We should probably continue this conversation by talking about what judgment is and isn’t. This verse is one of our favorites. We love to quote this whenever someone calls us out or tries to hold us accountable. “Hey, man, ‘Don’t judge, lest you be judged.’ ”
What is Jesus teaching here? Scripture seems to invite us to discern between right and wrong. The rabbis teach that in the beginning God separated light from darkness, and this is our task, as well. Are we really not allowed to call out a person’s disobedience? Well, in Jesus’s day, there were three different ways to understand judgment:
First, there is the concept of CIVIL judgment. This refers to the legal system, what we would think of as the “courtroom.” This is obviously not the kind of judgment Jesus is referencing. Jesus is not saying it’s wrong for a magistrate to do his job.
Second, there is the judgment of DISCERNMENT. This is what we spoke of above. This is the judgment that looks at something in order to decide if it is good or evil. Is this right or wrong? Is this light or darkness? This doesn’t seem to be the judgment Jesus is speaking of here, either. While it does feel as though we are getting closer, it doesn’t quite seem like this is the practical application of Jesus’s teaching.
Finally, there is the judgment that determines the VALUE of a person or thing. In this case, Jesus is clearly addressing our judgment of PEOPLE. Jesus is reminding us that we are not free to pass judgment on the value of another human being; only God can do this job. I would go as far as to argue, in the context of Jesus’s teaching on dogs and pigs, this seems to be directed right at a Jew’s temptation to pass a “value judgment” on the pagan nations. You cannot do that; you, a mere mortal, cannot decide who has worth and who does not.
But this is all separate from treasures in heaven, generosity, and worry. Right? What would any of this talk about judgment have to do with that?
Let me ask you a question. Why do we pass value judgments on other people?
Allow me a few follow-up questions: What is the opposite of judgment? And what has Jesus been talking about throughout this ‘sermon’? Hasn’t he been talking about forgiveness? And isn’t forgiveness the antithesis of passing value judgments on others?
Now let me rephrase the question: Why don’t we forgive?
I would suggest that we don’t forgive because we don’t think that God will do His job.
Let me rephrase again: Do we not forgive because we are WORRIED they won’t get what they deserve? Maybe these teachings are connected after all.
In fact, it would make a lot of sense to see Jesus’s next teaching as a wonderful tie back through the entire teaching:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Your heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts. If you ask for one thing, He’s not going to give you what you don’t need. No father will do that. Maybe this teaching isn’t about “getting what we pray for” at all. Maybe this teaching is about our generosity and relinquishing our worry about judgment over to God. If I could paraphrase the teaching of Jesus here, I would suggest the following:
Be generous. Worry will kill your generosity. And do not judge the worth of other people whom you think deserve punishment. Instead, ask God to do the right thing, because He knows how to give perfect gifts. Trust God to do the right thing; stop worrying and be generous to others — especially the dogs and the pigs!
There’s some relevant stuff for us to wrestle with in this passage. I find the religious people of today continue to struggle with the same sin the people who listened to Jesus struggled with thousands of years ago. We haven’t changed much.
I believe we need to come to grips with the many ways we serve the god Money and with where we make our investments.
I believe we need to realize that our worry cripples our generosity.
I believe our worry about others leads us to judging their worth.
I believe we could use a little trust in a Father who knows how to give good gifts.
I believe that trusting the story still changes everything.
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