Thursday, Nov. 15

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Thursday

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  
- James 2:1

James is talking about the fundamental human tendency to judge others.  We are all prone to make judgements and evaluations of other people.  The problem is not so much with the fact that we are making judgments, but that we are basing our judgments on the wrong things.  It is one thing to agree with this in theory, but is often quite another thing to try and put this into practice in our everyday lives.

For example...

What about a poor man who learns how to “play the system” by asking for money and support from local churches, while continuing in the addictive and deceitful behaviors that are causing his desperate situation...is it ever wrong for a church or individual to tell this man “no more”?

What about a mother who sees her daughter getting involved in a relationship with someone who abuses and mistreats her...is it wrong for her to make judgements about the character of her daughter’s boyfriend?

What about a son who sees his father breaking his marriage vows and making choices that are destroying his family...is it wrong for this young man to feel partial toward his mother in this situation?

These are difficult questions that require something more than throwing a verse or two of the Bible around, they require a deeper grasp of the teaching of God’s Word on this subject.

Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”, may be one of the most often used and misapplied verses in the Bible.  I have heard people use this verse as a kind of shield against anyone calling another person’s actions sinful or wrong.  Jesus (and James) are not saying that we must never make any distinction or judgment about a person’s character or behavior.  In Matthew 7:6, Jesus says that we are not to give to dogs what is sacred or throw our pearls to pigs.  Now if we assume that Jesus was using dogs and pigs as metaphors for certain kinds of people, then how are we supposed to determine who is a pig and who is a dog if we must never make any judgments about anyone?  Later in the same chapter, Jesus says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:15-16)  Jesus Himself tells us to recognize them by their fruit, but once again, how can we discern the wolf from the sheep if we never make any judgment or distinction?  

You have to judge carefully to discern that, someone isn’t a sheep, but rather a wolf masquerading as a sheep!  Jesus’ point seems clear: if we don’t make correct judgments about others, we’ll be eaten by wolves! 

Paul also tells us that we are actually responsible to judge those in the church who profess to be believers, but who are living in willful sin and disobedience (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

Does this mean that we are to be judging each other after all?  Not quite, the Bible is often so much more nuanced than the simple either or categories we try to fir it into.  The Bible makes a very important distinction between the kind of judgment that discerns the quality and integrity of a persons actions and motivations - and - the kind of judgmentalism that treats people as if they do not matter at all to God.  

Perhaps the best example of how to do this comes from Jesus Himself.  In John ch.8, Jesus has an encounter with a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and is about to be stoned by the Jewish leaders.  These leaders tried to get Jesus involved in a debate over the punishment for this woman, but Jesus took a different approach...

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  - John 8:7-11

Jeff Frazier