Helping Others Along The Hard Way

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the primary teaching of Jesus regarding judging. As I mentioned here, we are to judge, but with the proper measure. A part of that measure is then further described as Jesus begins to conclude His sermon with the following statement – do to others what you want them to do to you (Matthew 7.12).

As I mentioned in my sermon blog this week, this command is active, not passive. It requires doing something to fulfill it rather than doing nothing because we don’t want something done to us. (You can read more here.) In the context of what Jesus has just taught, that certainly applies to judging others. Again, we are to judge (Paul even says we will judge the angels – 1 Corinthians 6.3), but it is how we prepare ourselves that is critical. First, we pull the plank from our eye and the we can see clearly to help another (Matthew 7.5). And the key word is help. And helping is important because the way is hard (Matthew 7.14). We are certainly to correct others when they stumble, just as we would want to be helped if we stumble (consider Ecclesiastes 4.9-10).

In recent weeks and months, many high-profile Christian leaders have “fallen” publicly due to something they have done or said. And because the profiles of these individuals is high, the criticism has been swift – from within the Church and without. Certainly each leader should be held accountable by those with the authority to do so. Furthermore, each of these individuals have put themselves in a position where others will question the authenticity of their faith as well as their past teaching, their intent and motives, etc. And certainly, each will have a difficult time building trust in the future. But that is why the previous paragraph is so important.

Christians who try to walk along the hard path realize the temptations of the world. We see those on the easy way. We notice the gate that is wide. And, we stumble. Like Peter when he walked on the water, we take our eyes off of Jesus for a moment and we stumble. But, oftentimes, we catch ourselves, and justify our actions that no one was hurt. So, in time, we take another step towards that wide gate –perhaps, hoping to just get our foot in far enough to experience the “pleasures” offered along the easier path. But eventually, we stumble hard. And, we soon realize that we cannot get up easily. And that is where Jesus command, directly within the context of this passage, is so necessary. We want to be lifted to our feet. We want to be restored to our place – whatever that place is. A place of leadership may not be possible at that point (again, responsibility and accountability matter), but most importantly we want to know our place with Jesus is secure. Therefore, having someone come along to help us – someone who has a clear eye with which to see – can lift us up to help get us back on the right path.

As you read this perhaps you are unaware of some of the issues I mention. But the issue of stumbling does not have to be national news to have an impact on the Kingdom. Whether the issue is related to our sexual impulses, fraud, fits of anger, gossip, or some “lesser” sin, we all fall short somewhere. And, thus, knowing how hard it is to stay true to our Lord, we should seek to help others along the way as we would have others help us. Again, that is the essence of the Golden Rule in the context in which it was preached.

So, my encouragement to each of us is to take Jesus’ words to heart when we hear of someone “falling.” We may not be in a position to physically pick them up, but we can spiritually lift them up through prayer. Yes, accountability matters, and actions do have consequences, but as recipients of grace, we must learn to extend it as well. Accountability is not condemnation; rather, it should lead to restoration. So, seek to help another who has fallen knowing next time it may be you who needs to be lifted up.