Breaking the Word

12^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 23^rd June 2023 – Genesis 12,1-9; Mt 7,1-5

Replacing God’s Judgement

One of the most important lessons from the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ admonition, “Stop Judging.” This may be the most often misused verse in the entire Bible. Modern culture distorts this comment into a command to never disapprove or correct the actions of another. Jesus’s words here are mishandled out of context for three reasons. First and foremost, Jesus does not say “never judge,” He warns that there is a consequence to judgement. Second, this statement is immediately followed by proper instructions to use judgment. Third, Jesus’ other teachings indicate that right judgement is necessary, while hypocritical or shallow judgment is wrong.

Jesus has been teaching within the context of Israel’s religious leaders and the way they practice their righteousness (Mt 5,20; 6,1). Their leadership paid attention to prove one’s worthiness to other people instead of humbly serving God. Following that example, the people of Israel performed religious duty for others’ approval and belittled others who did differently. In that context, Jesus says not to unfairly judge others in order not to be unfairly judged by God. He is talking about having an arrogant attitude of assuming authority over others by taking the place of God. This type of condemnation is clearly and repeatedly forbidden (Rom 14,10-13; Jam 4,11-12). In a crystal-clear statement, Jesus teaches in John 7,24 that His followers must be careful to make right judgments instead of judging others by external appearances. Also, God often gives Christians the responsibility to make judgments about truth and falsehood (Gal 1,8-9; Phil 3,2; 1 Jn 4,1) and to hold fellow Christians accountable for sin (1 Cor 5,5).

11^th Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 21^st June 2025 – 2 Corin 12,1-10; Mt 6,24-34

Material Falsehood

“But I want both.” This is a common reaction when we’re faced with a choice between two desirable things. It is human nature that God fearing people can also desire to build wealth in this world, to feel financially secure, to accumulate possessions and experiences that please them.  Jesus does not say here that it is wrong to hold both: service to God and material wealth. What He does say is one cannot place ultimate priority on both at the same time. At some moments in life, one must choose which is more important. Jesus is calling those who follow him to become servants of God for life (Rom 6,17-18). It doesn’t work for a servant to be co-owned by two independent masters – not practical, as the servant can only prioritize one or the other. However, this does not mean that someone who serves God whole-heartedly will not have money or possessions. Money, for a righteous person, is just another tool given by God to be used for His purposes. Often, the materialistic person who honors God only does so in the margins or for false motives. They live out their days in the moral darkness as Jesus described in the previous verses.