Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. [Matthew 7:1-2 (ESV]
In a classic Peanuts comic (drawn by Charles Schulz), the meek Linus asked his bossy big sister Lucy, “Why are you always so anxious to criticize me?” She answered, “I just think I have a knack for seeing other peoples’ faults.” When Linus queried, “What about your own faults?” Lucy replied, “I have a knack for overlooking them.” Along with her over-sized ego, Lucy has what psychologists call “fundamental attribution error.”
Fundamental attribution error is the tendency people have of attributing other people’s actions to their character flaws while ignoring any impact the situation might have on their behavior. Rather than considering how circumstances can affect a person’s actions, we tend to think people do bad, rude, thoughtless, or foolish things simply because they’re bad, rude, thoughtless, or foolish people. On the other hand, although we attribute other people’s faulty behavior to shortcomings in their character, we typically attribute our failings to the challenges of our situation.
It’s not just Lucy who makes this error! When someone cuts us off, forgets something, or has a fit of pique, they’re a jerk, inconsiderate, or unpleasant but, when we do the same things, we excuse or defend our behavior because we were rushed, over-committed, or under stress! Flawed beings that we are, even the best of us manage to screw up now and then—let’s show some grace when others do! “Stop having a measuring rod for other people,” said Oswald Chambers before adding, “There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing.”
When Jesus referred to measuring people, He was borrowing from a Jewish proverb usually applied to the markets: “It is measured to one according to the measure by which one measures.” In Jesus’ day, a Roman inspector of measurement and weights (an agoranomos) would be stationed in the marketplace. His measuring table and scale weights were used to calibrate vessels and balances to a standard measure. Rather than an agoranomos keeping watch on the fairness of our weights and measures, we have God. If we measure ourselves in yards, we can’t measure others in fractions of an inch and, if we round up when appraising ourselves, we can’t round down when appraising others! If we use a short measure or light weight when judging others, God will use that same short measure or balance when judging us! The standard we use for others is the standard God will use for us and I suspect the way we extend grace to others may affect the amount of grace He extends to us, as well.
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Deal with the faults of others as gently as your own.” Rather than dealing with our faults, however, like Linus’ big sister Lucy, we have an uncanny knack for overlooking them completely. Jesus, however, tells us to deal with our own faults before we begin to deal with anyone else’s. Let us remember that the first principle of judgment is to start with the logs in our eyes before concerning ourselves with anyone else’s specks!
It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. You can‘t clear your own fields while you’re counting the rocks on your neighbor’s farm. [Cicero]
Since we both attended liturgical churches as girls, my friend and I were trying to recall the terms for the various parts of a traditional church building. We knew the foyer is called the narthex and the congregation sits the church’s nave. We also knew the altar rail usually separated the nave from the chancel in the front. It’s from the chancel that the service is conducted and where the altar, pulpit, and lectern are located. We even recalled that the sacristy was the room holding Communion supplies and linens. Since we were worshipping in a park that morning, my friend asked the location of our sanctuary. In historic usage, sanctuary and chancel were synonymous but, in modern usage, a sanctuary consists of the entire worship space of a church. With no building, we had no narthex, nave, or chancel but we did have a worship space; our sanctuary was a gazebo in a county park.
The Apostle Peter tells us that true prophecy isn’t a product of the prophet—prophets only speak God’s revelation. Directed by the Spirit, their words communicate the message the Lord wants sent. Sometimes, however, prophecy is difficult to understand and interpretations of Revelation go from one extreme to the other. Some, like that priest in Monday’s devotion, dismiss it as completely symbolic. To them, Revelation is an allegory about the conflict between good and evil with good winning in the end. On the other extreme, we find obscure theories, convoluted correlations, and implausible explanations of every symbol and metaphor along with sensationalism and unchecked speculation connecting Revelation to current events.
I’ve heard it said that no one is truly educated without a passing knowledge of Greek mythology, the works of William Shakespeare, and the Bible. The people who compete on the game show Jeopardy, however, are supposed to have more than a passing knowledge of those subjects and many more. Last month, however, all three Jeopardy contestants were baffled when the $200 clue wanted to know what came between “Our Father which art in Heaven” and “be thy name” in Matthew 6:9. None of the contestants even ventured a guess and, after an embarrassing silence, host Mayim Bialik supplied the answer: “What is ‘hallowed’?”
As we settled into our pews in the sanctuary, people talked loudly, called out to one another, laughed raucously, visited other pews, and checked their phones even after the organist started his beautiful prelude. It wasn’t until the pastor stood at the pulpit and started speaking that they eventually quieted down and put away their phones. As I wondered what became of the awe and reverence that should accompany us into God’s house, I again thought of the time Israel brought the sacred Ark of the Covenant into battle with them. Putting aside their idolatry, consider the lack of respect given to this religious chest designed by God and representing His presence among His people.
