Passing Judgment on Others

by W. Leslie Riffe

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." {Matthew 7:1-5} Here, Jesus is speaking about the matter of judging. Do we have authority to pass judgment on others? If so, what type of judging is being forbidden?

We are all guilty of pointing out the faults of others and overlooking our own. After all, it is much easier to see when others are in error than it is to evaluate the problems in our own lives. It is much more "fun" to point out the faults of others than to admit to my own, and it is much less painful. Also, as with anything else, it becomes very easy to go overboard when we judge another’s actions. We forget another very important truth taught by the Lord. "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." {John 7:24} Yet, many times what we are judging is the "appearance" instead of the substance.

A person’s actions often represent what is in the heart. "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man." {Matthew 15:18} Can any of us read another’s heart? Not unless the person reveals that information to us. God alone judges men’s hearts. "But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." {1 Samuel 16:7} God has perfect judgment--men do not!

Many times, we may pass judgment on someone, and then we add to our mistake. How? We share our opinions and conclusions with others; which in turn, may cause them to form wrong impressions concerning the actions of another. This also "opens the door" for gossip and idle talking. What should we do? Why not go to that person FIRST and try to work out the difficulty? How can one person work out a problem that belongs to another? "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." {Matthew 5:23, 24}

If you think a person is in error, or making poor decisions that can endanger the soul, try to help the person, rather than to hurt them more. Can we just assume anything in a given situation? Go to the person, with love and understanding, tell him/her your deep concerns about what is being done. Three things can happen. One, they might not have considered some of the things which you have brought to their attention. Second, you might find out some things you did not know before about the situation. Third, you may come to understand that it comes down to a matter of personal judgment. While you may not agree with their judgment--it is their choice.

Jesus is condemning "hypocritical judging." Sometimes what people really need is a dose of their "own medicine." Would you want others to go to everyone else about a problem they think you have, or come to you first? To ask the question is to answer it! Let us be very careful about how we judge others.

 

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