Jesus’ words are harsh at first — do not judge others, and you will not be judged. I’m sure we have all done it. Judge others that is. We may have thought “boy her dress is too short” or “why doesn’t he close his eyes when he prays?” or “what were they thinking?” or “why did they spend their money on that instead of giving to the church?” I could go on and on. You are probably already feeling a little guilty about something you thought about someone. We judge. We’re not supposed to.
Why not? Jesus says that we’ll be judged in the same manner. We certainly aren’t perfect. The standards we apply to others will be applied to us. God is the only one who should be judging. When we catch ourselves doing it, we should remember this passage. Jesus said, “do NOT judge!”
However, there is a place for discernment. We need to keep ourselves and others whom we are to protect (like our children) safe from harm. Sames goes for churches. If there is a disrupting spirit amongst the members, there needs to be some sort of discipline procedure in place so that the whole church is protected. Satan will get into a church body and reak havoc, so we need to have discernment. But, the “judgment” is up to God.
A court of law is another time when passing judgment is appropriate. There are people in authority who have been commissioned with this type of responsibility. In such cases, we know that facts are presented and conclusions drawn from the facts, not from emotion or personal beliefs.
Jesus doesn’t want us to judge others to be wrong if they are not like us. It is not our place to condemn others. We have received mercy, so should we show mercy. If we want to help others to see that living a life in relationship with Jesus is a good thing, we need to be loving and non-judgmental. Our attitudes and behaviors will speak volumes.
It is all too easy to judge others and overlook our own faults. That’s what Jesus is pointing out in the next section. When we see our neighbor doing something that bothers us, we are often guilty of the same exact offense (or one even bigger). How is it that we can see past our own fault (“plank”) and notice their fault (“speck”)? You might even imagine how blinded we are by the plank, there is absolutely no way we should be able to see clearly enough to remove a speck. We need to clean up our own act first.
When others openly judge us and possibly criticize us, how do we handle that? Do we ever do the same to others? Jesus is certainly not ruling out constructive criticism. That is when we receive a word of advice on how we can improve some area of our life, something we are doing, etc. But this correction or suggestion should always be done in love, with understanding, humility and never in a condemning way.
What happens when our attempts backfire (and they will)? Jesus closes this section talking about pigs and not wasting our time. We don’t need to “beat a dead horse”, we can let it go. Examples might be when we’ve tried and tried to bring the light of Jesus into the lives of others without success, or helped someone with constructive criticism only to be rejected. Walk away. We cannot force people to believe as we do.
Are you in the midst of any petty squabbles with other believers or non-believers? Is your church being criticized for something? Are you feeling under the gun for your faith? Are you tired of seeing unbelievers bully you or other believers? No more judging. We need to unite our hearts, love like Jesus loved, and be ready for his return.
Let’s pray. Lord, there are people who frustrate me. Forgive me when I pass judgment on them. I’m sure there are others who are frustrated with me and my devotion to you. Help me to love as you love. Help me not judge others. Help me find constructive and helpful ways to reflect your great love for all people. Help our church to grow and be a welcoming place of refuge for all of your children. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
