Addressing Sin

My wife and I have a 1-year-old son. He has learned so much over the last year. One of his most impressive new skills is the ability to disobey. He knows he is not allowed to touch electrical outlets. Most of the time, he will toddle down the hall and wave at the outlets on the wall as he passes them as if saying, “Sorry, outlet, I can’t touch you.” But occasionally, when he believes we aren’t looking, he will try to touch the outlets. Determining the proper response to our son’s disobedience is a unique challenge. If our response conveys too much anger or frustration, we scare him in an unhelpful way. If our response is too nonchalant and mild, he fails to grasp the severity of the situation. How are we supposed to navigate that kind of tension?

That tension is magnified and multiplied when the person being addressed is no longer a little child and their actions are far more destructive to themselves and the people around them. How are we supposed to address the sin that we see in other people? How are we supposed to respond to a friend, co-worker, or family member who claims to be a citizen in God’s kingdom but appears to be living in clear contrast to God’s commands and character? This tension matters to Jesus so much that he speaks to it in this initial kingdom address. He shows us that we should deal with the sin we see in others in a fair, humble, and wise way.

The New Testament elsewhere calls us to judge and evaluate the actions and words of one another so that we can make wise choices (1 Cor. 5:9-14, Rom. 16:17-18). This doesn’t seem to be what Jesus is opposing in these verses. More likely, He is referring to “condemning” others as if we have the authority or ability to accurately assess their hearts and motives. If we address the sin in others, we must do so fairly, recognizing that only God can truly judge their hearts.

Jesus illustrates the necessity of humility in the way we address sin with the image of a person who has a log stuck in his eye attempting to perform surgery on someone with a little dust or debris in her eye. We’re not told to forget about the speck in our fellow citizen’s eye. We’re told to humbly recognize our sinful blindspot and seek its removal before we attempt to help our brother or sister.

Then, in verse 6, Jesus offers wisdom that would fit nicely in the book of Proverbs. Both dogs and pigs were considered unclean and to be avoided by the Jewish people. Logically, we shouldn’t offer something valuable or sacred to a creature incapable of appreciating or honoring it. The placement of this wisdom in the sermon suggests that it may not always be wise to continuously attempt to fairly and humbly correct or restore someone if they are unwilling to accept the truth you’re sharing.

As citizens in God’s kingdom, we long for a day when King Jesus returns and sin no longer infects us or permeates the world around us. But until that day, we face the sin in ourselves and the sin in those around us with fairness, humility, and wisdom.

Discussion Questions

• Icebreaker: What rule around the house did you break the most frequently as a child?
• Why do you think we’re so prone to judge and quick to condemn others?
• How does your limited knowledge of other people’s hearts disqualify you from pronouncing judgment on them? What might you be missing or overlooking when you condemn them?
• Why does an awareness of our own sinfulness or weakness matter so much when addressing the sinfulness of others? How can we become more aware of our sinfulness?
• Based on Jesus’ words in verse 6, in what instances might it be better to keep God’s wisdom and truth to yourself instead of sharing it with a particular person?
• Give an example of when you witnessed sin being addressed well or poorly.