Don't be a judge

 

Reflection 19^th July 2020 – Matthew 13: 24 – 30, 36 – 43

 

In one of his books, C. S. Lewis points out that when people become Christians, if they are not careful, their sinning often shifts from the overt, outward, visible sins of lying, cheating, stealing, cursing and swearing, to the more inward, hidden, non-apparent invisible sins.  Among them Lewis lists "a critical spirit" ... a spirit of judgmentalism, a censorious attitude. In fact, he points out that this sin is more commonly committed by church people than by those who are not. So prevalent is it in church circles, that it is sometimes labelled "Christian cruelty."

In the Parable of the Weeds (or Tares) we’re thinking about today, Jesus is thinking about the sin of judging. What exactly is the sin of judging? It is jumping at unverified conclusions. It is relating as fact that which is only hearsay or conjecture. It is reading evil into another’s motives merely because it seems obvious.

This squares with Webster’s dictionary definition: "Judging is to criticize or censure, to think or suppose ... by pretending to know the motives of the person doing the acting." It is Judging that Jesus scorned when he said, "Judge not." He was condemning the common act of appointing oneself to be the judge and jury in matters where only partial knowledge or evidence is available. As Byron J. Langenfeld has said, "Where is the person who can weigh the faults of others without putting his thumb on the scale?"

The sin of judging is a dangerous business and should be carefully avoided by those who wish to prevent this sin from becoming part and parcel of their lives.

First, we should not judge because things are not always as they appear. Not only are we so often lacking in background information for what we see in others; we do not always understand what we see them doing.

There once was a minister who was seen staggering from a bar at 1 in the morning being held up by another man. The next day he was summoned to give an account of himself before the elders of the church. “It’s not what you think. I went into the bar to bring out the man you saw me with. His wife phoned me in desperation as she was worried about him. I was carrying him out and tripped as I left, that’s why I staggered.”

But the story with all its lurid implications would not die. It grew and spread out of all proportion in that small town. The minister’s deacons upbraided him for what they considered an indiscretion, and finally the man was dismissed from his parish. This exemplifies the "Christian cruelty" which is frequently practiced.

False, misinformed, bribed, and prejudiced witnesses did the same with our Lord Jesus. Here we are not talking about the ignorant rabble, but about men experienced in law. An INNOCENT MAN was unjustly convicted, and the cross was his sentence. What a terrible miscarriage of justice! We sinful people; how prone we are to make mistakes and be guilty of erroneous judgments.

Secondly, we should not judge because we may be setting our own (rather than God’s) standards and judging others by them. Matthew 7:2 seems to hint at this when it says,

² For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

All people stand under the same judgment of Christ Jesus. In his presence all our defences topple over like the walls of Jericho. So why do we think that we can set the standards of judgment based upon our own preferences?

In John 8 we hear of a woman caught in adultery by Pharisees who brought her to Jesus for him to judge her. Jesus did not condone what she had done, but he knew that these men were not blameless either. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," (John 8:7) he said, and no stone was ever cast. The Lord helped them to see that they were being inconsistent in their judgment. Well, then as now, the Lord Jesus penetrates into the dark corners of our thoughts and words, and at that point no person can stand up and say, "I have no sin!"

Thirdly, we should not judge because we may not understand the weaknesses and battles of others. Often, we see only people’s failures, not the hundreds of battles they win. This makes many of our judgments not only incorrect but often downright cruel.

Rev Dr Leslie Weatherhead told of a young girl who enjoyed an Atlantic crossing in pre-war days on a luxury liner. The chef on this ship was an original man who liked to make the ice cream in different shapes each night. One night it was served in the form of a ship; another night it would be like a statue, and so on. One night it was served in an ordinary dish without being shaped, and this spoiled girl complained that the chef was getting slack. What she didn’t know was that the chef had received a radio message that very day that his wife had died.

We may sometimes be unconsciously cruel, but we are cruel nevertheless and often grossly unfair.

The plea in the Parable of the Tares is not that we condone sin or wink at evil, but rather that we be charitable and reticent to condemn. We need to maintain the open opportunity to witness to the offender. We should want every transgressor to join with us in seeking the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

Because Jesus was willing to absorb the punishment we all deserved on account of our sins - including those of misjudgement - we who repent of our critical spirit, can receive full forgiveness and pardon at the hands of a loving God.

People who have been forgiven much, should forgive and pardon much. Perhaps as we go about living lives without an unduly judgmental spirit, we can show others just how much we realize that we ourselves have been forgiven. As Paul’s says to Timothy, “… set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”  1 Timothy 4:12