Let’s continue to learn from some of Jesus’s toughest teachings - His relational commands, most of which are found in Luke 6, verses 27-38.
Thus far Jesus has commanded us to love our enemies by doing good, blessing, praying for, foregoing retaliation, and being merciful to them.
His next command addresses judgement, referencing the law of reciprocity: “Judge not, and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37a). Let’s look closely at the full meaning of this command.
Here, Jesus is teaching that it’s not our place to try to discern others’ motives. To attempt to determine when motives are “good” or “bad.” To write people off and say that they are of no value whatsoever.
Jesus commands us to control our desire to find fault in others. To slander. To gossip. When we judge others, without first acknowledging our own sins, it’s like we’re wearing badly smeared and scratched eyeglasses, while judging the physical appearance of someone else.
This command illustrates another of Jesus’s teachings: We reap what we sow. How we judge others is how God will judge us. When we choose to excessively criticize others, we are inviting God to excessively criticize us. And no one wants to be on that side of God’s judgment.
Don’t judge others! Leave that to God’s perfect, righteous perspective.
Then you are free to love, not judge.