“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned.” (Luke 6:37).
Christ tells us, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned.” (Luke 6:37).
And I have been reflecting on that judgement and the action of judging over the last few days.
You see, judgements can be such an insidious thing – nobody need ever know what I think... It is so easy for me to judge others in the silence of my heart. After all – I so often reason to myself – even if I judge someone else to be lacking, I would never be so rude as to tell them what I really think, and so of course there could be no harm done!
And I have been reflecting on my attitude, as I have been reflecting on those precious words of Christ… You see, Christ did not say, judge not openly lest you be judged. He said, do not judge at all.
Christ did not say, it is not a good idea to be mean to people and tell them all the secret – and often uncharitable – thoughts you have about them because that could hurt their feelings. No. He clearly said, just do not judge – because if you judge them I will judge you.
And I somehow – through the work of the Holy Spirit I am sure – actually heard those words today, right in the depths of my soul… For the Lord told me not to judge others. And He told me to stop doing it altogether. He said, do not judge them at all – even in the silence of my heart, because just as I judge them, so I shall be judged.
And when I think about that revelation today, I have come to realise that I am no better than the Pharisees… “A Pharisee asked Him to dine with him; so He went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that He did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.’” (Luke 11:37-41).
And I have come to realise that through I am very good at “washing” the outside appearance of me, I have forgotten that He who made the outside made the inside also… And that realisation has caused me to stop and think…
For the outside of me is as clean as the inside is judgemental… And I have to stop and wonder how ever I shall atone to my Lord and my God – for my soul is filled with judgement, and I have just realised today that such a thing is simply not good enough. For my Lord said to me, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned.” (Luke 6:37).
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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