Don't Judge

Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

I have heard preachers quote this verse more than once as the “favorite Bible verse of this generation”, implying they use it as a cloak to keep people from pointing out their sinful behavior. Of course, the sermon continues with a long list of “contemporary sins”, condemning each one along the way.

I would rather not have to use a disclaimer in my second paragraph, but I will: I believe strongly that Scripture teaches moral and ethical behavior and that a follower of Jesus should be serious about his or her conduct. So, now you know I’m not one to excuse my behavior based on Jesus’ injunction against judging.

It does cross my mind, though, that there may be another reason that this verse is quoted more often by this generation (if that is even accurate). What if this generation is reacting to an overly judgmental contemporary church? Or, what if they have sniffed out our inclination to judge some sins weightier than others? And, what if they also have noticed how quickly we condemn “society’s” sins while basking in forgiveness for our own?

Sometimes we try to separate this with the phrase, “Hate the sin, not the sinner”. And so, we can get as red-faced as we want about particular behaviors so long as we do not mention the names of its partakers. If we think just an inch or so past our own noses, we will understand how ridiculous this is. My own negative behavior is as much a part of my self-image as are my more positive behaviors. I have rarely seen someone “hating” sin that makes the “sinner” feel wholly welcome in their presence.

Jesus actually denounces two particular actions: judging and accusing of guilt. When we judge a person, we think it can end there. “How can so and so talk to their parents like that?” But “judgment” turns quickly to accusation of guilt; a legal term which implies locking up the person in prison. “That person is on a lower level than me, because they talk to their parents like that.” And so, with every judgment of another person’s sin, we are also putting them in prison and demoting them from our particular level of humanness.

Restoration is nearly impossible when we view offenders this way. How do we draw people to God when our actions imply we think they are lower than ourselves? How can we follow Christ while hanging on to grudges that makes the very sight of a person make us cringe? How, indeed, did Jesus respond to those who truly deserved judgment?

There is little need to point out how comfortable sinners were around Jesus. A known prostitute crashes a dinner party just to wet His feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. Jesus regularly had meals with tax collectors in their own homes. And, the few times we find Jesus pointing out sinful behaviors it was to the religious folk who were judging others. As for the prostitutes and tax collectors, they often changed, not because of Jesus’ finger in their face, but because of the grace they saw in His.

Judgmental people eventually find that judgment comes back around on them. If we live by condemning others, we eventually are going to have to face the same standard. Every time we point out someone else’s sin with our nose in the air, we give others permission to accuse us in just the same way. We will have no answer, having given no mercy.

This all brings us round to the final phrase in the verse: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Honestly, my motivation is mildly selfish. I know how often I fail. I know the inertia that slows my steps when I have the opportunity to do good. I know the gravity that attracts me to harmful attitudes that are far from the lowly heart of the One I love.

If I’m not sure whether I should point out a sin our not, I’m going to land on the safe side. I know we could write a book about how to deal with behaviors, when to talk to someone about sinful actions or attitudes and such. And, by the way, to have a talk with someone does not constitute condemnation in the least. But, in the midst of that talk, the view should always be toward forgiveness.

Yes, perhaps many do like this verse because they want to excuse their sin. But something inside of me thinks that opinion is just the devil’s sneaky way of tempting the church to give up the hard work of forgiveness. We must never forget that he is the “accuser of the brethren”. When a voice inside says, “They deserved that”, we can be pretty sure its source.