It occurred to me today that judgement is right and judgement is also wrong.

I believe that homosexuality is wrong.

I believe that abortion is wrong.

I believe that racism is wrong.

I believe that extremism is wrong.

I believe that pride and egotism and superiority are wrong.

I also believe that sitting in judgement over other people is wrong.

–>Which isn’t the same thing as saying that judgement is wrong.

Making a decision to grab a parachute before jumping out of a plane –> we would call that good judgement.

Making a decision to not get in the car with the friend, who’s had too much to drink, behind the wheel –> we would call that good judgement.

Making a decision to not buy the Rolex from the guy on the street who’s selling them for $40 –> we would call that good judgement.

* * *

The fact of the matter is that everyone realizes that there is such a thing as good judgement.

And, while we’re on the subject, would you care to guess the most often quoted Bible verse? I’ll give you two hints: 1) it’s not John 3:16, and 2) it’s more often quoted by the World than it’s quoted by the Church.

Give up?!?!

Matthew 7:1

The reason is this: the world is tired of being judged by their fellow humans. And, if there is anyone anywhere who should know better, it’s the Church.

At least a church that had been reading their Bibles would know better.

So, while I do think that our society is traipsing down a dark spiral and while I do think that most of America’s current problems are the result of the country having walked away from God, I can’t tell you how many disagreements I have with many of my fellow Christians about the proper amount of judgement that we should be showering down on the world.

I think that amount should be zero. And here’s why:

Jesus was attractive to sinners. He ate with tax collectors and prostitutes and the socially unclean members of the Jewish society –> they flocked to Him (which disgusted the Pharisees). They did this because He loved them in a way that no one else was willing to love them.

And then, when Jesus eventually did have something to say about the way they were living their lives (which He sometimes did – John 8), they understood that He was doing it in love.

Unfortunately, most of the time, churches judge people without loving them. In fact, the church’s judgement crisis is more of a condemnation of the church that it could ever be a condemnation of the sins of the world.

And, the fact of the matter is this, I’ve messed this up enough times that I should know better. I’ve missed my opportunities to establish relationships with people so that I could lovingly help them to learn some of the lessons that I’ve learned, and instead, I’ve judged them and sent them running in the other direction.

I’m part of the problem.

And, let’s get back to that verse, Matthew 7:1, except let’s look at the whole context.

Jesus was warning His followers that they needed to avoid hypocrisy. The first few verses of Chapter 7 are a warning that people need to avoid judging others if they’d like to avoid harsh judgment by God, especially in situations where they haven’t even dealt with their own issues.

Wouldn’t you want to avoid the harsh and righteous judgement of God, who has been watching this whole time, not just your actions and your words, but the thoughts floating through your head?

Jesus seems pretty clear: if our intention is to run around passing judgement on the world, not out of a loving desire to help them toward the right, but rather, because it makes us feel morally superior, that moral superiority and smug arrogance is going to melt like butter in front of The One True God one day when you try to explain why it is that you thought you were the one who ought to be letting people know how poorly they were living.

I can tell you this. In those situations in my life where I passed judgement on people and damaged the Cause of Christ, I am going to be held responsible one day. I still don’t know what I’m going to say on that day.

My judgments are simply that, my judgments. Even if they are based on scripture (or I believe they are), they are just the judgments of one petty human on their fellow human. They are of no value at all. I should do what I’d do with any other trash and just throw them away.