Don’t Judge Me, Man!

Don’t judge others.  This command of Jesus is so famous that even many non-Christians know it.  Both Matthew and Luke record Jesus telling this to His followers. 

It’s funny to hear someone say “Don’t judge me” when they are caught in an embarrassing situation.  They knew they shouldn’t do it, but they did it anyway.  And they got caught.  Then they try to escape humiliation by using the “don’t judge me” card.  Classic!

How should we avoid judging others?  Here are some pointers:

-  We certainly shouldn’t judge others simply by what they may have done in the past.  They may not be the same type of person now as they were then.

-  Be sure to know the facts.  Gossip can destroy a person’s reputation, whether or not there’s any truth behind it.

-  Ever heard the saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”?  That implies a person is just like their parents (or other relatives).  How fair is it to judge someone based on their bloodline?

-  Judging by appearances is one big FAIL!  I’ll spare you all my stories of people who mistakenly judged others by their clothing, accent, or mannerisms, but trust me: looks can be deceiving!

The real question we need to ask is: what did Jesus mean when He told us not to judge others?  Like any biblical quote, we have to look at it in context.  In Matthew, Jesus was explaining that we shouldn’t be hypocritical in our judgments.  In Luke, Jesus described judgment as something to be performed with mercy, trust in God, and based on words and deeds.

So is Jesus telling us to be tolerant of anything people do?  No.  In fact, He said that when we judge, we are to judge rightly.  We don't ignore sin, in ourselves or others.

We don’t ignore sin, but before we can help someone else come to grips with a failure in their life, we first have to examine ourselves to see where we fall short. 

We don’t ignore sin, but we help others by showing mercy, gentleness, and respect.   

We don’t ignore sin, but we should be ready to forgive just as God forgives us.

We don’t ignore sin, but we must realize that the final judge is not us, but God (and He judges righteously).