Real Perspective

Don’t Judge (7:1-2)

• What does it mean to “judge”?
• Don’t condemn
• The principle of reciprocity
• How this relates to our view of God

Gaining Perspective on Ourselves and Others (7:3-6)

• Seeing someone’s speck of sawdust but missing your own plank
• The way of the hypocrite: Speaking to others while blind to oneself
• The way of the brother: Self-reflection before helping the other

Gaining Perspective on What Helps (7:6)

• Discerning what people need
• Discerning what people can receive
• Discerning what really helps (or not)

Condemnation and Discernment in God’s Disciple Community

• Don’t condemn or sit in judgment (Matthew 7:1-5; James 4:11-12)
• ➡ Live free from anger and pride in God’s grace
• Do discern and call one another to growth (Mt. 18:15-17; Ephesians 4:15)
•  Live free from sin and libertinism in God’s truth
• Living as God’s disciple community with surpassing righteousness in Christ

1. When have you felt most accepted by others in your life? What characterized that situation or that relationship in order to make it so good?
2. We continue our series, “Becoming Real,” on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by exploring Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:1-6. Begin your study in prayer by asking God to speak to you through His Word and then, whether you are alone or with a group, read that passage aloud.
3. What is the principle about judgment that Jesus shares in verses 1-2?
4. To “judge” (Greek: κρίνω; krinō) has a range of meaning that mirrors the range of meaning in English. Which one of the following dictionary definitions do you think most closely matches Jesus’ meaning here and why?
   1. “to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises”
   2. “to hold as an opinion”
   3. “to form an estimate or evaluation of, especially to form a negative opinion about”
5. In verses 3-5 Jesus offers a brief parable that illumines the teaching in verses 1-2. What do you think is the main point of this little parable?
6. How have you personally experienced needing to “take the plank out of your own eye”?
7. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount we have encountered the call to reflect God’s kingdom and character as disciples of Jesus, specifically by turning away from anger toward love (see Matthew 5:1-10, 21-24, 38-42, 43-48). How does this passage connect with that calling?
8. There seems to be a healthy tension in Scripture between not condemning others yet also calling one another toward obedience to Christ. Read Matthew 18:15-17; Ephesians 5:14; Galatians 6:1-2; and 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. How do you think these passages fit together with Matthew 7:1-6?
9. Verse 6 similarly calls for perspective but also an awareness of what is truly helpful for others. What do you think Jesus is trying to get at in this verse?
10. What is one thing God is speaking to you through this study? If you’re on your own, write that down and pray over that this week. If you are with a small group, share your answers with one another before closing in prayer.

• Consider memorizing Matthew 7:1-2 this week.
• Set aside some time for self-reflective prayer this week, inviting God to help you see any “plank in your own eye.”You may want to use the words of Psalm 139:23-24 as a guide for this time of prayer: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
• Find fresh perspective on this passage by reading it in a more everyday translation, such as The New Living Translation or The Message at biblegateway.org
• Consider reading an article on this passage by Dallas Willard, “On Correction and Children”