don’t judge me!
I love that we have some healthy discussion going on about yesterday’s post. It seems the topic of “judging” has come up and must be addressed. Before I attempt to justify my comments or my thoughts, let’s collectively look at what the Bible says about this. I you don’t value what the Bible teaches, perhaps some of my conclusions at the end will be of value to you. Either way, let’s explore:
Matthew 7:1-5
1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Verses 1-5 tell us not to judge. But what is that judging? Certainly this doesn’t mean that we should not have an opinion on anyone’s performance or assess what we believe is truth. I am a manager at work and I continually assess the performance of the people working for me. Isn’t that my job? And I don’t believe that this call against judging applies to our searching for what is truth either. Acts 17:11 talks about how the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians because they “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” They were eager to hear the words that Paul had, but everyday they went home and examined what he said to see if it were true. Certainly, assessing the truth in a sermon cannot be labeled as judging…that is what we are supposed to do. (On a side note, I find this to be one of the most disconcerting aspects of the the 21st centure church. So often we sit in a pew and absorb what is taught without any effort or reflection.)
So what is this judging that we are not supposed to take part in? The Life Application Study Bible comments:
Jesus’ statement, “Do not judge,” is against the kind of hypocritical, judgemental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. It is not a blanket statement against all critical thinking, but rather a call to be discerning rather than negative.
So, this writer suggests that Jesus is making a call to be discerning. I agree with this assessment as later in chapter 7 (v.15-23) we see Jesus specifically say that we are to expose false teachers. But I think it unwise for us to dismiss these prior warnings to flippantly. In modern Christendom, I find it far more likely that we disobey the intent of these scriptures and justify ourselves with them, rather than vice versa. We throw around statements about “judging fruit” only to justify the scornful mocking that is birthed from our own depravity. For many of us, our self esteem is so poor that we constantly look for avenues to use words to place ourselves above our peers. We find new ways of cutting down people to lift ourselves up. This is a crime. Whether or not we profess a faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t matter…we need to recognize the damage that our negative words have on people. Our words can literally destroy someone’s life (how often is the kid most picked on the one that commits suicide?)
I don’t have a full explanation of what this negative judging will look like, but I know what it looks like for me. I often find myself commenting on the lack of leadership in churches in America. As if, I am better because I am an accomplished leader in a worldly institution. Give me a break. Does any good come from my negative comments? No, not at all. I could do much better with this.
Now, with regards to my comments on the aforementioned preacher…I was attempting to highlight what I do believe is a false teaching amongst many preachers today. This is not specific to only him in any way. Also, I will not pass judgement based on what someone doesn’t say on a TV program, because I don’t have any insight into the purpose for the program or what he or she teaches in other venues of the church. I do however, find it very appropriate to pass judgement on what someone does say and I will continue to do that. I am not ready to fully tackle the propserity movement that I’m alluding to, but when I am, you will hear it.
You can also check out James 4:11-12, Romans 2:1-3, Romans 14:1-4 or look up Judge or Judging in a concordance. Would love to hear some thoughts.
PS…thanks to my dad who after discussing this subject with me earlier tonight sent me most of the references and some great thoughts on the subject.
