On Not Judging Others

The generative, generous, pay-it-forward, idea of ‘God’s Economy’ has been a common theme so far in this series on the Sermon on the Mount. We forgive as we are forgiven, receive grace as we offer grace, receive mercy as we are merciful. But it works just as well for more ‘negative’ ideas. This is the theme of the section of the Sermon which we’ll be looking at today, Jesus’ teaching against judging others.

Jesus says:

Do not judge, lest you be judged: For you will be judged by the same judgement by which you judge others, and measured by the same measure by which you measure others. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam in your own eye? Or, how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck in your eye,” while (behold!) the beam is still in your eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your eye, and then you will see clearly so as to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7.1-5)

He starts by telling us that, just as we are forgiven by the same standards by which we forgive others, so too will we be judged by the same standards by which we judge others. Then, by way of a rather hilarious example, he infers that our own problems are so big as to prevent us from seeing others’ lives clearly enough to be in a position to judge them anyway. Even if it were our job, which it’s not. And yet, people of faith, then and now, still seem prone to look outside at others, rather than inwardly, to see what’s amiss in the world. And this is hypocrisy of the highest degree. We see this exact same point in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, where he writes:

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. (Romans 2.1)

Too often, ‘religious’ people get so caught up in our beliefs about what’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ that we miss the point. As we saw with Jesus’ teaching about the Law (and Paul’s too), the truth is that we’re all in the wrong in one way or another, and therefore in the same position: Deserving judgment, but receiving God’s mercy and forgiveness. And this experience, inasmuch as we own it for real in our lives, will necessarily compel us, from the deepest parts of our beings, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to extend that same grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others. By judging others when we have received mercy, we reveal that we don’t really know God at all. So, Jesus’ parable of the Unforgiving Servant ends with the master rejecting and casting away the servant, saying, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt [you had accrued] because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18.32-33). So then, it’s not just that standing in judgement over others is hypocritical, but that it also reveals that we don’t understand what faithfulness means in God’s Kingdom.

Luke’s version of this teaching makes all of these connections clear:

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ (Luke 6.36-38)

This is, according to our Scriptures, how the Gospel works. The Kingdom of God grows in the sharing. We get what we give. We share what we’ve received. We forgive as we are forgiven. We refrain from judging or condemning others as God has judged us with mercy and compassion.

So why is it that, despite all this teaching that pervades the New Testament, Christians are known for being harsh, self-righteous, and judgmental? I think it’s because self-righteousness and judgmentalism are part and parcel with ‘religion’ as a phenomenon. It’s normal and good for there to be shared understandings of right and wrong and rituals to express or enact what cannot be done with words. But, human nature being what it is, it’s always easier to point out the flaws of others instead of focusing on our own. Self-righteousness feels good. Judging others feels like it accomplishes something in the world. But while these may be natural results from religious ideas, they are not godly. They are human. In this sense, Christianity is kind of an anti-religion. I often talk about Christianity always being counter-cultural no matter how ‘Christian’ the culture may be, and this is a big part of why that is. Jesus’ teaching requires us to drop the crutches of religion, set down the beginners’ manual of law and the legalism it so often inspires, and to enter instead into the peace and faithfulness that religion can only point to. As Paul writes, in what is for me one of the most revolutionary verses of the whole New Testament, “‘All things are permissible for me‘ — but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are permissible for me’ — but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6.12). For ‘good, religious’ people, this is a terrifying idea. Religion is always easier than the life of faithfulness to which the Gospel calls us.

But getting back to the matter at hand, part of that life of true faithfulness is refraining from judging others. For we all — none of us — are perfect. We are all therefore — all of us — in no position to judge others. Instead, we offer compassion and mercy as a natural outflow of the compassion and mercy we have been offered by God. Once again, this is God’s Economy at work. Thanks be to God!