Jesus, On Self-Righteousness

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount 

June 13, 2024

Jesus, On Self-Righteousness

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

Matthew 7:1 

Jesus’ words, on first reading, seem to contradict the wisdom of Edmund Burke who said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” However, when we read the full passage (Matthew 7:1-5), we see Jesus didn’t issue a command to stand passively in the face of wrong; rather he gave us a formula for how to speak the truth with love and compassion. Again, Jesus wants us to see the application of his beatitudes, especially, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Jesus, the master of using hyperbole in his metaphors, invites us to first consider the log in your own eye before we confront our friend about the speck in their eye. This invitation to a life of self-aware humility is so very much needed in our culture. We certainly do not see this practiced by our political leaders or opinion writers in newspapers and social media. At this point, you may be tempted to say, “Why bother” to practice such a virtuous life when it is clearly not the norm in our culture. Good point: why should we aspire to be the odd man out? But wait. Didn’t we just read something about this last week? (Hint: June 6, Salt & Light.)

“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13a, 14a). God’s mission is to form Christ within us: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). As we make the life in Christ our way of life, we become salt and light to the world.

My Takeaway: The desire of Jesus’ heart is for me to trust him and allow him to be salt and light through me, wherever I may be, even, or perhaps especially, where discord and strife abound.

It has been my experience that I can’t be salt and light until I first ask, “how is it with my soul?”

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.