See yourselves in light of God’s dealings with us.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.