There is one thing we all have in common. It is second nature to us, and the way we were raised does not help very much. Some things are just cultural and I am not saying they are wrong. Some things we were taught by observing our parents or other people and I am not saying that is wrong either. I am proud of my heritage and so should everyone be whether he or she is black or white or yellow or pink. Your culture is a unique expression of God. God is not defined by the European culture or the African culture only, He is defined by all cultures. He made us all different and that difference speaks of the qualities of God. We should celebrate our differences and not find that a reason to destroy each other.
We have traveled to various continents and I have always enjoyed seeing and experiencing the new cultures. In Thailand, we went to a street market and ate some food we have never eaten before. In Africa, we experienced hospitality and friendly people who love to share their culture with other people. In Russia, we ate homemade jam on fresh baked bread with smoked cheese that they made themselves. What is wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. Yet in all of these places we found something in common. Not in the culture, but in the people.
I can see the wheels turn as you are trying to figure out what I am talking about. The one thing we all have in common is judgment! We judge people because they are different from us. We judge them because they do it differently than the way we do things. We judge people because they dress differently and say things differently than the way we say it. We all have judgment in our hearts. Mindsets were shaped and man-made boundaries were formed by the way we were raised and the way we were taught.
Let us look and consider what Jesus is saying in the third "first." He is going to address this very issue that we all have.
1. First reconcile with your brother.
2. Seek first the kingdom.
Matt. 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shalt you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye.
It is impossible to correct someone when you don’t have a clear understanding of the situation. It is impossible to correct someone when you have a bigger issue in your life than what they are struggling with. It is impossible to help someone when you are in need of more help. I don’t know of anybody that has figured this one out. Listen to people when they watch a football game. They are always better than the referees and always have the answer to that bad call he just made. They always have a better play in mind than the actual player on the field. “He should have done this or he should have done that.” They are better politicians than the president and better than the congressman that represents them.
They can preach better than their pastor or know of a better procedure than their doctor. They can be a better judge and jury than anyone else. In the meantime they have problems that only they know about. They struggle with unforgiveness and bitterness. They struggle with their children and their marriages. They think, "As long as we can get the friends and the family to focus on someone else' problem, they won’t see what a mess I am. So let me help you brother, and they will overlook my mistakes."
That is the very essence of being judgmental. Jesus addresses this issue by saying to remove what is in your eye first. The eye is the most sensitive part of your body. What is the most sensitive thing in your life right now? Start with that and when you deal with that you will be able to see to help your brother. Problems are never dealt with by ignoring them, but major hurts are done to people when we try to help when we ourselves need help. People know what they struggle with and Jesus is warning us to check ourselves first before we cause more damage than healing.
This statement by Jesus about first removing the beam in your own eye, is preceded by another statement that He makes. "Judge not less you be judged." Trying to remove a problem when you are judgmental leads to truth that is applied without grace. When grace is removed it is like trying to remove a tumor without an anesthetic. You can remove the tumor but you will cause a lot of pain.
Lastly, He expects us to deal with our hypocrisy. Nobody likes to be called that, but judging others will surely qualify you really fast to be one. A hypocrite is an actor under an assumed character. You are trying to be something you are not. You are not the judge of men. God is the only one that can do that righteously! instead of making your brother the priority, make yourself the priority and start working on yourself.