JUDGE NOT
I suppose the most famous verse
on judging others would have to be Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not
judged.” Sadly, and probably because it is short and easy to remember, it has
become the catch-all for anyone found to be criticizing anyone for anything. If
someone disagrees with another on hair style or length we hear, “Judge not.” Or
if someone says they worship on Saturday instead of Sunday we hear, “Judge
not.” And the list of minor infractions could be endless. I believe the problem
results from the word “judge” which has several meanings. Understanding a word
in the context in which is written is critical to a proper understanding of the
passage in general. Here I believe Jesus is addressing our tendency to be
critical of each other. Matthew 7:1-2 is dealing primarily with our
interpersonal relationships and not with our eternal state.
Look closely at the
corresponding passage in Luke 6:37-38a
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (v.38a) give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom.” Here it is easier to see since it is
clearly one verse and therefore one thought. Those returning the benefit in
verse 38a are “men” and not God. And since it is one sentence the same applies
to verse 37 where he mentions judging and condemning. The idea then is, if we
do not judge others they will not judge us. Likewise if we do not condemn
others they will not condemn us. Do you see? It is the critical attitudes and
condescending natures that are in view. It is our lack of generosity with each
other, or reluctance to come to one another’s aid that is in question. This is
not the believer standing before God being condemned because he spoke out
against sin in someone’s life. If we
criticize the actions and behaviors of others it is certain they will in turn
judge or criticize us with the same judicious eye. If we are not giving and
generous with those we come in contact with daily we cannot expect that others
will be there for us in our time of need.
I do believe that many in the
churches today have lost this principle. Consider our reaction to one in
abstract poverty entering our modern church. How do we react when we see
someone gingerly slipping into the back pew hoping not to be noticed? Seeing
his hair disheveled, dirt covering his ragged clothing and a stench which could
only come from weeks without a bath, how critical and unrelenting is our eye?
And to be honest, in most of our churches would he not be sitting alone and
leaving without his needs ever being discovered? We judged him. In some cases
maybe we even condemned him. We determined without the courtesy of an
introductory conversation what kind of individual he was. To many of us we saw
a man who did not want to work, we saw a drunkard without self-control or maybe
we saw someone we just did not want to associate with because of his lowly
stature in life. But we most certainly
did not give.
Wait, I know what many are
thinking. We did give. We have a fund for “people like that” in our church. We
call it a benevolence fund. We all contribute to it so that we don’t have to
get too close to “those people” ourselves…personally. I think Luke 6:38a was
referring to individuals and not to the church in general when the Lord said to
give. It is the heart of freely giving of oneself to another which our Lord had
in mind. Not the benevolence fund at church. Maybe you can’t give money to the
person we described but can you give your heart? Without a judgmental attitude
can you reach out in love to him as you did to everyone else that day? Can you
sit beside him or ask him to sit with you and your family? You see, I believe
when Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you” that money was the
furthest thing from his mind. He was talking about attitude and character. Do
not be judgmental, do not be so condemning of others and learn to open your
heart and give the same love to others that God has given to you. The
benevolence fund has its proper place but it cannot replace the human heart.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another.”
1Corinthians 13:4-7 “(Love)
suffereth long, and is kind; (love) envieth not; (love) vaunteth not itself, is
not puffed up, (v.5) doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is
not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (v.6) rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in the truth; (v.7) beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things.”
Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye
be not judged” because love will not be judgmental it strives to understand.
Love does not condemn it seeks to be an aid. Love gives.
Judge not.
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