Judging: “Look in the Mirror”

As we study Jesus’ teaching about not judging, I often get this response: “But it is such a natural human condition; we all do it.”

Yes, I agree with that and yes, we are all burdened with our default-faulty human condition, so this response might be okay if it were not for Jesus’ stark warning about the consequences of our judging:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

I do not think he is kidding around, do you?

So what to do? How can we move forward out of this apparent damning human condition, out of the darkness and into the Light?

Let’s begin with one of my absolute favorites of Jesus’ teachings:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy … generous -and non-judgmental …, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eyes are unhealthy … stingy – judgmental …, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  (Matthew 6:22-23 Italics added)

So start by viewing others in a light most favorable … i.e., cut them the same slack you want them to cut you.

Next, take a look in the mirror at yourself. I find that my eyes are much more generous toward someone’s behavior when I know I have done the same thing. I can more readily think, “Who am I to judge that person? I did that, too.” And even if I have not done that exact thing, an honest and objective look in the mirror reminds me of my many previous sins and reveals my current dark heart.

So again, “Who am I to judge?”

Jesus tells us to first look in the mirror:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and don’t look in the mirror to see the plank in your own eye? … You hypocrite, first take a look in the mirror and then take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

Read Scripture with a Mirror

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching you, rebuking you, correcting you and training you in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16 “you” added)

Have you ever been reading the Bible and thought, “I wish ______ would read this. They need to hear this!”??

I have even contemplated placing my Bible, opened to that page, so they might see it. (And fix themselves)

Argh!

No. The scriptures are useful for me to be taught, and for me to be rebuked, and for me to be corrected, and for me to be trained. If you walk away from reading the Bible and do not feel any of this, you are either reading it too fast, or you are not serious about growing.

As Martin Luther observed, “We do not read the Scriptures; the Scriptures read us.”