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Musings on Faith #4 Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged | |
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One of the things which bothers me most is the propensity of human beings to judge one another. Christians are notorious for doing this. We all know Matthew 7:1, which says "Judge not, that ye be not judged (KJV)." We know that this is a direct admonition of Christ our Lord, and yet Christians are quick, indeed, to judge others, both Christian and non-Christian.
One day last week, I was reflecting on the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11), one of my favorite episodes in the life of Christ. It had never before occurred to me, however, that here is a perfect example of Jesus teaching, by example, what He had elsewhere taught in words, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37 - NIV)." All of these admonitions are played out in the story of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees had obviously judged this woman. They clearly were about to condemn her, and were of no mind to forgive. In an effort to trick Jesus, or to place Him in a predicament He could not get Himself out of, they said to Him "In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? (verse 5, NIV)." Christ, when confronted with this difficult question, bent down and drew in the dirt (probably to give Himself time to consult |
(Continued) with His Heavenly Father about how to answer). Then He rose up and said "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her (verse 7, NIV)." Then what happened? The crowd, the teachers of the law, and the Pharisees all melted away! Now who had been placed in a redicament? We cannot outsmart God! Then Jesus turned to the woman and said "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (KJV, verse 10)." She answered "No man, Lord". Then Christ said "Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more (verse 11, KJV)." In doing this, Christ, the Son of God Himself, neither judged nor condemned the woman, but forgave her, saying "Go now and leave your life of sin (NIV)." Oh, what an example for man, and especially Christians, to follow! The lesson is clear: If we wish to be forgiven by our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, then we must forgive those who have trespassed against us. To avoid judgement or condemnation, we must not engage in judgement or condemnation. Heed the admonition, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Forgiveness, not judgement! Forgiveness, not condemnation! Yours in Christ, Tom Woodard |
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