Motes and Beams
Lesson
The goal of this lesson is to examine the teachings of Jesus with regard to "judging" one another. Before we get started though, it is important to realize that there were at least three different Greek words in the New Testament that were all translated "judge." Knowing which of the three was used is key to a correct understanding of a passage:
a. krino - to criticize, call into question, conclude, condemn, damn. This is the word used in the lesson and related readings noted above.
b. anakrino - to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, determine or discern. This is the word used in I Cor. 2:15.
c. diakrino - to separate thoroughly, to sort out, to decide. This is the word used in I Cor. 6:5.
The word mote in verses 41 and 42 of our lesson comes from the word karphos.meaninga splinter, straw or dry twig; whereas the word beam comes from the word dokos. meaning a stick of timber. Now re-read these verses, substituting the word splinter for mote and stick for beam. Think about how these words affect the verse's meaning.
Questions for thought and discussion
1. Why does Jesus call the man with the beam in his eye a hypocrite?
2. What does a judgmental attitude tell us about the person's humility level? (Ph. 2:3)
3. Read Prov. 16.2. Why do we tend to judge others rather than ourselves?
4. What does Jesus say in verse 38 of the reading lesson about the "measure with which we mete", and what does this mean?
5. Jn. 7:24 draws a distinction between "judging by appearance" and "righteous
judgment." What does this mean? What are some things that cannot be rightly judged on the basis of appearance?
6. Have you ever made a judgment about someone and later found out you were totally wrong? What kinds of judgments do you think others have made about you?
7. While we are not to judge the person, the Bible does teach that we can judge actions. This is sometimes called being a "fruit inspector."
8. Does our Church Covenant's phrase about "watching over one another in brotherly (Christian) love" contradict this lesson? Why/why not?
9. Pick one of the "Related Readings" above, and come to class prepared to discuss/ explain what you think it means.
