We should not judge?

WE should be careful not to fall into a simplistic, ridiculous and somehow extremist understanding of that gospel indication not to judge. A child’s common sense can readily tell him he is made to judge.

We are all made to judge. No question about that. Otherwise, why do we have intelligence, the power to know, think, discover, reason out and arrive at some conclusions? Well, that’s because we are all made to judge. He who does not make any judgment is not in his proper humanity.

But obviously, if it is Christ who tells us not to judge, then there must be something to it. We cannot dismiss it lightly. There is something serious about it which we are gravely obliged to know, appreciate and live by.

Let’s examine this divine indication more closely. Let’s see in what context it has to be understood. It is found in the gospel of Matthew, with its corresponding versions in the gospels of St. Luke and St. John. In St. Matthew’s version, we have the following words:

“Judge not that you may not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. And with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (7,1-2)

St. Luke’s version is very similar to St. Matthew’s. “Judge not and you shall not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you shall be forgiven.” (7,37)

St. John adds a slight twist. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.” (7,24)

It’s quite clear from these citations that we are presumed to make judgments, but good and fair judgment, full of love and understanding, justice and mercy. What is discouraged, if not prohibited, is to make bad judgments that are rash, gratuitous or insufficiently based, and driven by some selfish and therefore unfair motives.

We have to be most careful when judging, because if we can be very reckless in our speech, as when we indulge in sheer loquacity that lends itself easily to gossip, detraction, calumny, exaggerations, etc., we can even be much more reckless in our judgment since there would be less deterrence in making rash judgments.

In judging, we should first of all be sure that we are doing it with God in our mind and heart. Without him, we can already be sure of how our judgments would go. All sorts of anomalies, mostly subtle and tricky, can spoil them.

We need to follow his teaching and example of how truth should be proclaimed, explained and defended in charity. One cannot be without the other. And we have to be convinced that rather than truth being a hindrance of charity, or vice-versa, they actually both need and help each other mutually.

We have to be wary of our tendency to be simply driven by the logic of the flesh—with our instincts, emotions and passions leading the way—or by the machinations of the world that are full of deceit, questionable ulterior motives and mere self-interest.

When we have God in the middle of our judgments, we would know how to distinguish between the act which we can judge and the person who only God, not us, can judge.

In short, when we put God at the center of our judgments, we would know the proper scope, the basis and the limits of our judgments. We would follow the requirements of prudence and discretion, making the proper study, consultation and reflection before we make our judgments.

With God, we would know how to be delicate in the way we judge and would do it with proper sense of timing. We would be quite aware of the consequences, both in the short-run and in the long-run. We would be quite sure that the ultimate effect would be the good of everyone, and not just the good of one party.

With God, we would go beyond mere legalism and formalism, which are very much the scourge of our present times, when judgments are rendered according to some literal and formal interpretations of man-made and still perfectible laws, often blindly followed, but without the proper spirit of justice.       

With God, we would be very cautious with our judgments, and much more with our words and deeds. We would be quick to give others the benefit of the doubt, to be patient, to prefer to suffer than to be unfair, and to be forgiving and magnanimous.

We would not keep rancor and bitterness. In fact, we would experience true peace that favors reconciliation over enmity, healing over mere penalty.