56:260723
On
Judging Others
[NIV]
Matthew 7: 1&2 “Do
not judge, or you too will be judged. 2
For
in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you”
Our
Lord said ..“Do
not judge, or you too will be judged” ..
Just what do these words mean? We cannot help judging others, sure,
after all we are only human! We ought to be able to read others
characters, and to know whether others are good or bad. As we watch
others act we can’t help forming opinions about them. The holier we
grow and more like Christ, then the nearer will be our moral
judgments. We are not meant to close our eyes and be blind to peoples
faults and sins.
Q:
“So what does our Lords words really mean to us?”
He
is saying this .. ‘It is uncharitable judging against others for
which He warns us, we are not actively looking for evil things –
actions – behaviours in others. We are not to see others through
the warped glasses of prejudice and unkindly feeling. We are not
arrogate*
to ourselves the function of judging, [*Arrogate:~take
or claim something without justification], as if man was answerable
to us. We are to avoid a critical or censorious spirit. Nothing is
against speaking good of those we see and know, it is though
uncharitable judging and speaking of those that are condemned.
Luke
6:37 “Do
not condemn, and you will not be condemned”
One
reason this is wrong, is that it is putting one’s self in Gods
place. Words you don’t want to said of you is .. “Who
made you judge and executioner”
.. on hearing these words should be a warning that you have gone too
far. For He/God is the one true judge, with whom every human soul is
judged. Judgment is not ours to make but is Gods.. God
only is the Lawmaker and the Judge, He who is able to save and
destroy, so who are you that judges your neighbour?”
.. In condemning and censuring others we are thrusting ourselves into
Gods seat, taking His sceptre into our hands, and presuming to
exercise His perogatives.
2
Chronicles 19:6
“Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but
for the Lord”
We
don’t know what may be the cause of the faults we would condemn
others. Some peoples flaws are an inheritance that they have received from
our parents. They were born with the weakness that now mars their
adulthood. Or, their faults come through errors in their training and
education. Once, a Nurse fell with a Baby in her arms, years later,
and all down the years the man goes about with a lameness or a
deformity, which mars his beauty of form. But he's not responsible for
the marring, and criticism of him is cruel and unjust. There are now
hurts in his character, and wounds of the soul, which it is quite
unjust to condemn with anything but pity, for they are the
inheritance by someone else’s hands.
1
Corinthians 4:4&5 “My
conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the
Lord who judges me. 5
Therefore
judge nothing”
We don’t know the things in a persons circumstances or experiences
which are the real cause of the faults, or even peculiarities we are
disposed to censure. We don’t know what troubles they have endured,
what secret sorrows they have had to carry, that are so impressed
upon their hearts, as to affect their temper, or even the cause their
conduct. . .It written ..
“If
we could read the secret history of our
enemies,
we should find in each persons
life,
sorrows and sufferings, enough to
disarm
all our hostility and angst”
...If
we take time to wonder at a man’s unmercifulness, they will seem
unsocial sour or even cold. But all the while they are carrying a
burden which almost crushes the life out of them. If we knew all that
God knows of their life, perhaps, just perhaps, we might not speak
words of ill over them. Then may be our own censure would not be so
harsh.
A
great deal of our judging of others over misjudging or unjust
judging, because we don’t know all the facts, that are leading upto
this point in their lives. It would oftimes grieve us, and make us
ashamed of ourselves, if, when we have judged an other severely
, that is if we should be shown a glimpse of their inner life,
revealing hidden sorrows & struggles, which are the root cause of
the things in them we have blamed.
Betty
and me would often be out in the car, when we’re cut up, by
someone. I might go to react, Betty would say STOP, you don’t know
the day they could be having or had, or the pressures that are on
them to be somewhere. As frustrating as it can be, she always tries
to get me to see the other side of the coin. When all I want to do is
rage, it is very disarming.
Very
often all we will see is but fragments of their lives, and no judgement
formed on a fragment can be fair, we can only see one side of the
coin, when there may be another that altogether changes it’s
quality. The two sides could be seen as thus …
‘One
side is always but blurred, like
a
mass of crushed leaves, that are just out
of
focus. The other side is seen in sharp
focus,
showing the exquisite beauty
of
the flower.’
.
. . Life is full of similar 2 sided views of people and their acts.
We would see someone out in the World, and they appear harsh &
stern. Then we see them at home, and maybe see them around their invalid
child, then all comes together a full life picture. It would
therefore have been unjust if we made our judgement of them, from our
‘one-sided’ view of them, without seeing them with their child,
loving ~ caring ~ nurturing.
There
was a young man whom was severely criticised by his work colleagues
for his closeness & meanness. He was paid a very good salery, but
livid very miserly, without even basic comforts, which his friends thought
he could easerly afforded, and without any of these generous
expenditures in a social way which his work colleagues indulged in.
Many thoughts were made of his stinginess. That was only one side of
life, but there was in fact another. When the young man had an only
sister, actually they were ‘Orphans’, she greatly suffered (in
other words was very sick), she was stuck in her room, of which she
was mostly bed ridden because of her illness. He was her only brother
thus provided all her care needs.
This
was the reason he lived so frugally, saving every penny he could,
often going without many things others his age took for granted and
thought necessary, so that she never went without, so she had the
best care he could give her, and many comforts. This was the other
side of his (hidden) character, the one side of which his work
friends were unknowledgable & uncompassionate about. Surely we
can see how unjust their judgement was based upon the one side they
saw of his conduct. To judge from only seeing a fragment, is to judge
ignorantly not least to say unfare.
[NIV]
Matthew 7:2/5 “Why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay
no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4
How
can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your
eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5
You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”
Our
own imperfections also make us unfit for judging fairly. With ‘beams
in our own eyes, make it that we can not see clearly to pick the
planks out of our brother eye’s. One of the qualities which make us
incapable of impartial judgement of others is … ENVY. There are
very few of us who can see our neighbour's lifes work disposition
without some warping & distortion of the picture. Envy
.. has a strange effect on our moral vision
..
It
shows the beautiful things in others with the beauty dimmed ..
It
shows the blemishes and faults in an exaggerated way ..
In
other forms too, the miserable selfishness of our hearts obtrudes
itself and makes our judgement of others oftimes really unkind and
uncharitable
[NIV]
Romans
8:26/7 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We
do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27
And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes for God’s people”
Another
reason we should not judge others is that we need then to rise up out
of their distresses. We are set together in life to make each other a
lot better than we are. Their way to do this is not prattling on
about their faults or short comings. Constantly pointing out their
faults never cured anyone. There is a time, in friendship & love,
for telling others their faults, but as I have already said, it can
only be said in these relationships, also be only said in a spirit of
lovingkindness.
We
are often told one of the finest qualities in a friend is that they
will faithfully, with love, tell us our faults. We would like to think
it is so, but not many of us have grace enough to welcome and accept
such correction. A parent may tell their own child their faults, so
long as they tell us with love & affection, NEVER – EVER to
ever approach with anger or impatience. There was a time when a
teacher could tell a pupil of their mistakes and then show how to
correct them, again if it was done with a loving desire for their
improvement.
Nagging
is not a means of grace
There
is a more excellent way, that is love. It’s better when we wish to correct faults in others, be careful to let them see in us, in relief
the virtue, the excellence, which is opposite to the defect we see in
them ..
[NLT]Proverbs
3:12
“For
the Lord
corrects
those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he
delights”
[NIV]Proverbs
2:10/11
“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant
to your soul. 11
Discretion
will protect you, and understanding will guard you”
..
It is the habit formed by a certain type of person, that if they were
to hear from a close member of their family & friends
mispronounce a word, they never correct them, or tare strips of off
them, right there and then, that would just be belittling.
Instead they find the best and earliest opportunity, to show them the
best time/way to use and pronounce the word. To correct in this manner is
for sure the most wise in helping them and others out of their faults
of character and conduct, in a more friendlier & softer way.
#That
is our Lords way, with His disciples
He
never scolded them#
He
bore patiently with their dullness, and slowness as scholars. He
[Jesus] never wearied of repeating the same lesson over and over
again, but was never censorious. Even Jesus did not judge them, He
didn’t keep telling them of al the blemishes He saw in them. It was just not His way of seeking their growth into better, sweeter
life, for His heart is always full of love. He helped them ever
toward a longer life. We
always need to remember to relate to others to grow into spiritual
beauty. Consciousness accomplishes
nothing in making people better. You must always remember that
scolding never really helped anyone…
Only
LOVE creates LOVE
…
We
too often take too much delight in discovering something NOT
beautiful about someone, and swooping down upon what ever they did
wrong. Instead what is needed, is a complete change of mindset, in
approaching them with love, when having to correct them...
[NIV]
Psalms 35:24 “Vindicate
me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness”
…
If
ever criticism is ever indulged in, it should be done with deep
humility, and with sincere desire, that for their sake helping them
making changes, only ever done just between you and them.
We
ALL therefore need to train ourselves, to see the good
in each other and NOT evil. We need to speak more approving &
edifying, shinning the light on each others beauty within. And not
words that are bitter ~ twisted ~ or hurtful & condemning words
that would impact others for years to come. We must always try and
look at others through eyes
of love, and not those of ..Envy or Selfishness .. therefore we
should seek to heal with words of true affection & gentleness.
Jesus
Christ came in peace, lived with lovingkindness and peace, even
keeping silent all the way through His persecution & crucifixion.
Can
we honestly say the same? Next time we feel like ripping into someone
.. S T O P .. Think ~ breath ~ count to 10 next time you find
yourself becoming embroiled in a heated discussion, and end up saying some
thing you will regret.
Prayer
Heavenly Father with each passing day, make us, mould us
little more like Jesus, and alittle like our earthly selves.
Amen
