Judge not, lest ye be judged.
~ Matthew 7:1

Do you like that?  A little Old English style : )

This verse is so sneaky – it has familiarity to many and brevity that make it seem pretty innocuous.  But we can’t let the familiarity fool us.  It’s got a poignancy that should transform our attitude towards others.

We will all be judged – we can’t change that.  Believers will all stand at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) where we will give an account of ourselves (Romans 14:12).  And Scripture is full of the things God cares about for which we will give an account.

So if we will for sure be judged, then what’s up with this “lest ye be judged”?

This is the part that seems especially poignant to me – since we will be judged, the “lest ye be judged” refers not to whether or not we will face a judgment seat, but instead to for what additional things we will be judged.

Additional?  Yikes.

This is how I figure it – if I ‘judge’ someone for lying, for example, that doesn’t change my judgment.  God says, “Thou shalt not lie” (I apparently keep going back to another century today : )), so I am going to be held to account for lying whether or not I judge someone for it.  Lying is God’s standard from His Word and is fair game to be held account.

But let’s say I get mad at someone for not returning my phone call within a couple of days and yell at them for it.  Oh yikes – now this is a whole different ballgame.  Nowhere in God’s Word does it say that phone calls must be returned within two days.  So if I judge someone for not calling me back, I’ve just introduced a new standard by which I can be judged.  I better make sure I return all phone calls within two days!

What clarity – and huge challenge! – this verse offers.  It’s got that Uggh. {punch} Ow! sort of poignancy that should rock our worlds. Why heap judgment upon yourself?  Judge not… and spare yourself the judgment.

What types of things do we judge others for – or have you been judged for – that are not in God’s Word?  {Praying the Lord would help us judge mercifully!}