We are all the victims of other people’s judgments, and other people are the victims of ours. Nobody gets through life without experiencing both of these phenomena, no matter how hard we try. And if we are about to say something, but preface it with, “I don’t mean to judge, but…” (I am guilty of this), we are being judgmental. I think it is part of being human; we automatically categorize everything. We are taught to pay attention to our surroundings; we check out where we are, who is there, what is happening. We size people up for a lot of reasons, and not all of those reasons are bad. And we misunderstand Jesus; He never said we couldn’t judge, but that we would be judged with the same measure of judgment we place on others. Judge not, lest you be judged. That should make us take a pause before we take that road.
I guess that’s why this attached meme interested me so much. One of the most often quoted verses in the Christian Scriptures is John 3: 16, “For God so love the world that God gave God’s only Son, and whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.” The next verse, however, is quoted far less. “For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” I have always read this as meaning that it is those who believe in Jesus who will be part of what saves the world through Him. Jesus gives us the ability to do good – to make positive changes – to live our lives in a way that shows God’s love. This meme is a reminder that if Jesus wasn’t sent to condemn the world, people, or other religions, then God sure didn’t send any of us to do the job. We are meant to speak up, stand up, show up, and help heal the world.
And while Jesus didn’t completely ban judgment – He knew what people are like – He gave us plenty of warnings about how dangerous judgment of others is. Don’t help others with the speck in their eye until you remove the log in yours. Don’t expect others to pay their debt to you if your much larger debt has been forgiven. Those are both teachings of Jesus that are meant to give us a sense of balance and gratitude and humility. It is so easy to point fingers at others when we can be just as, or more, guilty of worse things. Spiritual arrogance is ruining our lives in so many ways; just look at the laws being passed in states around the country. God has been weaponized instead of offered as a gift.
I am no better or worse than anyone else, and neither are you. Some people have it easier than others, and some people screw up more than others, but who we are on the inside is the same – we are all in the image of God. Some show that image more than others, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Some are luckier than others, or have more advantages, or make better choices. Yes, we need to judge crimes and punish those crimes fairly, but that is a different kind of judgment. As for the rest of it, leave it to God. You and I have enough to deal with just being who we are.
Prayer – Holy God, we admit that it is really hard to not judge. We too often think we have it figured out and look down on those who seem lost or messed up. Forgive us for our immature spirits – nurture us into being better representatives of Your love. Amen.