CP W5 D5 Sermon on the Mount - Judging Others (Matt 7:1-5)

We don't practice Christianity as a competitive sport - at least not officially. (Could you imagine everyone from the parish up on the bleachers cheering "We're more humble, yes we ARE!..." OK, maybe not.) But even in our Christian pilgrimage, we have a tendency to have to measure our progress, and we do this by comparisons. We go about our lives thinking "I'm glad I don't do things the way he does", or "I like this church better than that church", or even "Episcopalians are MUCH better than Lutherans in this way". It almost seems like it's human nature and we can't help ourselves.

Yet in this passage, Jesus warns us against doing exactly this. Whatever measure we use in establishing another pilgrim's deficiency, Jesus will use against us, with the implications that He expects us to come up lacking in the very same way. Jesus has a point. We see this all the time. Think of a number of public figures who are very vocal against wrongdoing while doing some very wrong things at the same time. And if we're honest with ourselves, we find that we do the same thing. I yell at my son for not cleaning up after himself, just as I leave a trail of debris for Kristen in my wake. Why are we like this?

You see, I don't think Jesus is asking us to ignore our companions on the journey who might be heading down the wrong path. Companions are important for that very reason - to help each other find the way. I don't think Jesus is asking us to ignore the plight of other pilgrims, He is simply warning us to examine ourselves and make sure we are heading in the right direction first. When we do, we will realize the vastness of God's forgiveness and love in our lives and we will approach our companions in a spirit of love as we travel together, rather than competing with each other to see who "wins".