DO NOT JUDGE.
Luke 6:36-42.
“‘Ye all’ therefore be merciful, as your Father is merciful” (LUKE 6:36; cf. Romans 9:15). We are being called to be compassionate, to exercise grace towards those who are hostile to us. It was ‘when we were enemies’ that ‘we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son’ (cf. Romans 5:10). It was while we were yet unlovely, and unlovable, that His Love was thus poured out for us!
Reward is not the motive, but we do find that, incidentally, love does bring its own recompense (LUKE 6:37). Sometimes in this life (LUKE 6:38), always in the hereafter. Measure out what you would hope to get, for God desires mercy, not sacrifice (cf. Matthew 9:13).
We may think this teaching impossible, and with good reason: but it is modelled on Jesus' own example. Furthermore, God has given us His grace to aspire towards this high standard of AGAPE Love. Born of the Spirit, we are His sons!
When Jesus says, “Judge not” (LUKE 6:37), He is not bidding us suspend our faculty of discernment. No, He is rather speaking about a spirit of censoriousness: judging others as we would NOT wish to be judged ourselves!
It is a serious matter for us to judge one another, as if the day of judgment had come, and our own unworthy selves were the judges. Worse than this, if we are setting ourselves up as a standard when we are less than perfect ourselves, then we will later be judged by the same standard as we have used for the other - and will find ourselves wanting (LUKE 6:38).
“Can the blind lead the blind?” asked Jesus. “Shall they not both fall into the ditch?” (LUKE 6:39). There is a certain arrogance about some would-be teachers of others. They boast that they can see, but are in fact blind (cf. John 9:41). They think of themselves as ‘a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness’ (cf. Romans 2:19); but ‘both shall fall into the ditch’ (cf. Matthew 15:14).
“The disciple is not above his ‘teacher:’ but everyone that ‘has been perfected’ shall be as his ‘teacher’” (LUKE 6:40). In practice, Jesus ‘judged not’ (cf. John 8:11; John 12:47; Luke 12:14). It was not time yet for Jesus to take on the office of a judge; neither is it time yet for His followers to take that role to themselves!
Jesus illustrates this with His almost humorous (were it not so serious!) picture of the man with a plank in His own eye trying to extract a speck from his brother’s eye (LUKE 6:41-42)! Why are we so busy “beholding” the minor faults of others without “considering” how great our own faults are? How dare we think to correct another when we are not right with God ourselves!
Again, it is evident that we should still be aware and help our erring brother, which is in some sense to exercise judgment or discernment. But if we try to operate on our brother’s eye while we are half blind ourselves then Jesus - according to His own judgment or discernment - has but one word for us: “hypocrite” or ‘play-actor’! First, we must operate on ourselves, seeking out the sin that hinders us and leaving it with the Lord; and then, and only then, are we in a fit state to help the other (LUKE 6:42).
