Daily Bread

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

When it comes to judging others, Jesus is pretty clear. Do not judge. Yet, over the years I have heard many Christians make excuses for pronouncing judgement over other people, usually with the preface, "Yes, but..."

To judge (in this context) is to make a pronouncement over someone with respect to God — to decide who is 'in' or 'out' of favour with God. As far as I am aware, Jesus never excluded anyone and, unlike us, he was in a position to pronounce judgement!

Not judging is not about ignoring when there is injustice or wrongdoing, but to refuse to make a pronouncement over that person or situation. It is not our place to condemn other people — ever.

I cannot help think of the woman caught in adultery. Her accusers were about to put her to death by stoning (if you can imagine anything more awful) and yet, Jesus basically said, "Sure! Go ahead! Whichever of you is without sin, throw the first stone!"

Jesus reached into the very heart of our being. All of us are sinners. All of us have made mistakes. None of us, no matter how pious, righteous, holy, or devout, are in a position to cast judgment over another human being — ever. Judgement belongs to God alone.

Jesus followed his instruction about judgment with instruction about forgiveness. Not only are we not to judge, but we are to actively forgive.

We have been judged by God and we are forgiven. We don't deserve it but God, in God's infinite mercy, has not cast the first stone. And because we have been forgiven, so we forgive others. Because we have been accepted, so we accept others. Because we have been welcomed, so we welcome others.

Holy God
Forgive me when I have excluded others,
especially when I have had no right to do so.
I know that because I am a sinner,
I deserve to be condemned,
yet you have forgiven me and set me free.
May I forgive, welcome, accept others,
and act with the same love that you have for me.
Now and forever.