Before we judge any more people, we need to know what we’re getting ourselves into.
It’s not deciding whether someone’s actions are good or bad. That’s for God to sort out, but we can usually get that part right. The judgment Matthew 7:1 warns against is when we think we know someone’s intentions or motives, especially when we judge their heart.
But if we choose to, we’d better be ready to walk in their shoes, because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
To show you what I mean, I’ll confess some abbreviated examples from my life. It’s not pretty, so proceed with caution.
Sometimes it’s subtle and silly:
I secretly judged a woman for coming to work with unplucked eyebrows. Got a magnifying mirror for Christmas. Looked in mirror and knew why. Immediately thought of the woman I’d judged.
Thought it was unsanitary to have a dog living indoors. Said I never would. Got a teacup poodle, like him fluffy. He sheds.
Also rolled my eyes at people who treated their pets like children. My precious pooky wooky is in my lap as I type this. It’s his naptime.
I’ve judged parents who had children with opposite behaviors. I accused them of raising each child differently. Then I had children of my own….That’s all I have to say about that.
These examples are petty. I’m avoiding the real stuff.
Here’s the real stuff.
I’ve judged Christians who sold their work for money. Shouldn’t anything to do with the Lord be free? Then I wrote a book. It can be bought both locally and at Amazon.com.
I’ve judged churches for following a scheduled program every Sunday. I said it felt insincere and commercial. Then I was invited to sing a song and participate in leading worship and got to see behind the scenes, the hours and hours of preparation and prayer that go into what we take for granted as spoon-fed attendees. I was incurably humbled to my core.
I’ve judged people who were always in a bad mood, until my forties hit me with both gloves. Cancer and an emergency hysterectomy left me with a new understanding of what it means to feel so empty you can’t smile.
I’ve judged people for not “doing something” to help the homeless. Then I briefly found myself chin-deep in the very complicated, time-consuming, inconvenient, sometimes scary world of homeless care. I could not do even a fraction of what I expected others to do to make a real difference. It’s not just a ministry; it’s a full-time lifestyle. Like my friends at Community of Hope say, “When you save someone [from homelessness], you have to be their friend.”
I’ve judged drug addicts, until I was prescribed Percocet after major surgery. Suddenly I understood how easily addiction happens.
By the way, the fastest way to fall into sin is to judge other people for doing it.
You can feel judgment rising in your throat. It feels hot and mean and final. It’s served on sentences that feel like they need to be said out loud. Judgmental thoughts tingle with self-righteousness, like a little flame trying to catch fire to make others agree with us.
And it does catch fire. We can probably trace all our bad habits, mistakes, and situations that won’t heal back to someone we’ve judged. Even if our judgments were spot-on, we signed ourselves up to be put in similar circumstances and judged in the same way.
But the most sinister thing about the curse of Matthew 7:1 is, we can only see it in hind-sight, if we see it at all. Judgment is the nesting ground for hypocrisy—Do you know anyone who judges people and then does the exact same thing, but obviously isn’t aware of their own hypocrisy? (Don’t answer that.)
We all do it.
It’s not worth it. Don’t do it. Just say, Bless their heart, and move on like a good Southerner.
~
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the standard you use, it will be used to measure you.
~ Jesus, Matthew 7:1
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.
~ Romans 2:1
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
~ 1 Corinthians 4:5
And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
~ James 3:6