Thursday, April 15, 2010

God Wants Us Not to Judge

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matt 7:1

Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do (or wouldn’t normally do) because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.1  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.     Luke 6:35-38 (Emphasis mine)

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses, the verses that directly precede the verses emphasized above, which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.     Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  It takes God not to judge, to do good to those who harm us.  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20). 

Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our “right” to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observe God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!  In other words, if God had decided to just judge us while we were still His enemies, He would have wiped us off the face of the earth.  However, He describes Himself as

“the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

He is the great judge who will judge all things in due time. Vengeance is the Lord’s, it is His to repay (Rom 12:9).  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 5:11-12).  Let us be people like our God, compassionate and gracious, full of love and mercy.  Set yourself and others free, do not judge.  Break the judgment cycle, live in love!



Footnotes
1 Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.