We’ve all felt judged. A mom feels judged when her baby is screaming in church. A girl feels judged when she walks into a room full of blond, seemingly perfect girls. A man feels judged when he joins a gym to get in shape, but ends up lifting weights next to someone that resembles the Hulk.
We’ve all judged. A dad has judged the boy that has knocked on the door to pick up his daughter to take her on her first date. A boy has judged another teammate for missing a catch in the second quarter. A woman has judged the outfits or comments made by another woman at her workplace.
It happens.
Luke 6:37 says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
This passage does not call for us to ignore the mistakes and choices made by other people.
- This passage calls for us to acknowledge the mistakes of others and to give them love and mercy.
- This passage calls for us to accept the hurtful situations that we endure and to be forgiving as we desire to be forgiven.
- Look at someone with mercy and understand that you have no concept of the burdens in their lives.
- Remember that Jesus says that the standard by which you judge others is the manner by which people will judge you.
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son
- Jesus identifies himself by displaying a loving attitude to the lost, younger son and towards the elder, self-righteous brother.
- God loves every individual.
- “What man of you, having a hundred…”
- “Or what woman, having ten silver coins…”
- “There was a man who had two sons…”
- The mercy and gracious attitude of the Father masks the sinful actions of the son. The son is not judged. He is called to repentance in Romans 2:4 after remembering the Father’s acceptance of him.
This passage does not call for us to forget the wrongdoings that have been inflicted upon us.
You don't have to tolerate or get along with everybody and accept everything.
You don't have to refuse to make any type of judgments.
If you are struggling with a judgmental heart, or you are feeling inferior due to judgments laid upon you, practice living a lifestyle that is abundant in mercy.
We are hypocritical people. We want justice for other people, but we want mercy for ourselves. Basically, we want people to get what they deserve, but we don't want to get what we deserve. The reality is that our own faults--despite how small they may be--should appear bigger to us than other people's faults.
The greatest form of hypocrisy is the failure to recognize the hypocrisy in our own soul.
If you didn’t take anything else from this, remember that the only counter-poison to hypocrisy is mercy.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines mercy as:
compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; lenient or compassionate treatment.
imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder.
a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.
a fortunate circumstance.
compassionate treatment of those in distress.
"Be merciful just as your father is merciful." – Luke 6:36
