Judge Not, Lest Ye 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 7:2

Just over a month ago I did a post on focusing on your responsibilities within the church. After a troubling conversation or two, I just felt like I needed to confirm what I was thinking, and sought my answer within the Bible. Here is that post if you want to check it out, because it is related to today's post.

I was awake for awhile last night thinking about how often we worry about people other than ourselves. Like right now, I am concerned about new neighbors moving in next door sometime soon. I am worried that they are going to be party people or that they're going to store hazardous things in the shared shed. Or even worse yet. There's also the times we spend some time in a prayer group or just chatting with some of our church brothers and sisters, and we hear about their struggles, and then we think to ourselves horrible thoughts about a person. We judge them, thinking that they need more faith, or that they need to pray differently. We may become frustrated, because we try to share some encouragement with that person, but they really don't need the encouragement...what they need is someone to listen without judging and someone to pray with. They don't need our words of judgment, no matter how good the intentions.

That is simply arrogance, and Jesus addressed this very thing in Matthew. In the instance of the new neighbors, before I've even met them, I'm assuming that I'm the better person. I'm assuming that they are not going to have respect for us as people, and I assume we're just not going to get along. That's arrogance to think I'm better than someone I haven't even met. What a horrible attitude to have! The same goes with the church example. In both instances, I need to remember at all times that I am responsible for myself, and myself only. We don't think like other people- we are each unique and independent, and that's what makes people so fantastic! We are all different. But when we look at someone and say "you don't have enough faith" shame on us! It's not my business to judge someone else's level of faith. "If I have faith so that I might remove mountains" is a great thing to say and to live by, but then we become hypocritical when we walk around blubbering about how other people don't have enough faith. In essence, we don't have enough faith then, because a person with a real heart for the Lord would pray for that person who has little faith, and while praying, have faith that God would help that person who is struggling.

It's like watching a movie with a sad moment. (Or joyous, I suppose.) Let's use Old Yeller as an example. Many people watch the movie and when Yeller must be put down, that's a very sad moment, but some people are unaffected by this moment in the movie. Still others become sad, and maybe even shed a tear or two about this boy's companion having to be put to sleep. If I am watching this movie with someone, who am I to judge whether or not someone cries over Old Yeller? It really doesn't matter. All that matters to me is how I feel and how I think about the movie. It is not my place to look at someone and think they are less of a person because they cried when Old Yeller died. It's not my place, and in all honesty, I think it's a little ridiculous.

So. We need to watch ourselves. We need to look within and when we notice that we are passing a moment of judgment, then we need to assess the situation and turn to God in prayer. We need to remember that we are responsible for ourselves and our attitude and no one elses. We need to remember Jesus' words and remove the plank from our own eyes before we turn to our neighbor and try and pick out some sawdust.

"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? 4How 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? 5You 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." Matthew 7:3-5