Probably one of the most quoted scriptures in our culture is “Do not judge.” This is usually used in the context another determining that what someone else says or does is wrong. But is that really the intention of the passage or has the verse been sort of “proof-texted?” You know—I have a point that I want to prove (or a viewpoint) so I look for a verse to support my presuppositions.
We have just looked at two chapters of Jesus’ teachings. Let me ask you. Were there any passages that we looked where Jesus either suggested or flat out declared that a particular attitude or action was wrong or goes against what is his ways? If so, what are some of those things? Remember the Shema of Jesus is to what? Love God and love others. So anything that goes against loving God and especially loving others, which is the major focus of the collection of teachings for Matthew, goes against Jesus. But how can you determine if something goes against the teachings of Jesus if not through judging them? You can’t. There must be some element of judging or determining right and wrong.
The way of Jesus tells us to treat others with love—relational integrity. We should see others as beings made in the image of God even our enemies. We are not to look out for our own interests but to the interests of others. For when we are a blessing to others we store up treasures not on earth but in heaven.
Read passage.
So what do we do here with this passage? Is it a contradiction? No, I don’t believe so. It may appear so if one simply reads the words removed from the original context. But a little study of the language and context reveals some insights into understanding this passage.
Let’s begin by understanding three words with similar ideas and meaning.
Three Words
• Discern
First there is a word that we often translate as discern. Discernment is called a spiritual gift. It is the ability to discern truth and lies. Right and wrong. Sound ideas and false ideas. The corresponding virtue is wisdom—not earthly wisdom but godly wisdom. Here lies a great difficulty. We are called to discern right and wrong. It is wrong to murder and it is wrong to hate your brother. In fact Jesus said it is wrong to write them off—to condemn your brother saying, “You fool.” We must understand when something is wrong especially for us and for those that we are in community with to be doing, saying, and acting. We need to have some idea of this. However, it is how we determine this and then how we use this determination that makes a world of difference.
• Judge
This is the word used here. In other contexts it often but not always has a connotation of condemnation or seeking to punish wrong doing. Here lies our great difficulty. When God created humans we seem to have no knowledge of what was right or wrong. Anything was allowed in the garden except partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (which is a symbol of God’s very nature). Basically, there wasn’t much trouble to get into except to try to be like God. Yet that is what Adam and Eve did. They wanted to be like God. They tasted of the tree. Just enough to see that they had really messed up and wanted to hide. And this has been our problem ever since. We have just enough taste to vaguely determine right from wrong. Except we often get it all mixed up so we rationalize and justify our wrongdoings (sin is what the bible calls it) and we make excuses and blame others so that what is right is wrong and what is supposed to be wrong is right.
Thus Jesus warns us against judging others and condemning others because we rarely use the same standard of judgment for ourselves that we do for others. We think we do. But we don’t. For example. This passage is often used to exhort people to be tolerant of others. Which I very much believe Jesus is teaching. Here’s the thing. Some of the people that I am most intolerant of are those who are intolerant. Especially when they are brothers and sisters in Christ especially when they are leaders and especially when they (in my opinion) should know better. There is a tension for me here because I am not always using the same measure in judging others (especially others that I do not know personally) that I judge myself.
In fact I have found that we I judge others there is usually something in me that either I am dealing with or have dealt with and that is why I can see it so clearly. We’ll look at that next week.
• Condemn
The last word is usually translated as condemn. This is often meaning to condemn eternally. Jesus was condemned as he died on the cross. Jesus speaks of final judgment in the Sermon on the Mount. The end judgment which is God’s domain. This is when everything well be made right and everything will come to light. Paul reminds us that in Christ we have no condemnation. As we follow Jesus and his ways and work out our salvation and we live out the Shema of Jesus even when we fall short and even we that little me or that sinful nature rears it ugly head, as long as we keep following Jesus growing in grace seeking spiritual progress rather than perfection, then God offers no condemnation.
This end of the spectrum is definitely God’s domain. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. When get here, we generally are seeking retribution and vengeance. We can’t possibly know all the details and circumstances of another person’s life and heart. We can’t really determine their motives when they hurt us. Maybe what they said had nothing to do with us but they are under a tremendous amount of stress and pain from other circumstances. It doesn’t excuse bad behavior but maybe understanding on our part or at least the acknowledgment of our lack of understand may help us from going down a broken and bitter path.
Jesus talks about loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. He said that those who are full of mercy will be blessed and will be shown mercy. He said not to let me run over you but also not to retaliate. Instead turn the other cheek making the other person at least treat you (if they are going to use force) like a human being. Show your love by going the second mile. Show them that you choose to help them because we all are created in the image of God no matter how much sin distorts this image. Don’t judge and condemn your brother in your hate. Go to your adversary and talk to that person as a fellow human being and settle matters especially when you have wrong them.
It also helps to know a little about the context.
Two Judgments
If we remember Matthew’s community, Hellenized Jews, and that Jesus was very Jewish then we need to understand that Jewish people were constantly categorizing people in order to elevate their own status. One of the most important religious ways to categorize people is through the areas of purity and morality.
• Purity
First, people were classified as clean or unclean. This referred specially to religious ceremony. Of course in the Jewish culture, this meant power and prestige. The priests and religious leaders needed to make sure that they kept themselves pure. Thus Jesus told the story of the man who was beaten almost to death and robbed. A priest and a Levite at different times came along recognizing the situation and instead of helping they passed by the other side. We like to judge them because we know better right. We know the story and the outcome. We know that an unclean Samaritan came along and saved the man. But we also need to remember that the priest and Levite were simply trying to be good, righteous Jews (Tsadigs) by observing what they believed to be crucial elements in obeying God. They felt that they needed to remain pure above all and that if they were pure then they would be morally right.
• Morality
Morality of course deals with right and wrong. One could be unclean or impure but still be morality right with God. For example, a woman who is in her menstruation period was considered to be unclean but not necessary immoral. A prostitute would be immoral and unclean. Jesus seems to be undoing common belief that just because one was clean and pure then that automatically made one moral. For sometimes in our judgment to be right we are wrong. The priest and Levite may been obedient to the Law but they disobeyed Jesus’ basic belief (his Shema) by not helping someone who desperately needed help. They were immoral because they were not loving others.
So Jesus warns us not to judge others especially when we write them off or condemn them. If we do then we will be judged and condemned by the same standard. Instead Jesus teaches us to forgive others when they sin against. It means that we do not hold the mistakes against them. Why? Because we make mistakes. We sin against others sometimes unintentionally and sometimes intentionally. We hurt others. We don’t know other people’s hearts. We don’t know other people’s stories. We need to. Before we judge them we ought to at least give them the benefit of the doubt and find out what is in their heart and what was going through your mind. Maybe we need to set up appropriate boundaries especially when people transgress our boundaries. This is not an act of condemnation but of self-preservation so that we can live out the love of Christ. When I worked at Pizza Hut as a shift manager, I got a call from a customer where we made a mistake except he was being verbally abusive and vulgar. I firmly apologized for the mistake offering to make things right but if his language continued then I would end the call. He promptly began another tirade. I simply said, “Good bye, sir” hung up. Fortunately, he called back and was much more cordial and we straightened out the problem. I didn’t hold any grudges against the guy. I thought it sad that something so insignificant as a mistake on a pizza would bother him that much and concluded that there must have been other issues at work in his life.
How about Michael Vick? He confessed to find Jesus. I think the loving approach is to pray for him. It is not my place to judge him and whether or not his confession was sincere. I don’t know. God does. I will leave that up to God. However, I can discern and even judge that his comment in the context of his other comments was inappropriate. It appeared within the context to be much like other celebrities who have made the same comments only to give no evidence of a changed life. We can judge those actions without condemning the people. As one anonymous person said on a blog, “Playing the Jesus card only raised the suspicions of most people that he was trying to save his NFL career and get off with a lighter sentence.” But then I must ask myself, “When have I used the Jesus to get people to think better of me or think of me as something that I am not.” This could apply even in a prayer on Sunday morning ending with Jesus name when my heart really wasn’t into the prayer. Could a bumper sticker or a WWJD bracelet misuse the name of Jesus when I go 72 in a 65 zone or when I cut a corner at work or even ignore a hurting co-worker maybe for a perfectly good reason that I don’t know what to say or have to be at church.
You see ultimately it is about one way: the way of Jesus. His ways. His thoughts. His teachings. His faith. His death. His life lived in us.
One Way
• Jesus
It’s a tough issue judging others. Sometimes it even seems that loving others demands that we judge someone. Like Saddam Hussein. The list of atrocities and the evidence of injustice from multiple sources tell us that he was a brutal and cruel dictator that needed to answer for his crimes and be removed from power. We as followers of Jesus we need to discern whether war especially a preemptive strike was the best course of action. Our knowledge isn’t always perfect. Our motives aren’t always perfect. Jesus warns us against judging others because he wisely sees how slippery the slope can be. History has also shown us how judging others can so quickly spire out of control (such as the crusades) so that the judges commit worse atrocities than those being judged. If we must judge, then dialogue. Share your concerns. And listen!! Listen to the other. And forgive!! If we must err, I think Jesus would have us err on the side of grace.
You be the judge.
