Jesus and Judgment

I try to write this blog so that people who aren’t Christians might be drawn in to the Jesus Way. Sometimes I suspect we Christians are the obstacle between nonbelievers and the Christ we proclaim. Our internal arguments, too frequent hypocrisy, and judgmental attitudes are stumbling blocks. One example: a friend was recounting her high school days and the “hell list” that some self-righteous teenagers were keeping of those they had already consigned to eternal damnation. Needless to say, after being placed on “the list,” fifty or sixty young people were not too receptive to the whole Jesus thing.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks has to be the Church’s tendency to judge and condemn others. While we have a responsibility to engage in moral behavior, we often slip into moralism, which is a different thing altogether. The Supreme Court ruled this past week that a small congregation in Kansas has the right of free speech to assemble at funerals and proclaim judgments on the deceased. I cringe at the way this small group has given the Jesus I know such a black eye.

Jesus’ told a parable that helps with this situation. It is simple and to the point.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

One cannot go through life without making judgments – how else can we make decisions? The guidance of Jesus on this matter, however, has to do with judging ourselves and not judging others. Where we fall into difficulty is in the area of making comparisons between our actions and the actions of others. Instead of observing “our” morals, we fall into the trap of judging “their” morals. Keeping our morals true is a worthy goal. Keeping others true to our standards lapses into moralism, the very thing Jesus warns us against.

Once we start judging others, it becomes a vicious circle lacking in the quality of mercy that Jesus held so dear. I don’t drink alcohol. Should I be moralistic toward those who do? You drive an American car. Should you be judgmental of those who drive a foreign make? A colleague has had an abortion. Your friends are living together without being married. You know your cousin in the military is gay. The obese customer beside you at the fast food restaurant is ordering a super-size meal. You see a car’s bumper sticker that says, “Wage Peace,” parked beside another that proclaims, “Bomb them all and let God sort them out.”

What kinds of judgments are running through our minds when we imagine each of these scenes? Are we making our own “hell list?” Who do we put on it? Would someone put us on their list? Do you see the problem with judgment?

As I look at Jesus’ parables and ethical teachings I am struck by one thing – the only comparison I am free to make is not between my self and others but between me and God, and I continually fall short of that standard. I am in a position to judge no one but myself.

I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Paul in Romans 8:34, “Who would dare even point a finger? The One who died for us – who was raised to life for us! – is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.” Paul is talking about Jesus here, of course.

Gandhi, I believe, is reported to have said that he would have himself become a Christian except for the witness of the Christians he knew. Ouch! I’ll just close with this: Don’t judge Jesus by the behavior of Christians. If Christians turn you off because of their moralistic attitudes, just remember they’re not modeling themselves after Jesus. They can’t help it. They're just sinners like everyone else. Try not to judge them (us) too harshly.