13th July, 2008

LLOYD HARKNESS

Somewhere in the mishmash of modern political correctness and the gospel of acceptance and tolerance the line between making sound judgements and being judgemental has been blurred.

JUDGING BUT NOT BEING JUDGEMENTAL: Lloyd Harkness argues that while Jesus was clear about not being judgemental, He also said we are called to make sound judgements. PICTURE: STEPHEN STACEY (www.sxc.hu) "Today the blurred line of judging or being judgemental is no more evident than with the politics of sexuality. The latest hand grenade to be thrown into this minefield is polygamy."

This is not new. Jesus had quite a bit to say on this topic in combating misunderstandings in his day. Thankfully, his example and teaching make clarifying the difference between judging and being judgemental much simpler.
 
Jesus butted heads against a form of religious correctness rather than political correctness. This doctrinaire said life is about fulfilling religious obligations through observing a series of expanding interpretations of laws. Instead of allowing people to draw near to God it squeezed the love of God out of people’s lives. The religious correctness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law was infused with a self-righteousness on matters ranging from foods to eat or not, circumcision, Sabbath observances and even the tricky problem of tithing mint, herbs and other condiments.
 
Today the blurred line of judging or being judgemental is no more evident than with the politics of sexuality. The latest hand grenade to be thrown into this minefield is polygamy. A minority group in the African Muslim community in Australia are calling on the Australian government to change the law to recognise polygamous relationships.
 
Sound judgement says marriage consists of one man and one woman committed to each other. Yet there are those who would say to take this stance is being judgemental and intolerant. If people choose to live this way and it works for them then we shouldn’t be bound by the narrow perspectives of a more Judeo-Christian imbued past.
 
At present it seems sound judgement will prevail.
 
This example highlights a foundational understanding on judging as opposed to being judgemental and that is a Biblical perspective must under-gird our decisions and attitudes towards others.
 
That Biblical perspective is grounded in mercy and grace. The Hebrew word for judges in the Old Testament is ‘shophet’ and it means to bring into a right relationship. The principal task of judges such as Deborah, Elon or Jephthah was to restore relationships where there was feuding, bring peace and a finality to a matter where an offence had been committed or on a wider scale restore Israel’s relationship with God.
 
When the Great Judge (not a title we often confer on Jesus) came, His work was also ‘shophet’. Jesus deferred all judgement to His heavenly Father but His coming was a judgement immersed in restoration. He didn’t come to point out the obvious hold sin has on our lives and pass sentence to condemn us. He calls us to trust Him to lead us from darkness to light, from being under judgement to being judged righteous through faith in Him.
 
Jesus, in fact, had quite a bit to say about judging.
 
For a start He said judge with right judgement not by appearances.
 

Rarely do we have the full picture or have insight into the motives of the heart. As such Jesus tells us not to judge lest we be judged by the same standards we apply. He highlights the problem of being too quick to judge by saying that if you have a chunk of 4x2 in your eye it tends to stuff up your vision.
 
Having sounded this warning, however, Jesus doesn’t leave us in a position of confusion and frustration over not being able to make any judgements.
 
He goes on to say judge or discern carefully who you are dealing with. Savage dogs, pearl trampling pigs and goats as opposed to sheep are some of the animal analogies He uses to make it clear that while He came to save all who would turn to Him as their saviour, some people would simply remain pigs and so on. Apart from animal analogies, Jesus also instructs us to recognise false prophets and fraudulent angels of light.
 
In making these judgements about others we will recognise times when we need to keep our mouths shut because those people will turn on us and tear us to pieces. Equally, there are people who would lead us away from Christ and we need to recognise what they are doing, even if they don’t realise it.
 
We need to judge who we are dealing with and what we are dealing with. Jesus is the standard bearer in lighting the way for us here. Whatever draws us closer to God is of God. The Pharisees and teachers of the law thought they were drawing closer to God through their nit-picking, legalistic approach.
 
Jesus, the standard, says do not go down that path. That path is paved with haughtiness, spiritual pride and a critical spirit of condemnation.
 
Paul also instructs us to judge in a way that brings about restoration, to be ‘shophet’ to others. Grace and mercy are to be exercised so that there are clear warnings rather than condemnation. There are times when people need to be cut off and then drawn back for matters ranging from being idle to refusing to obey the instructions in Paul’s letter. Both of these comments crop up with the Thessalonian church.
 
From the Old Testament, to Jesus, to Paul, sound judgements are portrayed as the building blocks of wisdom, of a life well lived. Life overflowing or life in abundance is a promise Jesus offers to all who will follow Him and live a life as a disciple of the Lord of Life.
 
The whole Bible rings with the warning to beware of self-righteousness in all its forms. But it also says do not be a fool going along with whoever has the loudest voice, carries the biggest stick or is as deceptive as Satan himself.
 

To say someone is a pig, according to Christ’s analogy, is not being judgemental. That person is a pig because their only desire is to trample anything said or done in the name of Jesus underfoot. To recognise they are a pig and to adjust what you do or say because of that awareness is to make a sound judgement. We may not know exactly what is going on below the surface with them, but to not see them for what they currently are is foolishness. This has nothing to do with religious smugness or superiority. It is simply discernment and wisdom in action.
 
The accusation that Christians are judgemental is often an empty gong but when it does ring true we had better heed Jesus warning that our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Pharisees. We need to judge without the 4x2 self righteous stick in our eye.
 
This broad picture of judging and being judgemental has at its heart a God who is ‘shophet’ and a redeemer who can even rescue someone hanging on a cross next to his. We need to judge discerningly and that includes recognising what is merely judgemental.

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