Don't Judge

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:1-2

The word “judge” in this passage can mean to judge, to condemn, or to discern among other things. I think it’s best understood to mean condemning people in this passage. Jesus isn't saying that we can't speak the truth. All throughout Scripture we find Jesus and the apostles speaking the truth to people. In fact, the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). So, I don’t think it’s wrong for me to say that homosexual activity is a sin or that under normal circumstances killing a child in the womb is wrong or that sex outside of marriage is a sin anymore than I think it is wrong for me to say greed or selfishness are sins. When I say these things I’m not judging people, I’m simply stating what Scripture says. I’m trying to speak the truth in love. But were I to go beyond this and go stand outside of abortion clinics or pride parades and hold up signs and shout at people that they're going to Hell, then I wouldn’t be speaking the truth in love any longer but would be playing the judge and heaping condemnation on them. That would be wrong. So, a believer is allowed to have a mind and say what is right and wrong, but we aren't allowed to sit in judgment of others.  

There are several reasons for this. The first is that you aren’t qualified to judge anyone! You aren’t qualified to assess their guilt before the Lord or what their punishment should be. Only God knows their heart and their intentions. Only He knows if they acted willingly or under duress, or if some terrible trauma in their life has led to their actions. So, you aren’t qualified to judge them.

But not only are you unqualified, you’re also unworthy to judge them. You are a sinner too! That means that you are also liable to judgment. You who are to be judged shouldn’t play the judge over others or else when the real judge comes you may find that you don't like moving from the judge’s seat into the defendant’s chair. 

But even beyond being unqualified and unworthy, there's yet another reason why you shouldn’t judge and Jesus points it out in this passage. It’s in your best interest not to judge, because how you judge others will impact how you will be judged. It says with the measure you use it will be measured to you. This word ‘measure’ means the standard of measurement, or the measuring rod or cup you use. This means if you hand out condemnation by the dump truck load but dispense grace by the thimble full then you should expect the same from God. If that’s how you judge others then He’s going to use your very own thimble to dispense His grace to you. This is part of the fairness of the final judgment. 

So then, even though we often think we’re standing up for ourselves by holding grudges and getting even with those who hurt us. That isn’t true at all! Refusing to show grace doesn’t help you, it actually hurts you. It only stores up more judgment for you. So, show others grace for your own sake! Give them the best reading of the circumstances. Especially when they have hurt you. I’ve seen so many believers fail here. When they are personally hurt they suddenly become an expert on the human heart. They claim to know for a fact that the other person hurt them on purpose. Remember, you don’t know everything. So, be gracious to others so you too will receive grace. And if you know you haven’t shown enough grace to someone, then repent and ask forgiveness.

Think about Death

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4

There is a tendency toward self-deception about death in all of us. We all claim to know that we'll die one day and yet when it begins to look like that may become a present possibility on any particular day we are taken off guard. Why is that? It's because we are easily self-deluded about our own mortality. We would much rather turn a blind eye and go on thinking about something more pleasant. In other words, we would rather go to the house of feasting than the house of mourning. 

But Solomon says it's better to go to the house of mourning. Why? Well, what benefit can one get from going to a feast? Perhaps a little happiness or merriment but no positive life change. But, when you go to a funeral there is at least a chance that you will consider your end and adjust your way of living accordingly. Though the Hebrew is hard to understand, I believe this is what Solomon means in verse three when he says "by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." No one has ever become a better person because they went to a party, but some lives have been changed for the better by great loss.

So take a page out of the playbook of the wise. Even though you would rather do about anything else, discipline yourself to think about death for "that is the end of all men." And I would add that of all people it is believers who should be able to think the most clearly about death because we know that it no longer holds power over us. Death has been swallowed up in victory in Christ Jesus our Lord and one day it will be no more. Until that day, be ready and live in such a way that death won't take you by surprise or leave you ashamed of the life you lived.

Poor in Spirit

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:1-3

Jesus has reached a point of some popularity in His ministry. Crowds of people are following Him now. So, He climbs up a mountain, sits down, and delivers a sermon that calls His followers to a radically new way of living, one that is deeply at odds with this world. He calls us to live in light of Heaven, to live like we believe Heaven is really real. And He starts this sermon on the mount by turning our idea of what it means to live the good life on its head. He starts by telling us who the truly blessed people in this life are. And the very first people that He says are blessed are the poor in spirit. 

To be poor in spirit means you're deeply aware of your own need. It means you approach God not with arrogance or self-righteousness but with lowliness and desperation. You approach Him with empty hands confessing your unworthiness and crying out for mercy. 

This is the tax collector in Jesus’ parable who went to the temple to pray but stood at a distance and wouldn’t even look up to heaven but beat his breast and prayed “God have mercy on me a sinner” (Luke 18:9-14). This is the prophet Isaiah who upon seeing God in a vision cried out “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5).

Being aware of your own sin, of your unworthiness before God, isn’t something our world encourages. We are surrounded by distractions that keep us from thinking like this. There are an endless number of ways to puff our egos up falsely and shift the blame onto someone else so we never have to admit our sin. But in this first beatitude Jesus reminds us that ignoring our sin actually hurts us in the long run. There’s a peculiar advantage to being deeply aware of your sin, of coming before God knowing you have nothing to offer, because that’s the only way to receive mercy and grace and it is the only way to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

You can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven all puffed up with self-righteousness. You must first be broken by your sin and cry out for grace. And having entered the kingdom like that, we dare not turn back to arrogance and self-righteousness. Of all people Christians ought to be poor in spirit. We ought to easily and regularly acknowledge our need and our sin before God. 

When was the last time you confessed specific sins to God or wept over your brokenness? Take time to do this. Cultivate a heart that is poor in spirit before the Lord, and you will be blessed for it.