What would you like to be judged on? It may seem strange, but we willingly sign up to be judged for different things. We sign up to have our fitness judged by a personal trainer at the gym. We sign up to have our intelligence judged by a test or by taking a class. Perhaps we sign up to have our humor judged by getting up on stage someplace. Or maybe we sign up to have our looks judged by posting pictures on Instagram. We are willing to be judged, we may even want it. We may recognize that being judged might show us where we have to improve.
But that kind of judgment isn’t what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7:1 when He says “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Because that kind of judgment doesn’t carry along with it the thing that makes the difference – the possibility of improvement. It’s the kind of judgment that tells a little girl she will never be as smart as her brother. It’s the kind of judgment that tells a high schooler he’ll never own his own business. It’s the kind of judgement that says that you’re not enough and you will never be.
Which, as uncomfortable as it may be, is the truth about you. You aren’t enough to earn heaven. You aren’t enough to be a class A recruit for the kingdom of God. Not being mean. You’re just not. How does that make you feel? Not very good I’d imagine. That’s why Jesus tells us to stay away from it. Because when you judge someone else, they have a right to judge you back. And guess what? They’re going to be able to find some stuff. Some stuff that will make you cringe like you made them cringe.
But Jesus breaks the cycle. The only Person who could judge and not be afraid of the backlash of the person He was judging, that person refused to judge us. Instead, He died for us, made a way for us. Instead of judging us, He changed our capabilities.
So this week for our Red Letter Challenge, when you’re tempted to judge – and you will be. Remember that He was tempted with all things, including the desire to judge you for your sins, and He didn’t. So don’t judge, not out of fear for what the other person could judge you back for, but out of honor for the One who withholds Your rightful judgement.