Title Against Criticism/Matthew 7:1-5
Content We all want to be praised. None of us like to be criticized. We prefer to be praised rather than criticized. Unfortunately, however, we receive more criticism than praise. Why? It is because I am stingy in praising others and prefer to criticize myself. So, how can we overcome this misfortune? How can I live a life of praise and not of criticism?
The answer to this question is right there in verse 1. Jesus said in verse 1.
[Judge not, lest you be judged]
The principle is very simple. If I don't want to be criticized, I just have to not criticize others. However, it is very difficult to keep this simple principle. The principle is simple, but when you try to keep it, it doesn't work. In reality, we find ourselves criticizing others more often than we praising others in our lives. Why? Why do you try to exalt others by beating them down? Knowing that the more we praise others, the higher we are, and the more we criticize others, the lower we are, so why are we stingy with praise and eager to criticize? That's because [self-discovery] is not possible. So Jesus said in verses 3-5.
[3) Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye and not the log that is in your own eye? 4) Behold, there is a log in your eye, why do you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye? ]
Two words are contrasted here. One is the word [tee] and the other is the word [beam]. The Greek word for [tee] is [mardos] ( ). It does not mean [dust] or [dust]. It means [small, dry stem]. Therefore, [T] means the smallest and thinnest stick that exists in this world. And the Greek word for [beam] is [dokos]( ). This word means [a large strut or girder]. Therefore, [beam] means the largest and thickest stick that exists in this world.
That's nonsense. I can't stand the stinging of my eyes even if only dust gets in, so how can a beam that are thousands or tens of thousands of times bigger than snow get into the snow? Clearly, the Jews are a hyperbolic people. Therefore, we must not understand this word literally, but understand its hidden meaning. This word has three meanings.
1. It means [don't get too excited about revealing the other person's small flaws]. There are three reasons for this.
1) Because we don't fully know the other person. Rabbi Hillel said, [Don't judge a person until you are in his or her circumstances or position]. We do not know the full character of another person. And then we judge only a part of him.
Among the gems is a crystal called Labradorite. These gems look faint and matte at first glance. However, if you spin this gem here and there and come to a certain spot and the angle of the beam is just right, it shows off a really wonderful brilliance.
This is also true of humans. Some people may not look adorable at all. But it is because he does not know the whole of his humanity. Everyone has something in them. Our job is not to criticize only by looking at external flaws, but to find the beautiful side that lies within. That's what we want others to do for us, and it's also what we should do for others. Discovering the attractiveness of others and praising them is what we Christians are supposed to do.
2) Because no one can be thoroughly fair in judgment. We often respond sensory or instinctively. Our judgments are often simply emotional, illogical, and improvised.
In Greece, it is said that when a serious and difficult trial was to be held, it was held in a dark place. So neither the judge nor the defendant could see each other at all. This allowed judges to hear only the case itself, unaffected by anything. However, even if this is done, fairness cannot be fully realized. No matter how much we try to be fair, as long as our humanity itself is imperfect, we are bound to be biased towards one another.
Once upon a time there was a judge in Persia. He often took bribes to pervert judgments. Eventually, this fact was also known to the Persian king Cambysses. The king ordered him to be put to death. Then he skinned the corpse and put it on the judge's chair. This was a warning that the trial would never again be stained with prejudice.
Only those who are completely fair have the right to judge. However, human nature cannot be completely fair. Therefore, only a just God can judge us. Therefore, we must leave the judgment of others to God.
3) This is because the dagger that is stabbed at the other person comes back to me and pierces me. In verse 2 Jesus said:
[With the judgment with which you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you.]
The knife prepared to stab the opponent eventually returns to itself.
2. [Your own faults are greater]. Here, I see my faults and the faults of others as the difference between [Te] and [Beam]. This is the difference between [small and thin stems] and [large and thick beams]. Therefore, those who point out and criticize the faults of others are not finding themselves more shameful. And the difference is like the difference between a little straw and a big tree pole.
People don't realize the big beam in their own eye and try to get the little speck out of someone else's eye. He who judges others is qualified to judge only when he is in a position far superior to that person. However, it is often the case that people who cannot even be criticized criticize others.
We watch a soccer game and say [Hey, are you calling it soccer? There are times when I say, "I'd rather have tea than you. But when such a critic goes down to the playground, he must be much worse off than the athlete. When criticizing, it seems that you can do everything, but in reality, you are often far worse than the person being criticized.
In this way, there are many people in the world who are very passionate about criticism, but are not even the object of criticism. Moreover, there is no one in this world who is good enough to criticize others. We are too busy and short on time to fix our own shortcomings. But how foolish would it be to try to find out the faults of others and try to fix them? Rather than trying to fix the faults of others, we should put our whole mind into fixing our own faults first. And it is necessary to leave the faults of others to Almighty God.
3. Third, [Know thyself]. Early Greek poets found that self-discovery was the most difficult task. So, Pausanias, in his book, The Grecian Oiling Machine, records that the proverb [Know thyself] was written in a Greek temple along with the seven men. In Plato's book, The Apology of Socrates, Socrates left a famous saying [Know thyself]. But these words are not his pure creation. This was a well-known proverb at the time written in Greek temples. He is merely quoting the maxims of his time.
『The Story of Thales』, written together by Diogenes and Raelthios, is an article about the biography of ancient Greek philosophers. Here you will find the following questions and answers.
Question: What is the most difficult task? Answer: Knowing myself.
Question: What is the easiest thing to do? Answer: It is about giving advice to others.
Thus, [knowing yourself] is the most difficult thing in the world. This is exactly what Jesus is asking us to do. Then why is Jesus asking us to do such hard work? Because it's the most difficult but the most important thing. What, then, is [knowing myself] so important? When a person always looks in the mirror of God, he can know his true self. When we come to God like the bright sun, what do we find? I will discover my dirty sins. If I have not found any sin even though I have come before God, it means that I have not yet met God.
[5) Hope puts shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. 6) While we were still in our weakness, as promised, Christ died for the ungodly 7) The righteous 8) God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more, having been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath through him. you will get]
Paul describes us in three ways. [while we were still weak] (v. 6), [while we were yet sinners] (v. 8), [while we were enemies] (v. 10). When we were not yet godly, we were still in our sins, and we were still enemies with God, God sent Jesus Christ to the earth to save us. As Christians, [recognizing ourselves] before God is to discover [the love of God, who saved us through Jesus Christ, while we were ungodly, still in our sins, and still enmity with God]. will be In other words, [Christian self-discovery] is to discover [my sin and God's love].
Therefore, we Christians can never criticize, downplay, or slander others. Because while I was still a sinner to die, God raised me up. We Christians have a noble duty. You must have the heart to forgive even those who have not yet confessed their wrongs to me. Some of us may think that it is okay to criticize someone who has committed an obvious wrong. But it is an act of forsaking God's true love. God forgave us when we were still sinners, not the righteous. Therefore, we too should be able to forgive our brother when he is still a sinner against us.
The [Lord's Prayer] we always memorize in Matthew 6:12 testifies like this. [Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us] According to this scripture, we can be forgiven as much as we forgive our brothers. We can be loved as much as we loved our brothers.
Beloved, who do you think I am? Do you feel you are worthy of criticizing, slandering, and belittling others? Or do you think that while still a sinner, you were saved by God's overflowing love? Who do you think [I am]? Beloved, I pray that you will experience your sins and God's love more and more deeply and become faithful Christians who live a life of loving and praising others rather than judging them.