MIHRAN KULHANJIAN'S

THE 5 MINUTE LESSON

The Mote and Beam

[Luke 6:37-43]

Introduction

Lesson:  Do not presume to judge others, rather judge yourself first.  The parable is called "The Mote and the Beam." A "mote" is a small piece of wood, like a speck of sawdust.  A "beam" is a large piece of wood, a large plank. This parable "Judgment of Others" is first expressed by Jesus in Matthew 7:1-3:

“Judge^[ not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"

Remove the large beam out of your eye so you can see [judge righteously] before you judge or criticize others. It is by the same measure that you judge, condemn and give, that will be returned to you in same measure. 

We give expecting nothing in return. Our motive for giving must be a righteous motive--a motive of love.  The Lord promises if we forgive, we will be forgiven. If we give, He will give back to us.  Whether we give financially, spiritually, or emotionally, the promise is that we will receive back what we give and by the same measure that we give. If we give little, we will receive little. If we give abundantly we will receive abundantly.  If we give money, we will receive money. If we give love, we will receive love. If we give service, we will receive service.  If we give property, we will receive property.

Jesus does not say one cannot judge.  In verse 39 Jesus is saying, do not follow the blind, the ignorant unbeliever, the self-righteous for you will follow them right to hell.  Be perfectly trained in Christ and be like your teacher.  A good tree does not bear bad fruit.  You will be known by your character. Bad fruit does not come from a good tree. Prune your character in the character of Jesus, as you would prune a good fruit tree to produce good fruit year after year.  You will be known by the fruit you bear.

Occasion: Jesus was reproving the Pharisees. He exposed them as hypocrites.

Memory Verse:  Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

□ Check box when verse is memorized

Practical Steps:

A Christian can and should judge others, but the judgment must to righteous and not hypocritical.  Before we judge others, let's first judge ourselves. Every true follower of Jesus Christ is a disciple of Truth:  The Truth has been revealed. 

Who do you need to forgive? Have you let bitterness and resentment remain in your life?  Forgiveness is a choice, as love is a choice. Choose to forgive all now if you have not already.  When Jesus was on the cross he said to the people who were murdering him:  "“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” (Luke 23:34).  Someone who harms another (intentionally or not) really does not know what they are doing to the person being harmed.  This can be hard to understand, for we all have free will, to do the will or God or to do evil.  We do not have to understand to accept and forgive—we truth Jesus and obey the living God.

Begin now:

1. Trust Jesus: If you judge, judge according to the will of God. Make righteous judgment.

2. Avoid hypocritical judgment. Correct yourself first before you judge.

3. Calm your mind and hear the Lord as to where you should give, how you should give and by what measure you should give. Do what the Spirit tells you do to.

4. Prune yourself so you produce good fruit. Examine yourself.

5. Go somewhere quiet, where there are no distractions. Focus (without interruptions) on the Word of God for an hour or two. What is He saying--what is He telling you to do? Do what He says.

To Judge or Not to Judge.  Is This The Question?

Have you heard this from people who profess to be Christians?  “Do not judge others.”  But where is this said in the Bible and does Jesus really say not to judge others?  For Christians who do not know the Word of God, this might shock you, but it is perfectly okay to judge, but there are conditions explained in the Bible as to who can judge and how to judge. Now let’s take a look at Scripture.

First, the most popular (the Scripture we have examined in this lesson), “don’t judge” Scripture among professing Christians is in Matthew 7:1: “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?”  This clearly says if you judge expect to get judged by the same measure. Do not be a hypocrite.  Hypocritical judgment is a sin.  What is hypocritical judgment?  If one is preaching to a drunkard about sobriety, yet is himself a drunkard, this is hypocritical judgment.  But it does not say flatly, “Do not judge.”  Jesus said "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16, 20).  Dr. James McGinley put it this way, “I am no judge, but I am a fruit inspector.”  “And we can tell when a Christian is producing fruit.” (J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, pg.40 Vol. IV). Remove the plank out of your own eye, that is, examine yourself first and correct yourself that you are not judging hypnotically or being harsh absent of facts or motive.

Second, in 1 Corinthians 2:15 the scripture says “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.” A believer, a true child of God judges all things because of his correct discernment and knowledge of the Scriptures, he has spiritual discernment and he understands--he sees the truth. Nonbelievers (natural man) and false Christians cannot judge righteously because they do not have spiritual discernment or knowledge. Furthermore, unbelievers are deceived and believe the spiritual man is spouting foolishness.  The natural man is blinded of truth while the spiritual man speaks truth. The Holy Spirit is filled in the spiritual man.  A man of God, listens and obeys the Holy Spirit. So, a true believer can judge all things because he has spiritual discernment.

Third, in John 7:24 Jesus says “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”  This says it is okay to judge, just make righteous judgment.  The Scripture before this had to do with being circumcised on the Sabbath, eight days after the baby’s birth.  Holding to the law that the circumcision could not be held on the Sabbath is superficial.  Also, judging on appearance could also mean physical appearance, such as dress, skin color or ethnicity.  Judge righteous judgment not by appearance.  Again, it is perfectly okay to judge others with righteous judgment.

Fourth, we know in 1 Corinthians 6:2 that the righteous will judge the world:  “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?  And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?   Yes, we [saints] have permission to judge.

Fifth, “I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30).  And this is how we should judge. We should judge not from our own will but the will of our Father.  Set your judgment as righteous judgment according to Scripture.  Be certain you know the Word of God before you carryout God’s will.

Sixth, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?  (1 Corinthians 6:3).  In this life we are lower than the angels, but in our new life we are set higher than the angles and we will judge them. God has planned this all out for His children. Although, this Scripture does not confirm judging on this earth, it does tell us that we will be elevated above the angels and that we will judge them.  This shows the power God is giving us and that the righteous have the power, given by God, to judge. 

Seventh, in Leviticus 19:15 it says: “You shall do no injustice in judgment.  You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty.  In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”  Sadly, this Scripture, from the Moral and Ceremonial Laws of the Israelite's, is contrary to what is happening in government today where there is partiality to the poor (welfare, entitlement programs, etc.) and honors for the mighty (exceedingly wealthy, politicians and government appointees).  We must, as God commands, judge righteously, not hypocritically. 

A righteous Christian should judge and judge frequently when he sees wicked behavior contrary to God’s will. Most Christians do not judge, because they have come to believe “just don’t judge.”  But if you have examined yourself, and you are not hypocritical, and you are offering righteous judgment according to Scripture, there in nothing wrong with judging.  In fact, you really are not judging, you are simply stating, or rather, proving Scripture and God’s laws and commands.  A righteous believer should correct all Christians who are following a lukewarm path.  And all Christians should herald their voices to the wicked as messengers of God to share the Gospel [Good News], the truth of Jesus Christ.  It is out of love that we correct all who are on the wrong path; and this means professing Christians who have been deceived or those lacking knowledge and spiritual discernment.

Questions

1. Where does it say I must not judge ever?____________________________________________________________

2. Is it a sin to judge? __________________________________________________________________

3. Jesus said to judge not with what kind of judgment?_________________________________________________________

4. When you judge, condemn, forgive and give by what measure will it be measured back to you?

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5. Who will be like his teacher? Luke 6:40

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6. How will you see clearly? Luke 6:42

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Answers for The Mote and Beam

1. Nowhere.

2. It is not a sin to judge righteously. It is sinful to judge hypocritically.

3. Hypocritical.

4. Same measure.

5. The one who is perfectly trained.

6. Remove the plank from your own eye. This means kill your own sin first before you put judgment on others for the same sin. 

            Note:  Be holy and walk with God. You are now in a position to judge righteously when   you walk with God in obedience.

Many professing Christians and non-Christians believe people should "judge not."  This statement is taken out of context. As we learn in this verse, we will be judged by the same measure as we judge, as we forgive, condemn and give.  When we tell others the truth about sin, we really are not judging, we are sharing  the Word of God, and while witnessing, the gospel, and the truth about sin and its evils. Let's make sure our motives are right, with a pure heart and mature love. Let us do all things in love, fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments.

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I completed The Mote and the Beam on: ____________Signature:  __________________________