What's wrong with judging others? CQ Kids
What’s wrong with judging others?
In Romans, the Apostle Paul says, (3:23, NLT) “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Still, it seems easy to judge others’ sins and think we’re somehow better.
“To judge” means forming an opinion about someone, based on their words, actions, or appearance. We often make judgments quickly with limited information, but this can be harmful.
In Matthew, (7:1,2, NLT) Jesus says, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”
Jesus is warning us about judging others in a careless way, such as deciding something negative about someone for a careless reason, or passing judgment in order to make someone else’s failures seem bigger. (Based on the Greek words for judgment as outlined on page 2 of CQ episode 1181.)
If there’s someone at school who looks different or acts differently, do we immediately judge them as not being worth our time or friendship? If a classmate makes a mistake, do we pass a judgment that puts them down in order to make ourselves look better?
The Pharisees were the religious rulers in Jesus’ day. Instead of recognizing their own sins, they harshly judged others regarding theirs. They were supposed to be teaching and helping the people, but really, they just tried to make themselves look better than everybody else!
Jesus gives us exaggerated examples to help us further understand. (see Matthew 7:3-5) The “speck” he mentions is like a piece of dust, and the “log” is like a piece of wood:
… “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?…First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
He didn’t mean we all have literal pieces of dust and wood in our eyes…he meant we should look at our OWN usually bigger faults (logs!) before calling attention to someone else’s tiny “specks,” or much smaller flaws.
On the other hand, if someone’s actions are harmful, telling them in a loving way or involving a trusted adult is appropriate and helpful. In this way, judgment becomes a valuable tool for building someone up rather than tearing them down. But note that we cannot judge someone’s heart - only their outward actions.
So, what’s wrong with judging others? It’s a bad practice if done carelessly or for the purpose of making other people’s faults look bigger. Before we find ourselves criticizing someone, are we angry, jealous or wanting revenge? Is our motivation to help them or to make trouble? We’re ALL sinners, and we can’t judge someone else’s heart. Let’s remember: when we point a finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at us!
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