I was in the first grade, during recess out on the playground, standing shyly by myself next to a beech tree beside a shallow running creek. The other kids were playing, running, laughing, kicking a ball or climbing on the monkey bars, or standing with others talking. I was too shy to enter into play with anyone, so I was standing there watching the others, when a boy started hitting a little girl, over what I don’t recall. She tried to fend off the blows as she ran over to the tree by me. The boy stayed right after her. The girl ran to hide behind me, and when the boy started for her, I without thinking stepped in front of him, grabbed his arms and pivoted him into the creek bed.
All the other kids started laughing and pointing at the boy in the creek and then at me. At first I thought they were laughing at me, I then realized that they were laughing at the other boy and smiling at me. That was my first experience of feeling good about helping a lady in distress. It was to be short-lived.
One of the kids had gone to get the teacher, who marched over to me, grabbed my arm, marched me into the classroom, stood me in a corner and put a dunce hat on my head, while telling me what a bad boy I was for shoving this boy into the water! My good feelings just turned to confusion with feelings of guilt and shame. Not one of those kids stood up for me, not even the girl I had helped. The teacher never asked why I had shoved the boy into the creek and no one got a chance to answer. Talk about injustice! I was made into a six year old deviant.
That was the start of my lifelong observation of others and myself being treated unjustly.
The jury, passing on the prisoner’s life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try.
-William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
One of the meanings of the word judging is, ‘to form an opinion or estimation after careful consideration’. Things would have turned out differently for me if the teacher had asked why I had shoved the boy into the creek, maybe. It would have depended upon the character of the jury members, according to Shakespeare. Lol
Even though the Bible tells us not to judge to avoid being judged, people are quick to judge others and less willing to judge themselves. Somehow it makes one feel superior to find someone else who doesn’t quite measure up to one’s own high standards.
John tells us about a woman caught in the very act of adultery who was brought by the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus, asking for His decision for her judgment.
“Everyone went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the midst, they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such. What then do you say about her?” They said this, testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.
But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.” John 7:53-8:11
Jesus didn’t condemn the woman, yet she had clearly violated the law. Why?
The Pharisees were not interested in having the law kept; they just wanted to trap Jesus, have an excuse to stone Him, claiming that he had disregarded the law of Moses, if he took pity on her. Jesus had come to heal the sick, and she was sick with sin, she needed healing, not condemnation. Her accusers were also sinful, so who were they to point at her sin if they could not remove their own?
If he had condemned her, he would not have been fulfilling his purpose for coming to us, to rescue us from sin and death. I also think he showed his love for mankind and that his purpose wasn`t to condemn but to restore. I also think condemnation is really the enemy`s plan, not Christ`s plan for our destiny.
An African proverb says, “Corn doesn’t stand a fair trial with chickens on the jury.”
There were a lot of ‘chickens’ on the jury accusing the woman of adultery, while Jesus knew the sin in their own hearts. I believe this is what He wrote in the sand as He kneeled down, each one’s sin. When they saw their sin written for all to see, they turned and walked away leaving the woman alone with Jesus.
Instead of being stoned, the woman was forgiven and instructed to go and sin no more, all in love and gentleness.
Paul says, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? Romans 2:21-23 NASB
Galations 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
Jesus says, “He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:3-8 NIV
We, as the Pharisees, delight in our knowledge of what others should and should not be doing, and we are quick to pass judgment, demanding the full sentence of the law. That is until it is us, or someone we love or care about who is standing before the judge. Then we want mercy from all involved with our sentencing.
Just like Rita, my first grade teacher, we do not have all the facts. The boy in the corner is not the ‘dunce’. It is Rita and a few of the others choosing to keep their mouths shut.
Jesus came to demonstrate that Mercy is greater than ‘sacrifice’ or keeping the law. The law has already been broken. Jesus has already paid the penalty with His life. The only thing that remains is mercy and restoration while learning not to break the law again.
People turn away from God and the church because they have seen the Pharisees passing out judgment, while they themselves have sins in their own lives. Sin is sin whether you murder someone or slander them. It still does damage to many people.
One of the worst things I ever heard was from a district superintendent who stated before a hurting church, whose pastor had confessed to having an affair, “I thank God that I have never committed adultery.” This wasn’t what the brokenhearted congregation needed to hear.
A district superintendent should know Matthew 5:28, “…but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” NASB
No matter what ‘sin’ you think someone is doing, you are doing another ‘sin’ that is written in the sand. Maybe only Jesus sees it, but the fact that it is there, negates any right you may have for wearing the robe of justice ready to slam down that judgment gavel in your hand.
Jesus gave Rita, the Pharisees and each one of us the example. Mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love, educating as to what is pleasing to God, with gentle healing restoration to wholeness is what we are to practice. This fulfills, ‘doing unto others what you would have them do unto you’, especially when you have to stand before the judge of all flesh.
Romans 3:9-20 teaches us that there is none righteous among men.
You name them, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, John the Baptist, all of them good people but none of them perfect without sin. The only man who walked this earth without sin is Jesus Christ and He was able to do so because He was God manifested in the flesh being totally obedient to His Father.
Give it up and allow the one who knows the inside of the heart and soul of man to do His job.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 NASB