Nonjudgemental Christians, Part 1
This past Sunday I started a discussion with our church family on the teaching of Jesus that we not be people who judge others. I am blogging along at our church website on our series and wanted to also place the entries here.
Nonjudgemental Christians, Part 1
Here’s our base text from Matthew 7:1-6…
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Do Not Judge
We started with the recognition that the word “judge” here means exactly that, “to judge” or to give a verdict. It’s not just criticism, but it is delivering a verdict; a person is judged inadequate, worthless, wrong, or without value. A person is judged as not worth God’s time, not in God’s favor. It is the decision on a person’s worth and value, a full and complete judgement. Certainly among the audience on the day that Jesus spoke these words there were many of the religious professionals present who were well versed in judging, and many who had been judged.
As we read through the ministry and life Jesus we often see these religious professionals in action. They are the ones in the background whispering, “If he only knew.” When Jesus was eating or interacting with people they judged unworthy or undeserving of his attention, they assumed he simply didn’t know who they were. If he knew, surely he would have judged the person as they did. And yet Jesus did not judge as they did, and his words warn us of judging. Some examples of people judging others when Jesus did not: Luke 7:36-50, Mark 2:13-17, John 8:1-11, and Matthew 21:28-32 (premature judgement).
The first warning in this passage that Jesus gives is very clear… if we choose to indulge in bringing judgment, then we open ourselves up to the same standards and imposition of judgment. He says clearly, “Do not.” Then he unpacks the danger of judgement as it opens us up to the same treatment.
Do Not Judge, But Maybe Help
Jesus goes on to essentially make a joke of my hypocritical use of judgment, that I easily overlook the reasons in my own life to face judgement and turn to quickly judge another. He says that when judging others I overlook the “plank” which debilitates my own life to focus on the “speck” that trips you up. Jesus asks “Why do you do this?” Why do I do this blatantly hypocritical thing? Because your speck, your sins or mistakes, they make me an expert. My own plank, my own sins and mistakes, they just make me a failure. Why wouldn’t I choose to spend the day on your problems instead of my own?
And yet, Jesus puts a line of hope out there for me. I can work on on my own life, and maybe, just maybe, one day I’ll be able to help another person. Maybe, if I can do something about this plank in my eye, if I can find my way from the debilitation of my own sins and weakness, then I will be strong enough to help someone with a speck. Because no matter how hard I work on my life and no matter how much I achieve in purifying my life, the contrast is still overwhelmingly against me: my plank vs. your speck. My primary responsibility is always my own sin, no matter how well I ever manage to hide or tame it, or notice yours.
Some see these words as a chance to judge, a license to judge! You see, if I can simply tame a sin in my own life, then it’s fair game to judge in your life. But I will have to humbly disagree with that. This is still within the discussion on judgment which Jesus began with the words, “Do not judge.” We are still talking about why we don’t judge. Removing a plank from my eye does not give me license to judge, but an opportunity to help. St. Paul would later echo the same sentiment in Ephesians 4:28, “Those who have been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” I am not to judge, but I may be able to help. There’s a big difference.
Pigs and Pearls
And finally there’s the closing verse of the passage we used on Sunday, the one about pearls, pigs and dogs. I was surprised to find so many commentators who treated this verse as unattached to the fuller discussion. They simply made a comment on the common sense of not wasting precious resources on ventures or opportunities that are not precious.
Yet it is a beautiful restatement of verses 1 & 2! Verse 6 restates the devastating reciprocity of judgment that Jesus warns us of, that when I judge I open myself up to the same treatment. Think of verse 6 now, and in that imagery, the pearls and sacred things are the people around me, and the pigs and dogs are my judgements. If I throw those precious people to my judging (usually to feed my own ego and righteousness), the same judgments will eventually turn and destroy me. I will reap what I sow.
So Why Do We So Often Judge?
In the coming weeks we’ll be talking about the job of sharing life as nonjudgemental people, and yet we are involved in one another’s lives and have a responsibility to help each other when needed. Can we recognize opportunities to help without the prerequisite of judgment? Can we make sense of other things that New Testament writers say in light of the words of Jesus? Maybe I’m too much an optimist, but I believe we can, if we will be both thoughtful speakers and thoughtful listeners, bound in love.
Peace, Todd
Oh Yeah… Cold Cups!
I want to mention reusing cold cups instad of simply disposing of them, or better yet, carry a nice reusable cold cup! Most coffee shops that also sell cold or iced drinks will sell cold cups just as they sell hot drink cups.
But it’s not so easy as it seems! There’s obviously a different part of the brain associated with carrying a reusable cold drink cup. I say that completely scientifically. I have no trouble remembering to carry a coffee cup, and though I own a nice reusable cold cup, I can’t remember it to save my life.
But the payoffs are the same as reusable hot cups when it comes to preventing waste. I don’t kick myself too badly when I’m out & about and don’t have a reusable cold cup for that iced venti Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks, but I can make sure to keep that plastic cup, wash and reuse it a couple of times.
I am trying to break my addiction to Diet Coke right now, so I am using that Big Gulp image as a reminder to, well… “Just say no.” But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t keep my reusable cold cups handy for the trips to the Starbucks!
Refillable Bottles of Balsamic!
It’s Saturday and I have been shopping, running errands for work, light plumbing and geting the big dog to a grooming appointment… I’m tired. But I did want to write something fast for the “Things Disposable” theme…
My family is full of Balsamic Vinegar lovers! And in Bethesda you can use a refillable bottle at Bradley Food & Beverage (check out their stunning website, lol) instead of simply buying new bottles every time you need more vinegar! They also have refillable olive oil bottles! I refilled a bottle of Balsamic, today!
If you are near enough, check it out and save some bottles! If you live further away, check around and see if someone close to you offers the same! Think of it as an adventure!
Forever Homes for Pocket Knives
I don’t suppose it would be exactly correct to say that reusable is necessarily the opposite of disposable, but it’s surely a good alternative much of the time. And so many things in our lives can be nudged away from being disposed of, and moved back into good use, or reuse. One of the things I have found a good bit of pleasure with is rescuing and reusing old pocket knives on their way to the disposal pile.
I post pics on Facebook often of knives I’ve found, bought, cleaned and sharpened. What I don’t often talk about or show pictures of are the “forever homes” that I also sometimes find for the pocket knives. Many come into my hands rusted and dulled beyond safe use… but just a little oil, whetstone work and patience brings them back to a place of purpose and meaning. The Imperial Scout shown here is the knife I’m currently carrying for daily use.
I love the older, cheap American made knives, a few of my favorites being Camillus, Camco and Imperial. Though I find a reason to use my pocket knife’s sharpened blade every day, I love a secondary blade with the bottle opener/flat-head screwdriver combo! I use that one as often as I use the sharpened cutting blade.
Are you a pocket knife person? Would you be willing to give an old pocket knife a new life of usefulness and purpose? I have joked about making an online adoption site for rescued pocket knives, but I’m not sure I have that much time… in the meanwhile, just let me know and I’ll see if we can find a good match for you!
Bottom line, we junk and throw away too many great old pocket knives that can be made useful again, disposing of useful items! I wonder what else we dispose of before it’s time?
Coffee Cup Dare!
I dare you to start carrying a coffee cup everywhere you go, if you’re a coffee drinker! If you’re not a coffee drinker, then go take a nap like the rest of us can’t. And I guess this works as well for the tea drinkers (says I while sipping some herbal tea at my desk).
I was down at one of the four Starbucks in Bethesda yesterday looking for an elusive Yukon coffee cup (the one with a bear on it), but instead found a newly released Guatemala cup! Woot! I visited Guatemala in 2003… stayed a few days in Old Anitgua. It’s a lovely country and totally delightful people!
I’m not sure if we can really ever quantify the waste produced by disposable coffee cups in our country. So carry a cup… to work, to school, to your mosque or your church, and even to the coffee shop!
Here’s the deal about carrying your own coffee cup:
1) You won’t eliminate all the disposable cup waste in the world, but you’ll eliminate some of yours,
2) You won’t save a ton of money, even though most coffee shops give a $.10 discount when you bring your own, and
3) It’s a really nice way to help your community and environment.
Oh, and now Starbucks wants to make this all even easier and cheaper with reusable $1 cups that are rolling out TODAY! How can you beat that?
The Need for Speed
As I begin thinking about things in my life that are disposable, two values really jump out at me: 1) speed and 2) convenience. We often opt for disposable things because they offer a level of speed that is not otherwise available with things reused. Easy example: our food choices.
I have been sitting at La Madeleine this morning having breakfast. Though the napkins are one-time use things, the plate, flatware and water glass are shared items. They have been used and will be used again. It’s a slower way to eat, especially in contrast to fast food items designed to be be consumed and leave behind a waste trail of bagging, wrapping, condiment tubes, cups and straws.
It’s easy to recognize the enormous waste produced by fast food. It takes a little more effort to recognize the toll on our lives by a food system driven by speed. I believe that our appreciation of food suffers, and therefore our appreciation of what food does for us suffers, and therefore we suffer. All to be a little faster, cheaper or have a bit more convenience.
My mother’s parents grew food. They weren’t the typical American farmers out in Middle America, but they lived in a suburban city near Dallas and farmed a modest little couple of acres in town where housing development couldn’t happen, and a good chunk of their back yard. My grandparents also kept bees. He was a carpenter by trade, she a seamstress, so I think the idea of patient craftsmanship was easily extended to food. I remember both my grandparents working hard, but I don’t remember them being frantic. Ever.
Disposable things are feeding the beast of haste in our lives. Disposable things are making it too easy to rush through important times and segments of the day. If we begin the day devaluing the very food we eat and rushing through the first nourishment we will provide ourselves, how do we later slow down and become appreciative?
Speed is deceptive. Speed can be alluring and exciting. Speed can give the impression of importance and power. But speed will also do what speed always does: it leaves things behind. Perhaps our rejecting the disposable food experience is a good step toward affirming that there are not “disposable times” in our day. Each moment is valuable. Each moment is a gift.
And here’s a few things I found online, food for thought:
slowdownnow.org
How To Slow Down
“Slow Down” by Keb’ Mo’
10 Ways to Slow Down the Speed of Your Day
“Things Disposable” in 2013
So in this, the beginning of 2013 (Happy New year!) I feel the desire to dig a little deeper into an area that I have only brushed up against in the past bunch of years, and that is the effort to remove “disposable” things from my life.
If you know me, then you know I usually carry my own coffee mug, because I hate the waste of disposable coffee cups. But if you know me then you also know I am surrounded by those disposable 44oz soda cups from 7-11, because I’m an addict.
This month I’m going to think about what is disposable and what I need & want to do about “disposable” things in my life. I think there is some truth in the old saying, “Waste not, want not.” But there’s also the effort and cost involved in not going disposable with many of our daily things.
Today is just the jump off, so I’ll simply say that the new header image for the blog includes a disposable cup from our family’s favorite tea shop, and it’s the last one I’ll accept in 2013. Either I take a reusable cup to the shop, or buy a cup to reuse, or it’s no tea for me that day.
Cheers, Todd
Jan. 1, 2012
election day limerick (nov. 6 2012… tongue in cheek)
My little election day limerick…
“election day is finally here
time for you to vote!
your side will surely win it all
or at least you hope
but either way you did your part
you braved the crowds, you stood in line
to guarantee for four more years
your right to cheer or right to whine
or letting loose that thousandth tear
so just be safe, and pack a bag
I hear Canada’s nice this time of year”
new notebook (a poem for november 3, 2012)
Just some quick backstory… my dog ate my notebook. Yes, he ate the notebook in which I write my poems! But undaunted, I strode manfully to the mall and bought a new notebook. That notebook is the subject of a little poem I write tonight.
smell of the paper
feel of the grain
this notebook needs to be lettered
like the ground needs the rain
it holds my pen
steals my breath
i must dig into this paper
plumb it’s width, breadth and depth
something will be found
treasures yet unknown
despite all other gain
i shall have arrived home
sacred unease (a poem for nov. 1 2012)
still grey skies
mock the storm in my soul
as a sacred unease
rises, shifts and rolls
i cannot name the thing
which inside me grows
This often happens when I sit to intentionally write some poetry. A still, quiet moment allows me to hear some of my more painful inner movements that are drowned out in the usual activity of the day. It’s not that I’m totally filled with melancholy, but it’s there.
In recent months I’ve been in several different situations discussing the impact of depression on our lives and those conversations have had me thinking. I have lived with the ebb and flow of depression as long as I can remember. I don’t think it’s ever outright owned me, but it’s been there. I’ve learned to watch the seasons and to be aware of their impact on my moods. I’ve learned to listen to the people who love me and live with me; Teresa will let me know when I seem to be letting it get an upper hand.
I’ve been thinking about some of the ways that being a person of faith has impacted the way I deal with my depression and darker moods. I think that growing up with a “seen and unseen” worldview has been helpful for me. I was raised to put my faith in something beyond my senses, beyond my ability to perceive, as I could perceive other things. So when the dark thoughts come and I perceive no hope, I have this reflex to look past it and try to see what may not be seen.
I have a cognitive trigger built into me that causes me to seek. When I seek I am in movement. When I am in movement I cannot be held in the grip of anxiety, fear or hopelessness for too long. So when I am in the grip of depression, it never holds all of me, there is a bit of me still free to roam.
I’m not saying that this idea is a panacea or a magic cure all of some kind. And there will always be times when our imbalanced physiology demands the help of trained professionals, both for counseling and for medication. When I stop seeking, then I think it will be time for me to see a professional.
But having that safety valve built into me allows me to be very open about the presence of darkness in my soul. I can deal with the fact that even as a creature of the light, I retain these shadows; I own the shadows. But the shadows don’t own me. I’m grateful to God for this. And so even as I write something that questions what “inside me grows” I am also very assured that it will not one day rule me and destroy me, or supplant in me what God would do. My unease is sacred.
toddthomas.net 