Reminders: "Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged"
by Ardith Hoff
That warning in Matthew 7:1 reminds us that we are not to make distinctions among the people we interact with. James 2:1-4 puts it this way: “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there or sit on the floor by my feet.’ Have you not discriminated and become judges with evil thoughts?”
It is hard not to make distinctions! In fact, it is almost automatic that we make assumptions based on how someone presents him or herself. We assume that if someone is dirty and wears shabby clothes, that they are poor or are of poor character. In small towns, where we know most of the people in town we might even know for sure, by reputation who is worthy of our contempt.
What we sometimes forget, is that everyone is a child of God, and that God can change a life––that in fact we might be the agency of change that God can use to make a difference in that person’s life. Sometimes Christians are the most judgmental of all. We sort of think that because we are, “God’s people” we are superior to, “those people”.
When I was ending my career as a supervisor on a national research project that involved going to peoples’ homes to interview them, my replacement was speaking on the phone with the interviewer who was working on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. The interviewer explained that it was hard to get Native Americans to trust anyone, and that they often did not answer their doors. The new supervisor sarcastically said, “Oh, I know how hard it is to work with, “those people!” It happens that the interviewer herself is Native American and was insulted. She said, “I don’t think of myself, or my children as, “those people”! We all need to think about how we judge others. With God’s help, we can!