Matthew 7: Judging Others

As part of the kingdom teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew presents Jesus as reinterpreting the Law, and teaching on the ethics of the Kingdom. In Matthew 7, Jesus presents a word-picture regarding judgment. Noting the sinfulness that each of struggles with, Jesus warns us to make sure we are relying on our own sense of right and wrong, or dispensing legalisms out of our own self-righteousness.

There is a needed insight that only comes from the Holy Spirit, where we must look at our brothers and sisters through eyes that acknowledge our own brokenness, and we can see them with compassion because we ourselves struggle with our own fallen nature and the impact we have upon ourselves. Rather, Christians need to understand the differences between accountability and judgment, and make ourselves vulnerable to the first and resist the second.

With accountability, we accept the words of others, and should resist all temptations for self-defense, when we fall short in some area, personal or corporate. With accountability comes a wise grace that speaks to the issue, not confusing the person with the issue. This grace speaks out of godly love, not some sentimental notion; rather, love, as described in the apostle Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, "does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (13:6,7). If this is the spirit in which we both bring and receive accountability, then we are fulfilling the law of God.

Judgment, meanwhile, is antithetical to love. It is about puffing ourselves up at the expense of the Other. It is not rooted in love. I'll say no more, as it is all quite obvious. The one thing I must point out, however, is our own perpetual struggle with accountability, and seeking to deflect it by accusing the one who brings it as judging us. To feel judged is not the problem. When such feelings crop up, and they will and they do, we must stop and ask why this is so - what is in my heart that I feel so defensive? - and then we must pray - whether it be a quick utterance or a time of confession - and then we must ask our Lord for ears to hear and eyes to see. Perhaps our gut reaction is rooted in "right"; that is, the person bringing the "accountability" is in fact judging us. But the question remains, do we trust God enough to bring that to the forefront of the minds in others, if not conviction in the heart of the one who attacks us? But perhaps they are right, but their method is sloppy, wrongly motivated, or framed by some off-centered view of us - does this justify self-defensiveness on our part? Absolutely not. Again, prayer is needed here, and cannot do us harm. We must pray for knowledge, wisdom, and discernment, all from our Heavenly Father, so that the Spirit may lead us in sifting through all that is said so that we might find the nugget of truth that will help us learn and grow.

Judgment is motivated by anger, bitterness, evil, or jealousy (or anyother anti-virtues!); and it seeks only to leave such poisons in its wake, whether we realize such intentions or not. Accountability sees you as God sees you, and hopes the best for you. It is motivated by humility - not that you or I has the proverbial answer needed, but that it is for the best that one comes to speak. It is done humbly, and, too, in prayer. Are you sensing variations on a theme? Prayer undergirds our entire faith journey, and no less so in this area. Only through a humble, God-dependent spirit, where we realize our own brokenness can we offer assistance and help through accountability, in love. Anything less is tempted by judgment.