When Judgementalism Clouds Good Judgement

Judgment does not always come from hatred or envy; it can also be caused by incorrect observations of others and our overinflated opinions of ourselves.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged" Matthew 7: 1-3. Image by Unspalsh

Take, for example, the story of Mary Magdalene, who, according to John chapter 8, was a prostitute who the scribes and Pharisees arrested for committing adultery.

The scripture says that according to the Law of Moses, getting caught in the act of adultery is a criminal offense punishable by a public stoning.

While Jesus was listening to their rant, he sensed that the Pharisees already decided or judged that Mary was guilty because of her lifestyle as a prostitute. He also sensed that the Pharisees and scribes were trying to trick him into justifying their misuse of Moses’ Law.

So, Jesus said nothing, stooped down to his knees, and began writing things into the sand below him.

Confused, the scribes pushed harder for Jesus to hear their side of the story. But when he stood, Jesus turned to the crowd and said loudly, “He who is without sin may cast the first stone.”

What he wrote into the sand was all the sins Mary’s accusers committed in their lifetime, and though the Bible only states they were overcome with guilt about their faults, I could imagine what they thought Jesus was writing.

We fail to realize that judgmentalism—the tendency to form opinions too quickly, especially when talking about someone or something—makes us look more foolish than the person we are talking about.

When we judge others, we give them a cup of our venom, expecting them to die, when in reality, we are slowly poisoning our credibility and witness as believers.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For we see as through a glass darkly…” meaning our understanding of life and its people is extremely limited. God fashioned us to have a basic understanding of the world and its workings.

Why? Because God designed us to crave knowledge and insight through fully embracing Christ as our savior. That’s what it means to have godly wisdom.

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" - Matthew 7: 3-5 - Image by Unsplash

Suppose one of the Pharisees gave Mary a chance to speak for herself. What would she say in her defense?

What if the Pharisees chose to see the situation from Mary’s perspective - to see her not as a soulless provocateur determined to gratify herself with as many men as possible but perhaps as a lonely woman whose experiences fooled her into thinking that she had to avail herself to men to find the love she desperately needed?

No. The Pharisees believed that Moses’ Law entitled them to make such a terrible decision to sentence poor Mary to death.

Nevertheless, Proverbs 3: 5-6 warns us not to lean on (or rely on) our understanding of what we know. We have many sources of information around us, and studying them makes us believe that we have infinite wisdom, but that is only by the world’s standards. We can’t see things the way that our all-powerful God does.

Going back to John 8, as much as we want to believe that our perception of life is informed and valid, it can harm or even destroy our target’s spirit. When our judgementalism is used in moments of selfishness, jealousy, or envy, it can separate you from God.