Jesus said, “Don’t
judge, so that you won’t be judged.”
—
Matthew 7:1 (USC)
Out of
our innate humanness, that which has become us, extant the Fall, we are
betrothed to a sinister want of carnage — to indemnify our own fault-worthy acts
and omissions, but to hold others accountable for theirs.
Jesus’ will is the
repeal of such a betrothal. And since we have become his — if indeed we are — we
are to indemnify others whilst taking hold of the awareness of the
faults-of-worth we, ourselves, exact.
To be hard on
ourselves whilst not being so hard as to allow Satan the foothold of trashing
our self-esteem is our goal.
We are counselled
well when we resist speaking badly of somebody, and, in that very moment, we
sense the folly in such self-righteousness. We are no better than anyone else
from a moral standpoint besides what Christ has gifted and goaded within us.
We can take no
credit from the work of the Divine agents who faithfully usurp our folly with God’s
solemn wisdom at the behest of our will of obedience.
The blessings for
resisting the temptation of judging another are a multiplicity.
We stay within our
own damaged self and God ministers to our brokenness. We find a reason to
praise God for the person we were just about to judge. We attribute blessing to
God for the insight and awareness and revelation of truth. We thank our Lord
for the empowering of love that transcends the moment and quickens us to
kindness, compassion and grace. We become aware of the Divine Presence which
can abide in us; but only through obedience. We are tethered to the Watch Keeper
of our lives and our spiritual connectedness becomes surer and truer.
***
Judging another
breeds its own condemnation. Those who are condemned in our sight evidence our
own condemnation. Judgment is God’s and we usurp it at our own very direct
peril.
This is all dangerous
talk.
But the fear of the Lord is good in that it motivates us to
do better; to do what is right. We can do better. We can do the right thing. So
we should.
Supreme it is to
have God enlighten us to our own folly, than allow Satan the satisfaction of
cursing them and us.
God can do much more
to bless us and others if we will take stock of our own fault.
Judge not and Satan
alone is judged. Condemn not and the Accuser is out of work!
Judge not and God’s
role is not begrudged. Condemn not and our role we do not shirk.
***
QUESTIONS in REVIEW:
1. There are times when you have
judged that have turned out badly? Reflect over one of these times. What did
you learn and apply as a result?
2. How did it feel when you were
unfairly judged? How does that motivate you to stop judging others?
© 2015 S. J. Wickham.
Note: USC version is Under the Southern Cross, The New Testament in Australian English
(2014). This translation was painstakingly developed by Dr. Richard Moore, a NT
Greek scholar, over nearly thirty years.
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