THE JUDGMENTAL TONGUE

The Judgmental Tongue

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the

same way you judge others, you will be judged.

Matthew 7:1-2







Yahusha had no tolerance for those judgmental

Pharisees. What a miserable bunch they were! This

religious sect of the Jews was always looking for something to nitpick about regarding violation of the law of Moses or their own man-made traditions. Their critiquing ran the gamut from judging the disciples for not washing their hands to criticizing Yahusha for healing on the Sabbath. Consider Yahusha’ response to them:




You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me (John 8:15-16).




Judgmental people engage in a critical, fault-

finding assessment of another person’s behavior.

What is amazing is that they judge others by their

actions but judge themselves by their intentions. Of

course, most of us tend to judge others from an auto-

biographical viewpoint. If someone’s behavior

does not reflect a choice or decision we would have

made, we judge it as wrong. I often catch myself

judging people who move at a slow pace as lazy or

slow-witted—simply because the only two modes in

which I operate are “intense” and “off.” I have to

remind myself that they are not lazy but just dif-

ferent.




There are some people who pass judgment on

others based solely upon rumors they may have

heard that may not have a modicum of truth.

Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding

Fathers, said, “I will speak ill of no man, not even in

the matter of truth, but rather excuse the faults I hear, and, upon proper occasions, speak all the good I know of everybody.” His philosophy follows the age-old parental advice: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”




We must be careful how we discuss others. My

husband and I were members of a popular church

which God eventually led us to leave. There had been many rumors circulating about the pastor. As inner circle leaders, we had indeed been privy to the details of some of the situations being discussed. However, we agreed it would serve no purpose to talk about these matters with others. It was interesting to note the disappointed looks on the faces of various members when they would engage us in conversation, only to find that we were not going to offer any information they could use to pass judgment on the pastor. Yahusha was emphatic about His displeasure with judgmental folks.




Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in

your brother’s eye and pay no attention to

the plank in your own eye? How can you say

to your brother, “Let me take the speck out

of your eye,” when all the time there is a

plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first

take the plank out of your own eye, and then

you will see clearly to remove the speck from

your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).




Yahusha based His judgment of people’s behavior on nothing other than God’s standard. This is the only basis from which we can righteously judge. We would do well to focus more on judging ourselves than hunting for specks in the matters of others.




Pray for those whom you observe walking contrary to God’s standards—but avoid judgment. If you

have a genuine concern for someone and have earned the right to address his or her behavior, then do so in the spirit of love. Remember that you earn the right by consistently demonstrating your care and

support.




Today’s Affirmation:

I do not judge others or I too will be

judged. For in the same way that I



judge, I will be judged.