There is a large group of folks who condemn homosexuality, transgenderism, "illegal" immigration, abortion, and government spending on social programs - "welfare." They are self-righteous and sure that they are on the side of right, good, and God! They call the folks who are "guilty" of these "sins" names like "perverts, fools, deranged, sinners, criminals, murderers, communists, Marxists, Globalists, and worse! Moreover, they do all of this knowing that they are liars, idolaters, thieves, perverts, adulterers, serial monogamists, and descendants of aliens/immigrants. In short, they are experts at discerning the speck of sawdust in the eyes of their brothers and sisters and dismissing the beams in their own eyes.
In Christ's day, the Pharisees demanded strict adherence to the commandments of Torah, and they reprimanded his disciples for violating the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-6). In that same account, we read that Jesus responded: "But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless." (Matthew 12:7, NKJV) A little later, in that same chapter, we are told that Christ said: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37)
On another occasion, in the same Gospel account, we read that Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees for their incessant hypocrisy. First, he told his audience that these men occupied the office of Moses. Then, he said: "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men." (Matthew 23:1-5) He continued: "woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matthew 23:13) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." (Matthew 23:15) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:25-26) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28)
From Christ's perspective, the scribes and Pharisees were insincere. They wanted to be admired as holy and righteous, but they didn't walk the walk. They were quick to point out sins and flaws in others while ignoring their own sins and mistakes. Condemnation was easy for them, and they felt no responsibility to practice kindness, mercy, or forgiveness. Clearly, the folks that I mentioned in the first paragraph of this post are the modern-day equivalents of the scribes and Pharisees!
The canonical Gospels also make very clear that Christ didn't want his disciples to follow their example! In his famous Sermon on the Mount, he said: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 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? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5) Indeed, in that same sermon, Christ told them: "whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12) On another occasion, he confronted an indignant mob who was about to stone to death a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery (which was clearly consistent with Torah). (John 8:1-5) Christ told them: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7) Instead of hostility and condemnation, Christ clearly expected his followers to offer kindness and mercy!
In his letter to the saints at Rome, Paul gave them a principle that was completely consistent with what Christ had said earlier. He wrote: "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4) This is a message that all of the self-righteous, self-important "Christians" of the world desperately need to hear!
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