The objective of this lesson: to consider the importance of a righteous person evaluating himself/herself prior to examining someone else's life.
It is a powerful temptation to become a "judge" rather than a "helper" when we learn something that makes us "more correct" in our perspective on human behavior. When a Christian becomes "more correct" in his/her perspective or actions, it is easy for him/her to sit in judgment of all those who are "less correct" in their convictions or behaviors. The temptation to control by confrontation [becoming a judge] rather than by sharing [becoming one who helps] can become overwhelming. It becomes easy to think we are pursuing God's will if we condemn. It becomes easy to think that we are "enabling" or "condoning" if we seek to share. If we are not careful, we trade places with God, and justify our acts of judging!
It is very easy for godly people to become judges rather than helpers when they learn and grow. It is good to want others to grow. It is evil to think "my understanding/knowledge restricts God's grace/mercy in your life." Jesus instructed his disciples to help others, not to judge others.
Put the situation in perspective by considering this truth: God is perfectly pure. We are not and never will be pure in this physical context. That means God knows every flaw that exists in us and everyone else before and after faith in Jesus Christ, before and after understanding God's acts in Jesus' cross and resurrection, before and after initial repentance, and before and after baptism into Christ. Though the perfectly holy and pure God is aware of all our flaws even after our baptism into Christ, He still tolerates us, forgives us, shows us compassion and mercy, and recognizes us as His children. Even the most devout believer in and student of Jesus and scripture can only hope to become increasingly correct. As age advances, we become increasingly aware of how imperfect we are. Spiritual maturing always results in spiritual adjustments that lead us closer to God's heart, thoughts, and intents.
God's treatment of us should powerfully influence our treatment of others.
The relevant consideration is this: if God can treat us in this manner with all our flaws, why can we not treat others in Christ in the same manner? Why must we feel compelled to adopt God's role? Why do we conclude that serving is condoning? Why do we think God cannot "take care of Himself?" The key is found in helping [serving] rather than judging. Christians always begin by looking at themselves.
Among those who are in Christ, self-examination must always precede criticism offered. Always remember Galatians 6:1-5.
The context of today's scripture is Jesus' challenge to his disciples to let God's character determine their treatment of those who oppose them: love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you; give generously to those who would hurt you; be a threat to no one. Why? God loves those who do not love Him. God gives to those who oppose Him. God is merciful to His enemies. God is kind to the ungrateful. The issue is not, "How would they treat me?" The issue is, "How can I appropriately represent God in my attitude and actions?"
God's character determines our character. We are compassionate, merciful, and grace filled in our actions--not because it comes "natural" to us, but because it is the nature and character of God. We want to be God's children! We seek to be like our Father!
Jesus gave a series of illustrations they would quickly recognize as "the way things are." (a) People who cannot see do not serve as guides for people who cannot see. [They both will fall into the unexpected.] (b) Pupils [disciples] are not more informed than their teacher [that is why they are pupils]. (c) People with a log in their eye do not seek to remove a speck from a bother's eye [he who removes specks needs to see what he is doing]. (d) Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit [at that time they judged the desirability of a tree by its fruit]. (e) The fruit you expect a plant to produce depends on the kind of plant it is [one is not upset with a plant because it does not produce the fruit of a different plant]. (e) Only a man with a good heart can produce what is good [bad hearts do not produce unselfish acts]. Please remember that this was long before our modern world. Jesus was stating the obvious in the context of their world.
Stress that these would be very obvious illustrations that would not require some special insight ["no-brainers"] in the Jewish society in Palestine 2000 years ago.
A theme is obvious in Jesus' illustrations: If you are to be a helper [servant] of others, you first must look at yourself. If you are blind, you cannot be a guide of the blind. If Jesus is your teacher, do not presume to understand God better than he does. If you dare to address small flaws in others, do not ignore large flaws in yourself. If you expect to produce good fruit, be a good tree. Do not seek to produce fruit inconsistent with who and what you are. Make it your goal to have a good heart so you can produce good.
If others are to be helped by us, they must see that we give conscious attention to our own lives before we address their needs. If we do not give attention to our own flaws and needs first, people (a) either dread to see us coming ["Here comes that critical person"] or (b) ridicule us ["Here comes that hypocrite"].
Have an abundance of good within yourself so you can share the good within you with others. What is the source of the good within a person? God!
It is impossible to share the good and godly with others unless that goodness and godliness exist in you.
The point was [is] that Jesus perfectly represents God. If they were to know good [or if we are to know good], Jesus will be allowed to teach. The superior [the teacher] would instruct the inferior [the disciples]. Without Jesus they would not know God's character, and their ignorance of God could not produce good. Good is not the product of human thought, but the product of divine revelation.
Without Jesus, we would be hard pressed to understand God's character. Jesus was human--we can relate to that! He shows us and illustrates to us how flesh and blood practices what would otherwise just be mystical principles to us. In no way did he misrepresent God.
In the teacher-disciple relationship which produced divine good, it was never a matter of deceiving the teacher or being "politically connected." To attempt to gain a personal advantage by calling Jesus Lord was meaningless. Jesus was beyond flattery! The only reason for calling Jesus Lord was allowing Jesus to be Lord. Only if one took his instructions to heart was the title of Lord meaningful. It was [is] not just a matter of coming to him, or listening to what he says that makes a person appreciated and valued. It is combining those two things with actions that redirect the person's life.
Jesus cannot be deceived. He, as God the Father, is beyond flattery. He has no false pride! He has neither arrogance nor feelings of inferiority. He knows hearts which means he knows inner motives. He is beyond human manipulation. Consider Galatians 6:7, 8. Jesus is the way to the Father. We could not find our way to God without him!
It is the person who changes his/her life that is like the house that withstands assaults because it is founded on a rock. Please note that the same floods and torrents came against both houses--the one founded on a rock and the one without foundation. One was not swept away by the force of the water; one was washed away. In his illustration, the difference was not in the coming to hear him and then staying to listen. The difference was in allowing Jesus' words to change the person inwardly so he/she acted differently outwardly. Knowledge of itself will not change a person. Knowledge applied to life provides an enduring foundation during life's trials.
Belonging to Jesus will not prevent trials in this life. Belonging to Jesus means the person can endure trials in this life. He/she endures, not because he/she is the source of his/her strength, but because Jesus is the source of his/her strength.
Be assured every life will confront trials. In Jesus' illustration, physical forces in existence will seek to overwhelm and destroy us. Only allowing Jesus' instructions to be the core of life will prevent physical existence from overwhelming and destroying us.
The key to survival is allowing Jesus to teach us how to deal with life. We do not live for the physical, but for the eternal.
For Thought and Discussion
It is the temptation to be a judge rather than a helper.
The temptation is to control through confrontation rather than seeking to share.
The truth to be considered: the way God treats us in His full knowledge of our flaws prior to and after conversion.
He/she can only hope to become increasingly correct.
The challenge: let God's character determine the way we treat those who oppose us.
The illustrations were common examples of "the way things are."
If you help others, you must first look at yourself.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 8