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“God calls every one of us to treat others with love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness, while exercising self-control.”
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) This is a popular Bible verse that is used by people to shame their critics. “Stop telling me what I should be doing. It’s my choice. Plus, Jesus said not to judge, and that’s what you’re doing to me.”
Is this what Jesus and the Bible teaches, that no one should ever voice opposition to another? Of course not, and this is not what the often-quoted Bible verse is referring to anyways.
When Jesus talks about judging, He is referring to making some kind of decision or judgement about someone. The judgements can be made based on what another person has said, done, written, thought, posted on social media or even what their motives are. Jesus is not talking about legal judgements, but personal relationships. How we treat family, friends, neighbors, or even our enemies.
Look at this illustration Jesus gave about judging, to help us understand, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:3-4)
Jesus is not saying, to never speak up and address someone’s behavior. Far from it. He encourages us to do that, and models it for us as well. Instead, Jesus is addressing not being a fault-finder or critic on minor, inconsequential things. Additionally, when dealing with people on both the small and big things, He is telling us to not have a Morally Superior Attitude that looks down on them.
Here are four lessons from Jesus about why we should not have this kind of judging spirit.
1-Because it belittle’s others while portraying you as more virtuous. Observe in Jesus’ illustration, that the one with the log in his own eye, was completely oblivious to it. All he noticed was the speck in the other person’s eye.
When we have this type of spirit, all we can see are other people’s problems. We are blinded to our own short-comings, while being eager to point them out in others. This is a self-righteous kind of judging, that portrays others as inferior to you.
2-Because it turns us into critics. When we have a giant log in our eye, so we cannot see clearly, we end up with a judgmental spirit on the small stuff. The situations are not moral failures, sins or crimes. No, they are trivial things people have disagreed with us on, or they have fallen short of our standards in some way. Yet, instead of overlooking inconsequential things, we focus on them and go to battle.
3-Because it unfairly condemns people. When we judge this way, we treat people unjustly and inconsistently.
4-Because the same measure will be used against you. Jesus gives a warning to fault-finding, morally superior people. One day we all will stand before God to be judged justly and fairly. However, God says that the same standard by which we judged others, will be used against us. This is to give us pause and maybe even a sense of fear and trembling. For the Scripture says, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God…” (Romans 14:10)
So how are we to engage with people in both the small and big things? God calls every one of us to treat others with love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness, while exercising self-control.
A prayer for you – Lord God, we praise you that Jesus came to die and rise again to give us a new heart. Because He lives, we no longer have to treat people with a fault-finding morally superior attitude anymore. Through Christ, we can be free. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
