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JUDGMENT, MOTIVES, AND MERCY
A. Introduction: You and I were created to become sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus, and then
live in a way that accurately represents our Heavenly Father to the world around us. We were created to
bring honor and glory to God by the way that we live. Eph 1:4-5; Eph 1:12; etc.
1. For several weeks we’ve been talking about how Jesus not only died to open the way for us to become
sons and daughters of God through faith in Him. He also showed us, through His teachings and by
His example, what it looks like to live a life that is fully pleasing and honoring to God the Father.
a. Jesus was fully glorifying to God, His Father. Jesus was obedient to His heavenly Father and
reflected His Father to the world around Him through His words and actions. John 14:9-10
b. Jesus is God become fully man without ceasing to be fully God. In His humanity (as a man) Jesus
shows us how sons and daughters of God live. Jesus is the pattern for God’s family. Rom 8:29
c. In previous lessons we’ve made the point that in the context of urging men and women to follow
Him (imitate Him, seek to be like Him), Jesus said that He is meek and humble. Matt 11:29
1. The person who is humble sees himself as a servant of God and a servant of man. The one who
is meek is gentle, controls his anger, and treats others as he wants to be treated.
2. To follow Jesus’ example in humility and meekness (to be like Him), we must recognize and
deal with selfishness and pride. Because of the first man Adam’s sin, all of us are born with
the tendency to put ourselves first (selfishness) and to exalt ourselves (pride).
2. Last week we began to talk about the fact that one of the main ways we exalt self is by judging others.
The Greek word translated to judge means to see a distinction, to form an opinion. In the New
Testament the word is used for finding fault in a person.
a. This isn’t necessarily wrong. It’s a natural part of human interaction. The issue is how you form
your opinion or judgment and what do you do with it once you’ve formed it.
b. Nowhere does the Bible tell us not to judge. It tells us how to judge. The kind of judging that is
wrong has to do with our attitudes and motives when we judge. We have more to say tonight.
B. Jesus made the classic statement on judging in Matt 7:1-5—Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in
the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you
(v1-2, NIV). Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your
own eye? Or, how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is a log in
your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the
speck out of your brother’s eye (v3-5, ESV).
1. If Jesus was telling Christians not to judge, then we can’t obey His subsequent statements about not
casting pearls before swine and being wary of false prophets (Matt 7:6; Matt 7:15), or this statement:
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24, ESV).
a. Jesus was not taking issue with judging, forming opinions, or even believing that what the other
person is doing is wrong. Jesus was addressing the motive and attitude behind the judging. Jesus
was talking about dealing with another person from a position of superiority.
1. The one doing the judging exalted himself. He put himself in a position of superiority over the
other fellow: You have a problem and I don’t. And I am qualified to fix you.
2. The man appeared to be pointing out the speck for the good of the other guy. But that can’t be
the case because Jesus called him a hypocrite. If the man’s true concern was what is right, he
would have dealt with what he had direct control over—the log in his own eye (his own flaws).
b. Apparently, the man in Jesus’ example not only had a superior attitude toward the fellow he was
judging, he also dealt with the man critically and harshly.
1. To be harsh means to be stern, severe, cruel, unfeeling, ungentle, unpleasant, rude, insulting, or
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demeaning in what you say or do when you judge.
2. Harsh, critical judgment from a position of superiority comes out of self-righteousness. You
see yourself as better than others and treat them that way—even if it’s only in your thought life
and in the way you talk to yourself about other people.
c. Jesus gave an example of critical, harsh judgment from a place of superiority when He talked about
two men who went up to the Temple to pray, a Pharisee and publican.
1. Luke 18:9—Then Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned
everyone else (NLT); who were confident of their own goodness and looked down on others
(J. B. Phillips). Note the connection between feeling superior and disdaining others.
2. The Pharisee prayed: I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially
like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery. I fast
twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income (v11-12, NLT).
3. By the standard the Pharisee set for himself, he had every reason to feel superior to the tax
collector. He saw himself as superior which led him to despise those he judged as his inferiors.
2. Jesus made His statement about judging in the Sermon on the Mount. Both Matthew’s gospel and
Luke’s gospel record passages from the Sermon, and each man gives details which the other does not.
a. Both accounts make it clear that we demonstrate our Father to the world around us primarily by
the way that we treat other people—particularly those who are difficult and those who mistreat us.
b. Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount gives additional insight into how sons and daughters of
God are supposed to deal with people whom we believe are wrong or who do things we don’t like.
We’re to love them, and be merciful and kind, rather than superior, critical, and harsh. Luke 6:35-36
1. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything
back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is
kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35, NIV).
2. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:36, NIV).
c. We are to love them and be merciful to them. We are not to judge (harshly or from a position of
superiority) or condemn them. There’s a lot here, but for now, consider what these words mean.
1. The love that we are called to express toward others is not a feeling. It is an action. Jesus
defined it this way: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Matt 22:39
2. To be merciful means to have compassion or sympathetic sorrow (pity) for one who is
suffering, distressed, or unhappy. To be kind means to be sympathetic, considerate, or gentle.
3. To condemn means to declare to be wrong and pronounce guilty like a judge who has the power
to sentence to punishment. To forgive means to give up the right to pay the offender back.
3. Let’s go back to Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount and see how his gospel frames Jesus’
passage on judging. Matthew reports that Jesus made it clear that God’s sons and daughters are
supposed to reflect their Father to the world by the way they treat others.
a. Jesus said: Let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do.
And they will praise your Father who is in heaven (Matt 5:16, NIRV).
b. Jesus said: But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you
will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil
and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:44-45, NLT).
c. Jesus urged His listeners to live with the awareness that they have a Father in Heaven who sees
them, hears them when they pray, and loves and cares for them. Matt 6:1-13; Matt 6:25-34
d. Chapter 7 opens with Jesus’ statement about judging, followed by these words: Ask, seek, and
knock, because everyone (sons and daughters of God) who seeks, finds, and it will be opened.
Jesus went on to say that your Heavenly Father is better than the best earthly father. Matt 7:7-11
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1. Jesus’ next statement begins with a Greek word that connects what He is about to say with what
He has just said: Therefore, you must always treat other people as you would like to have
them treat you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matt 7:12, Goodspeed).
2. Jesus is making the point that God the Father treats people, not on the basis of what they
deserve, but on the basis of who He is. He is kind and merciful.
3. And, since God has been kind and merciful to us, we should be kind merciful to each other. As
sons and daughters of God we are to imitate Him in the way we treat others.
e. We have no right to be unkind and harsh with people after the way that God has treated us. How do
you want to be treated? There may be times when it is appropriate to point out someone’s flaws to
them. But your motives have to be right.
C. What does this look like in real life? As I said in an earlier lesson, one of the problems with lessons such
as this one, everybody listening has specific situations where you need to know how to act and how to treat
certain people. And, I can only give general principles, and ask God to help you practically apply them.
1. When you see a speck in another person, whether it is a personal dislike or a gross sin, remember these
points. The emphasis in the New Testament is on your treatment of them rather than on their behavior.
a. The Bible was not written to tell others how to treat you. It was written to tell you how to treat
them. You only have control over you. You must first deal with the log in your own eye.
b. Remember that the love that we are to express toward others is not a feeling. It is an action. It has
to do with how you treat people. You can love people that you don’t actually like. This love is a
love that thinks: How would I want to be treated if I were that person?
c. Note what Paul (an eyewitness of Jesus) wrote in I Cor 13:1—If I [can] speak in the tongues of men
and [even] of angels, but have not love [that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as
inspired by God’s love for us and in us], I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (Amp).
2. Much of our fault finding comes from assigning motives to others. We assume we know why they did
something and then judge them, not on what they did, but on why we think they did what they did.
a. An example: Someone you know walks right by you in church without acknowledging you. You
assume it’s because they don’t respect you, they are mad at you, they think they are better than you.
1. Later, you find out that this “rude” person just received news that a loved one was in a serious
car crash and was headed out the door to his car when he “ignored” you.
2. Judging him lead you to react to the situation inappropriately, because your reaction was based
not on what he did, but on why you think he did what he did (disrespected, ignored, hurt you).
You decide to pay him back when you see him by ignoring him or chewing him out.
b. You can’t know what anyone’s motive is or was, because you can’t see their heart or read their
thoughts. Only God can read hearts and minds (I Sam 16:7). You exalt yourself to His position.
1. Yes, you might say, but I have the gift of discernment, and I just know what people are thinking.
There’s no such thing as a gift of discernment that enables us to know peoples’ motives.
2. God can give people what are called words of knowledge (a word about something they do not
naturally know), but it is given as the Holy Spirit wills. It does not become the possession of
that person, to be used when he wants to. The purpose of this gift is to edify or build up
believers, not to reveal your superiority or prove you right about something. I Cor 12:7-11
3. Examine your motives. Why are you pointing out a flaw, criticizing them, speaking to them, or about
them, to others? Is it for your good or their good? Is it to make them look bad? Is it because you want
to help them or because you don’t want to put up with them?
a. Is your aim to build them up or teach them a lesson by humiliating them? Do you see them as a
stupid idiot or as one for whom Christ died, in need of mercy must like you? Sometimes it’s
difficult to sort out true motives. The man in Matt 7 probably felt his motive was to help the guy
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with the speck in his eye. It took the Lord to identify the true motive.
b. Why is that person and his actions your concern? Is it any of your business? Does it have a direct
bearing on your life? Do you have all the facts about his circumstance?
1. It’s very easy to sit back and talk about and criticize people we don’t have any real contact with.
“Why don’t they do this? Why doesn’t he try that?” All such talk is judgment. Your
criticism is presumption. For all you know, he has tried all of that and more and it didn’t work.
2. Is your judgment (criticism) personal (I don’t like the sound of his voice) as opposed to
principled (what he said to me was inappropriate)?
4. How would you want to be treated if you were in that situation? All of us can probably think of times
when someone corrected us, and although it may have hurt, we knew they loved us, and we were
ultimately grateful to them. On the other hand, we’ve probably all experienced times of rebuke which
were humiliating and beat us down rather than lifted us up.
a. As fallen people, we all have a natural tendency to pay people back or punish them for their behavior
toward us. We do this by the way we talk to them (or by giving them the silent treatment).
1. When you pay people back in some way you exalt yourself, because God is the only one
qualified to punish people. Only He knows all the facts. Rom 12:17-19—Never pay back
evil for evil to anyone…Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God (NLT).
2. How do you want to be treated (or talked about) when you mess up? Like a stupid idiot or as
someone who thought they did the best thing under the circumstances? As a wicked, selfish
person or as someone who simply made a mistake?
b. When someone offends you in some way, do you hope for their destruction and long to see them get
what they deserve? Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, when He and His disciples passed by a certain
village in Samaria, the village rejected Jesus. Luke 9:51-56
1. (James and John) said to Jesus: Lord should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?
But Jesus turned and rebuked them (v54, NLT).
2. Jesus said: For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge—to reject, to
condemn, to pass sentence on—the world; but that the world might find salvation and be made
safe and sound through Him (John 3:17, Amp).
A. When in a position where judgment is needed, show mercy. When in doubt about how to
treat someone, show mercy. Mercy withholds punishment even when justice demands it.
B. Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person (I Cor 13:7, Amp). He thinks he has
good reasons for his actions. He’s loved to God and needs mercy just as I do.
D. Conclusion: Consider these thoughts as we close. Jesus instructs us to follow His example in humility and
meekness. Humility and meekness affect how we respond to God and to others.
1. The person who is humble sees himself as a servant of God and a servant of man. The one who is meek
is gentle, controls his anger, and treats others as he wants to be treated.
a. God, in His love, has shown us mercy. As His sons and daughters we’re to do the same. We have
no right to withhold love, mercy, kindness, or forgiveness from others, even when they are wrong.
b. Col 3:12-13—Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe
yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must
make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the
Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others (NLT).
2. We can’t do any of this without knowing the standard (what God expects), without wanting to be like
Jesus (the perfect Son), without honestly thinking about how we treat other people, and then putting forth
effort to make necessary changes. Above all, we need God’s help to change. Much more next week!
