June 13 Judge Not

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against judging others, emphasizing that we will be judged in the same way. This is challenging because we often find ourselves in judgmental situations. When we consume news or participate in gossip, we are passing judgment. When we get angry, we not only judge but also broadcast our verdict. Jesus suggests that by following His Beatitudes, we can focus on complimenting the Christ-like qualities in others rather than judging them. This encourages their growth in Christ. As Jesus gets close to the end of His Sermon on the Mount, He really hits me hard as He says, Judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with what measure you use, it will be measured back to you, Matthew 7.1. That's very hard to digest considering we are confronted with judgmental situations constantly. As we wake up to the news, we quickly judge the commentary because we know they are judging and putting their twist on the story. By the way, when we start or spread gossip, we are passing judgment. When we get angry and it shows, we are not only passing judgment, but we are outright letting everyone know our verdict. This brings us to a simple question. Can we have a thought or a conversation without judging someone? Of course we can, or Jesus would not have warneth about it. Jesus actually gave us the answer to how we can refrain from judging others at the beginning of His message as He gave us the Beatitudes. For if we follow His Beatitudes, our attitude will not be about judging others for the things we disagree with them about, but complimenting the things of Christ we see in them so that we might encourage them as they become more like Christ. This is Pastor Tim Hall of RedLetterWordsofJesus.com