Judging

I was called for jury duty this week. It is the third time I have been called for jury duty and the first since I’ve lived in Monticello. For the third time I was not seated to serve on a jury.

A lot of folks complain about being called for jury duty. For some it is an inconvenience, causing a disruption in routines and schedules. Others find it uncomfortable sitting in a court room making decisions that have a profound effect on the lives of other people. That is a good thing. Making a decision such as the decisions that are made in a jury box is not something to be taken lightly.

While many are reluctant to sit in a court room and pass judgments on others I have noticed that there are many who are not reluctant to make judgments about others in every day life. There are those in our society who are very judgmental. Sometimes they pass judgment on those who are allegedly their friends. They often attempt to sully the reputations of others who live in their community. Other times they make assumptions about the character of people whom they do not even know.

I am now in my 22nd year of ministry. There is one thing that I have noticed over the years about folks. People seem to be hardest on others when they are not happy with themselves. Further people tend to project what they like the least about themselves onto the character of others.

Let me say it another way. People who are rude tend to complain about the rudeness of others. People who are arrogant tend to complain about the arrogance of others. People who revel in uncovering someone’s deep dark immoral secret usually have something they are hiding themselves.

Jesus asked the question, “How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye’ when you yourself have a log in your own eye?” (Luke 6:42) The truth is that most of us have enough logs in our eyes to fill a lumber yard. At least I think that is the case because I can’t see all that well because of the splinters.

In her book To Love as God Loves, Dr. Roberta Bondi describes a monk of the early church who was said to be so holy he took no notice of sin. In other words this particular fellow was so intent on being the best Christian he could be that he had no time to make judgments about others.

I would offer that this is the call for all of us. If we are so intent on being the person God wants us to be then we really have neither the time nor the energy to focus on the failures of others.

I am sure that many of us are familiar with the story of the woman caught in adultery which is found in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John. A crowd had seized the woman, and asked Jesus if the woman should be stoned to death. Jesus response was, “Let anyone among you who without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7b)

I don’t know about you but I just too many other things to tote around than to carry a sack of rocks to throw at people. That is why I celebrate that God’s mercy is greater than his judgment.