Jesus, the Judgmental

They metaphorically wag their fingers at someone expressing concern about a recent cultural trend that shifts us further away from biblical standards. They then reference what may be one of the few Bible verses they can quote. “Didn’t Jesus, himself, say, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’?” Sometimes, whoever invokes this verse (Matthew 7:1 – part of the Sermon on the Mount) sees it as the “touché” that is supposed to shame the “judger” into silence.

Yanking verses out of context encourages dubious interpretations or applications. In the very same chapter that records this admonition to not judge, Jesus slips in a few pretty “judgy-sounding” things:

·         Only a few will find the narrow road that leads to salvation (verse 13-14). Implication:  most people won’t “make it.”

·         He calls people who don’t do God’s will “evildoers” who will be excluded from the kingdom (verses 21-23).

·         Anyone who fails to heed his words faces ruin (verses 21-27).

But wait! There’s more! It’s not that Jesus woke up on the wrong side of the bed on the day he delivered the Sermon on the Mount. We see the same theme of judgement in nearly half his parables. By my count, out of Jesus’ 40 parables, 18 involved judgement, including:

·         The vineyard tenants who rebelled against the landowner, ultimately killing his son (Mark 12:1-11)

·         Being entrusted with talents and either investing them or burying them (Luke 19:12-27)

·         The rich fool who was not rich toward God and tore down his barns to store all his riches (Luke 12:16-21)

And within the 18 “judgment parables,” fully 10 are “dualistic” where they specify two groups:   those who do it right, and those who don’t.  Here are just a few:

·         The sheep and the goats – those who either care for God’s people or don’t (Matthew 25:31-46)

·         Two sons, one of whom said he would do his father’s will but didn’t, and the other who initially said he wouldn’t but changed his mind and ultimately complied (Matthew 21:28-32)

·         The Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14)

Beyond these teachings, look at Jesus’ scathing denouncement of the Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 23:13-39) where he calls them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and a brood of vipers. Not exactly “Jesus, Meek and Mild” who never called people out when they violated God’s standards.

If those who criticize Christians for speaking up on social issues were to apply the same standard to Jesus himself, they would be forced to label him judgmental.  The problem is that, in the way they apply “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” they are conflating the different “dimensions” of judgment:

1.      God judging me as an individual

2.      God holding societies accountable for their collective practices

3.      Me judging someone else as an individual

4.      Me communicating my understanding of how God’s standards should affect society

Jesus’ prohibition in Matthew 7:1 relates to #3 – Me judging an individual.  It fits perfectly with the rest of the Sermon the Mount which addresses my personal behavior, character, and even inner thoughts. Matthew 7:1 does not disqualify me from speaking to #4.

We should not take a confrontational approach when people hijack nine of Jesus’ words to support their social positions. Instead, we should humbly and gently point them to a more nuanced understanding of judgment and Jesus’ charge to his followers – also in the Sermon on the Mount – to be the light of the world.  

Saving a Life 3 Times

Some jobs are just plain cool.  Chad – one of my favorite people in the world – has one of the best.  Besides being a faithful follower of Jesus and a great guy, Chad is a helicopter paramedic.  We met when our family lived in Ann Arbor, and we have stayed friends ever since.

Chad recently told me an awesome story about one of his late-night rescues.  About 18 months ago, Chad and his team were called to a serious car wreck in rural Southeast Michigan.  Inside a car that had careened off the road was a seriously injured 18-year-old high school football player.     Paramedics do all they can to extricate patients without creating further damage, but this boy’s foot was so thoroughly entrapped in sheet metal that the paramedics finally realized what they had to do to save his life.

Last summer, Chad – who is a beast – was participating in a Spartan race, one of those insane athletic events that combines running with crazy obstacles.  As he was climbing a steep hill, he saw a fellow participant with a prosthetic leg struggling to make it to the top.  “I’m dying,” the younger man gasped.  Being a big-hearted soul, Chad said to him, “Put your arm around me and I’ll help you up.”  

On the way up the hill, Chad asked about his injury.  Based on the young guy’s age, he thought perhaps he was a soldier injured in overseas combat.  “No, I was actually in a real bad car wreck last summer,” he said.  As he started sharing the details, Chad realized that this was the young man he had helped airlift to the hospital.  Unfortunately, besides losing his foot, he ultimately lost his entire leg.  We they reached to summit of the hill, the young guy said with a big grin, “Thanks!  That’s twice now that that you saved my life.”  

When the boy’s dad, who was at the finish line, realized who Chad was, he had difficulty communicating to Chad the extent of his gratitude.  He told him that even though his son was a good kid, before the accident he was starting to make some poor choices.  Once, out of exasperation, he said to his son, “I don’t know what it’s going to take to get you back on track.”  

In the aftermath of the accident, both the son and his dad – both of whom are Christians – have grown much deeper in their walks with Jesus.  Of course, if the son hadn’t been physically rescued from the mangled car, he wouldn’t have been on that hill where Chad was able to “save” him, so to speak, the second time.  Nor would he have been around to experience a renewed commitment to Christ.  God used that tragedy in both the son’s and the father’s life, and their spiritual walks are far stronger because of the accident and the son’s subsequent survival.

So Chad had a hand in “saving” this young man’s three times:  once literally, once metaphorically, and once (in a sense) spiritually.  What a blessing for Chad and for everyone who hears how God can work through even the most tragic of circumstances. 

I hope this story provides major encouragement to you.

Responding to Compliments: 2 Wrong Ways and 1 Right Way

“You’re an amazing musician!  I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone play harmonica like that before.  You have such a bluesy sound, and you make that thing sing!”

I often hear comments like this.  For five years, I performed with various internationally touring Cru music ministry bands and currently play professionally in a Christian bluegrass band and with various other musicians.  

How should I respond to such compliments?

Wrong Way #1 – Pay too much attention to them and start believing my own press clippings.  That’s a dangerous path towards inappropriate, destructive pride.

Wrong Way #2 – Dismiss the compliment in an attempt to show humility.  

Years ago, I heard a Christian psychologist confess that he used to employ Wrong Way #2 when people would thank him for his wonderful public talks.  “Oh no.  That wasn’t me.  It was all Jesus,” he would say.  In hindsight, he wished just one person would have called him out.  “Wait a minute!  Were my eyes and ears deceiving me?  Didn’t I see you behind that podium?  Wasn’t that your voice I heard?  I don’t know what Jesus sounded like, but the voice I heard sure seemed like yours.”

Of course, this well-meaning speaker was trying to avoid Mistake #1 and but overcorrected by communicating– rather ineptly – that he recognized God is the one who made it possible for him to succeed.  

And he’s right.  Ultimately, God is the one who blessed me with my natural abilities and gave me the discipline to put in the time required to achieve competence.  However, I do deserve some credit too.  If it truly is “all Jesus” and I don’t spend the hours required to hone my skill, the performance will be a mess.  I’m not sure Jesus wants to be blamed for my lack of preparation.

A Right Way to Respond – Now when I am complimented for my playing, I sincerely thank my conversation partner, saying I’m glad they enjoyed the music.  Sometimes I mention how blessed I feel that God gifted me in this way.  I might also briefly comment on one of the songs we played or mention how much I enjoy playing with such great fellow musicians. 

And then – and here is the key – after “basking” in their compliment for maybe 30 – 60 seconds, I ask if they play any instruments.  The typical response is something like, “Well, I used to play trumpet in high school,” or “I play a little guitar.”  If it’s the former, I ask if they ever get to play now.  If it’s the latter, I ask what style they like.  Either response usually starts an enjoyable conversation.  

My approach accomplishes two things:

·         It affirms the person’s compliment.  Instead of rebuffing them by essentially denying the validity of their comment, I receive it and graciously thank them.

·         It gets the attention off me and on to them

This practice can be adapted whether you’re an athlete, speaker, or faithful servant quietly going about your tasks.  Try it out!

Are You Chasing a Phantom?

During my first year on Cru staff, ministry leadership detected a troubling pattern.  They realized that many staff were pursuing phantoms.  Well, not multiple specters.  Only one they dubbed “The Phantom.”  This mythical creature was not the typical ghoul that populates horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, but instead was a composite, idealized, nearly perfect Cru staff member.  Here’s how it worked.

Cru attracts some of the most committed, talented disciples in the Christian world – people willing to make vocational sacrifices and pursue the formidable task of support team development.  This determination typically carries over to other aspects of their spiritual lives:  prayer, Bible study, evangelism, etc. 

The Body of Christ concept teaches that God uniquely gifts believers and places them in various kingdom-furthering roles.  My responsibility is to faithfully fulfill that calling and rejoice as others do the same.

The problem Cru leadership detected was that some staff were gazing at their peers and, rather than celebrating their talents and faithfulness, felt convicted that they didn’t measure up.

·         Bill is one of the most outgoing people I know and takes every opportunity to share his faith.

·         Chelsea is a prayer warrior, typically rising at 5:00 a.m. to spend an hour praying.

·         Chad is a Bible scholar who studies diligently to bring fresh insights to his disciples.

·         Cheryl has the gift of hospitality and uses her apartment as an incredible ministry platform.

·         Jason dearly loves the people from his home area who support his ministry and somehow finds time almost every month to send each one a personal note.

What admirable, commendable traits!  The problem comes when I move from admiration to berating myself I don’t measure up in all these areas, a fairly wide-spread trend the Cru leadership detected.  

Essentially, these well-meaning rank-and-file staff were taking the best characteristics of various friends and created The Phantom – the idealized staff member who exists only in a mythical, over-spiritualized universe.  What they were missing was that even though Bill has the gift of evangelism, his apartment looks like a war zone, and he almost never communicates with his support team.  Chad may know the Bible inside-out but would be the first to admit that his prayer life suffers from extreme flab.   

We should always strive to up our ante spiritually and admire the best traits of others, but, rather than getting down on ourselves for our shortcomings, we need to do so in a way that embraces the path God has me on.  

So the take-aways are:

·         Admire other believers for their gifting

·         Stop short of becoming unduly self-critical

·         Seek was to appropriately serve as encouraging role models to others as we serve from our strength areas.

This reminder is especially apropos at this time of year when we pressure ourselves to orchestrate the “perfect Christmas.”   I recently commented to my wife that somehow the Magic of Christmas loses something when you are the magician.  Let’s do our best to keep this in mind during this holy season, remembering what Christmas is really about.