Judge Not

Bible:

[Jesus said:] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38 ESV

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. Galatians 6:1 ESV

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8 ESV

Reflection:

Polly was walking down the street one day when she saw a woman quietly leave a little baby on the steps of an orphanage. Polly was worried that the baby might not be okay, and she ran to pick it up just as the door to the orphanage opened and a worker there saw her. This woman thought that Polly was the mother of the baby and that she was the one who was leaving it at the orphanage, and even when Polly said that that wasn’t true, she didn’t believe her. She was sure that Polly had done this bad thing and scolded her for it.

Jesus said that his people shouldn’t judge others. What that means is that we should think the best of them and believe them, just as the woman at the orphanage should have believed Polly. It also means that we shouldn’t think too badly of a woman like the baby’s actual mother, because we don’t know what was in her heart or why she would do a thing like she did. Sometimes God’s people do need to speak to others who are doing things that displease God, but we should do it gently and humbly, and remember that we also are sinful and do wrong things ourselves. It’s not always easy to know the best ways to love and to forgive and not to judge, and sometimes we need help from older, trusted Christians like our parents or teachers. But the important thing to remember is to love and forgive and not try to hurt others, even when they seem to be doing things that are wrong.

Even Jesus didn’t come to the world to judge us, but instead to lay down his life on the cross so that we can be forgiven. No matter what sins we do, we can always come to him for forgiveness and help. His love covers our sins, and he sends us his Holy Spirit to help us to turn away from sin and to follow his ways. Someday Jesus will return as our judge, but until that happens there is time to turn to God for mercy. We are thankful for God’s mercy, and we want to share that mercy with others so that they can know it too.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us your forgiveness and mercy through Jesus. Help us to share that with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Kanin, Garson, dir. Bachelor Mother RKO Radio Pictures, 1939. Film