DEVOTION – DAY 219

Matthew 7:1-2 “Judging Others”

Matt.7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

The Lord hates hypocrisy. Many times, the Lord Jesus accused the Pharisees and religious leaders by calling them “Hypocrites!”. It is not a surprise therefore that the Lord teaches in the above verses that Christians should not judge others hypocritically or self-righteously. In Matt.7, Jesus commands Christians to evaluate others carefully first, evaluate the person’s character first carefully, see what kind of fruits they bear from their actions, and also examine ourselves first to see if we have not committed the same sins first before we pass judgment on others. That is how we can safeguard ourselves against hypocrisy. Otherwise, the Lord warns that if we judge others in a self-righteous manner, we too will be judged in the same way.

This truth in the Bible can be seen today in a public scandal in Malaysia. Recently, there was a major scandal involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) when its chief, Azam Baki was reported to have millions of Ringgit worth of shares in his name. There were calls for him to explain how he had the funds to acquire these shares on his salary as a government servant. In his position as the chief of an Anti-Corruption Agency whose duty was to investigate cases of corruption, it would seem that he was guilty of corruption himself. Here was someone who had been uncovered in his hypocrisy and corruption. Instead of resigning from his position and admit his guilt, he chose to offer an explanation that he had allowed his brother to use his name to hold these shares for his brother. His explanation did not satisfy anyone and only made him seem a bad liar in addition to being a hypocrite and a corrupted officer. Even if he thinks he will get away with his crime, the Lord will one day judge him. As it is, he is already being judged by the public and is found “guilty” in their eyes of the public even if the government tries to cover up this scandal.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we humbly ask that you grant us the wisdom to be less judgmental on others. Help us to be gracious and wise in dealing with people and to help those who are weaker to be restored in your eyes rather than judge them in a self-righteous manner. We pray this is the holy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Questions

  1. Why do we rush to judge others based on what we think or see? Discuss?
  2. Have we ever judged someone wrongly based on our own prejudices or misconceptions? Share.
  3. What can we learn about judging others from this devotion? Share.
  4. How can you judge others more wisely following a better understanding of Matthew 7 about judging others?