On Judging Others

Rev. Tim Travers

Reading

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
Matthew 7:1-12

Reflection

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, stated, “We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others.” Wesley knew that standing in judgment of others does not indicate love, and loving others is of utmost importance in obeying Christ. When we focus on judging others, it not only tears down the individual we’re judging, but it also damages our own spirit. As Pastor Mark said in his sermon, “Jesus taught us not to judge others and warns that when we do judge, we do harm to ourselves and those around us.”

I have met plenty of people who wear a daily smile but are inwardly unhappy, yet I have never met a person who wears a daily frown but is inwardly happy. In other words, sometimes cheerfulness can be a mask we wear, but if there’s disdain to be read on our face, it’s almost always real. What might make a person prone to such a dour demeanor day after day? I’ve often found that it’s because they spend too much time dwelling on their own and others’ faults.

Being judgmental makes one unhappy. In fact, I’ve found that people who spend a lot of time criticizing others are often among the most unhappy people. Sometimes, you can even sense a sadness and frustration emanating from someone who has spent years criticizing those around them. That’s no way to live the abundant life Jesus wants for us.

But it goes even deeper. Constantly finding fault in others is often due to an inability to forgive oneself. If we find ourselves being critical and quick to judge others, we would do well to look deep within to discover what we’re struggling to accept about ourselves. Otherwise, a judgmental spirit can deteriorate our relationships.

In a similar vein, our scripture passage indicates that we can expect to be judged to the same degree that we judge others. I think this is true in two distinct ways. First, if we’re quick to judge someone, we can assume that person will be quick to judge us in return. Second, when we stand in judgment of others, we harm our fellowship with God. As that happens, we start to forget what a loving and merciful God we have, and we may even begin to feel like God is against us instead of for us. Again, that’s no way to live the abundant life Jesus desires for us.

What would happen if we stopped allowing judgment to be our society’s knee-jerk reaction? What if our first inclination was toward acceptance and kindness, even when we disagree? Granted, our society doesn’t give us much modeling in that regard. On social media, for instance, we often see a quickness to judge and a tendency to blame. But what if our spirit started to lean toward acceptance instead of disdain?

Prayer
Create in me a new heart, O God. Place a new spirit within me. Let it be your Holy Spirit that guides me in all things. Lord, guide my thinking toward acceptance, my actions toward love, and my life toward living out what it means to be in the kingdom of God. Amen.