Sitting in Judgement

Pigpen, a character in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip by Charles Schultz, is characterized by a cloud of dust and dirt following him around.  At times in the raising of our boys, I felt as if Pigpen lived in our home.  But in recent years that dust cloud has come to symbolize emotional or spiritual oppression that sometimes follows us around. I don’t believe it is a coincidence that the location of the cloud is just over and behind our heads – the very spot where we can’t readily see it.

While we can be oblivious to the presence of our cloud, others often are not, as they pick up on it through our posture, words, and attitudes.  But here’s the rub: when helpful observers postulate regarding the cloud’s nature or reason, they are often wrongly interpreting through their own experiences.  As a result, we either feel judged, or are guilty of making judgments on others when the roles are reversed. Sadly, the closer the person is to us (like a spouse or other family member), the more guilty we are of casting judgment according to familiarity. To be on the receiving end of judgment feels accusatory and condemning. Yet, meeting out judgment seems righteous and justified.  Paul addressed the Roman church regarding this human tendency to judge based on observation.  “You then, why do you judge your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” (Romans 14:10)

Unfortunately to justify ourselves, we often don’t stop at a judgment, but look for evidence to back it up.  In biblical times, physical maladies such as blindness and crippling disease, as well as misfortune such as what the biblical character Job experienced were commonly used to point to sin.  Today with others, we secretly give that possibility a covert nod, even though we know that’s not our job.  Connecting the dots from judgment to causality is simply not hard.  However, when it happens to us, one thing has nothing to do with the other.

The important truth is that only the Lord knows the heart, and we cannot know the heart of another. Regarding ourselves, 1 Corinthians 2:11 says, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?” At the same time, we also conveniently choose to ignore Jeremiah 17:9 which declares our hearts to be deceitfully wicked. Therefore, to combat absolving ourselves of guilt and the opportunity to learn, God will often use negative life situations to get our attention.  The goal is that we focus our efforts on judging and correcting ourselves, a full-time job not allowing time to meddle in the business of others.  Ultimately, we find the process of facing our guilt is so painfully humbling that we have no standing for casting judgment elsewhere.

Paul put it very succinctly: “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. ¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” (Romans 14:12-13)

There is only One Who is worthy of sitting in judgment. “So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)