Matthew 7:1-14
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus continues His exhortation of the importance of God-created, rightly focused faith. Man’s flesh is legalistic by its very nature. It’s always thinking better of itself than it ought. Luther called this belief of the flesh, “Presumed righteousness” which simply means that man’s flesh believes itself to be so good (or good enough) that no help is needed when it comes to righteousness—including, and especially, any help from outside of itself.
Does anyone really believe that they haven’t been (nor will ever be) judgmental toward their neighbor? It’s Christ who points out that anyone possessing such a Pharisaical, presumed righteousness—conceited enough to think that one can measure others against oneself — is considered a “Hypocrite” by God Himself! Christ remedies such trust in the flesh by wielding His “plank in your own eye” Law language.
So how do planks get removed? By having that Old Adam, through daily contrition and repentance, drowned and die! By confessing to those planks and vanquishing them through the Gospel of Christ’s full atoning merits promised through God’s means of Word and Sacrament and received through faith alone. With Christ having made full satisfaction for sins—and on-going plank possessors trusting alone in Him who is the narrow gate—then it’s the gracious gift of the Father, Christ Jesus, who is to be offered to others as their only rescue from the specks that ail them.
Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace for all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
