Judge not...or Should We?

Judge not... Recently, the phrase excised from Matthew 7:1 displaced John 3:16 as the most referenced passage of scripture. A declaration of God's love for creation being dethroned by a warning alone would not be tragic. Unfortunately, misunderstanding and even abuse of the text has led to passivity among believers, open endorsement of sin, and even accusations that the Bible is contradictory and untrustworthy. After all much of the same chapter implicitly involves evaluating gifts, fruit, trees...

Understanding of that text and Luke 6:37, hang on the proper understanding of the word "judge". The word must be viewed not as we use it today, but as the message was received by the original 1st century recipients. "Krino`", the word translated judge in both the Matthew and Luke passages, involved deciding by separating". Think of it as separating objects like seeds by color, type, perceived value, or quality. Rather than a rebellious taunt declaring, "You don't get to tell me how to live," the texts offer a cautionary advice.

If you separate (yourself or others), you are going to end up divided and alone. It is not a call to take our ball and go home shouting, "So there!" Instead, the Bible whispers, "Be very careful, you are about to choose such a lonely painful broken path." Estrangement is seldom Biblical. God's children are not to simply to storm away in disgust. Were are not to hold grudges ; we are called to love and forgive, Leviticus 19:18. We are called to draw together and resolve conflicts, Matthew 18:15-17. And, yes, we are called to judge,

John 7:24. That's Worth Remembering.