Luke 6:40 (ESV)
A disciple is not above his
teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
This statement is right in the
middle of Jesus’ teaching on not judging but forgiving and taking the speck out
of your own eye before trying to remove the beam from someone else’s eye. The Bible
Knowledge Commentary rightly observes that, “These actions, not done
naturally by human nature, require supernatural enabling. . .” It takes
supernatural enabling to not judge and condemn, to forgive, and to not see
other’s sins without recognizing our own failings. This can only be done by the
Spirit of God.
As believers, disciples of Jesus
Christ, we aspire to Christlikeness. Jesus said of those who sent him to the
cross, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” He
recognized their blindness in their actions. The one perfect man with no speck
to remove from his own eye looked at the Pharisees, the crowds who called for
his crucifixion, the soldiers who nailed him to the cross, and didn’t condemn.
Rather, he pleaded for mercy on their behalf. That is what it looks like to be
Christlike.
These are hard words to accept.
Clearly there are judgments to be made, or church discipline would be
impossible. Clearly forgiveness does not necessarily equate to reconciliation.
Reconciliation requires movement by both parties. But I fear that too often we
use these truths to ignore and justify bad behavior on our part and to condemn
others rather than to pray for them. We are not yet like our master teacher,
but I pray that we will be. That is when the world will see Jesus in us and be
drawn to him.
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