Don’t Be Judgy
Scripture — Matthew 7:1-5 (NRSV)
Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Focus
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us to refrain from judging others. But sometimes it seems like we can’t keep our hearts and minds from heaping criticism on others. If you’re someone who struggles with being judgy, you’re not without hope. Jesus shows us a way forward.
Devotion
Can I be honest? I struggle with being judgmental. I always have. So it’s probably no surprise that Jesus’ command, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” is one of my least favorite in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ words cut straight to the evil within my heart and challenge me to live differently as someone called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matthew 5:13-14).
New Testament scholars agree that Jesus wasn’t issuing a blanket prohibition against judgment. Sometimes we need to judge an action or attitude as good or evil. Just a few words after Jesus instructed his hearers not to judge, he counseled them to be discerning about false prophets, to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). The type of judgment Jesus warns against is what Douglas R. A. Hare calls “harsh and petty fault-finding.” He writes in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, “Judgmentalism is a social sin; it is the habit of constantly finding fault with what others say and do. It is a disease of the spirit.”
As I think across the domains of my life, work, and leadership, I’m most prone to being judgmental, or judgy, when something or someone is already bothering me. Some sort of bitterness within me is festering, seeping out into my thoughts and attitudes. Can you relate?
When a parent on an opposing team makes a snide remark about one of our team’s players, my mind rapidly begins racing with criticisms of their coaching staff, uniforms, and sideline cheering. If I disagree strongly with a colleague, my mind stacks up an arsenal of criticism, ready to lob at them to prove my superiority. (To whom? I’m not sure. Me? God?) I lament that this is the state of my heart. At the same time, with gratitude, I receive God’s provisions for transforming it.
Jesus offers us hope, but it requires our participation. We have to engage in our inner work. Drawing on imagery from a woodshop, Jesus tells us not to dwell on the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye. Rather, he tells us to focus on removing the log from our eye (Matthew 7:5). Instead of dwelling on the faults of others, dwell on remedying our faults first.
God’s Spirit can also use two other practices to change our hearts. First, in reflecting on the abundant grace we have in Christ, we can begin to realize that we are just as if not more so in need of God’s grace than others. Again, Douglas R. A. Hare writes, “After God has dealt so graciously with our manifold shortcomings, how can we dare to treat others in such a mean-spirited fashion?” Jesus’ interaction with the woman about to be stoned in John 8 reminds us of our shared sin and shared need for God’s grace.
Second, practicing empathy for those we seek to judge can help us let go of our criticisms and recognize our shared humanity. For example, I might think, “Those soccer parents had to get up just as I did to drive their tired kids to the field for this cold, crack-of-dawn game. We’re all miserable, and perhaps that’s why they said what they did. So maybe I can let them off the hook.” Practicing empathy is a pathway to administering grace.
The Sermon on the Mount shows us what it looks like to follow the way of Jesus. Some of his commands seem easier than others. Yet he equips us with practices and the Spirit to cultivate in us hearts and minds that conform to the way of the Kingdom.
Reflect
Would you characterize yourself as a judgemental person?
What sorts of attitudes, actions, or appearances do you tend to judge?
Do certain circumstances make you more prone to criticizing others harshly?
Act
When you feel prone to judging others today, take up one of the practices suggested in today’s devotion: (1) Attend to your inner work, (2) Reflect on the grace God has given you in Christ, or (3) Practice empathy for those you seek to judge.
Pray
God our Righteous Judge,
I confess that my heart is prone to judgment. I harshly criticize others–their attitudes, actions, and appearances. Please have mercy on me and help me to live differently.
By the power of your Spirit, transform my heart so that I judge others less and offer grace more. Help me to be someone who is characterized by the way of Jesus so that I may truly be salt and light in your world.
Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: “Do Not Judge, So That You May Not Be Judged” (Matthew 7:1-5) .
Meryl Herr
Director of Research and Resources
Dr. Meryl Herr is the Director of Research and Resources at the Max De Pree Center for Leadership where she designs and conducts research studies that add to the understanding of what helps marketplace leaders flourish. She also oversees the team’s efforts to convert research findings into r...