A judge has the responsibility to examine the facts, determine a person’s guilt or innocence, and declare the penalty for any crime. By judging another person, we are declaring ourselves worthy to sit above his life, his actions. If we assume a right to judge, we are shouting by fact and by intention that we are innocent from any investigation into our private lives. Regarding spiritual matters, for one human being to judge another, the element of grace is missing. Only God has that prerogative because only God can be truly gracious. It was because of his grace that Jesus died on the cross.
If we bring down the judgment hammer on another person, we are making ourselves susceptible to any examination for our past and our private, secret life. A motive to judge another person can originate from the depths of self-doubt. To not judge is to keep matters in their proper order without any tampering because we see only God in that position to look into the hearts of people. None of us are in a position to judge another person because we never can know all the facts of his situation. Any attempt to judge another person cripples us because it is impossible for mortal human beings to be impartial. We are swayed by unreasonable influences. None of us are able to be in a position in which we place ourselves as judge over another. We have enough to do with rectifying the steps we have taken in this life.
Instead of judging, a better place is to demonstrate mercy. In this regard we see ourselves as one of the masses of humanity. As in other parts of this chapter, we obey Christ to allow another person to be spiteful, to take advantage. According to verse 31, we are obedient to Christ by conforming to the golden rule by treating others as we would want to be treated. If we judge another person, we are being inconsistent in our Christian behavior to do good, to love our enemies, and to not seek rewards.
Jesus expects us to follow him as children of the Highest. To judge another person is to wallow in the gutter of his sin. We have enough in dealing with our own misgivings than to think he could correct another man’s path. Our key verse is, in addition to not judging another man, to not condemn but to forgive for any wrongs. We are off course if we think our Christian experience calls to judge other people so that we might gain a reward from God. Whatever measure we offer to others will not bring benefits if they are accompanied by questionable motives. Blessings we gain in this life by how we relate to others will come fully back to us.
We gain nothing by judging another person with its penalties and negativity. But if we innocently determine what is in another person’s life and how it may affect us, we are legitimately fruit inspectors as explained in verses 43 to 45. We must have some means for how to relate to another person without casting doubt on the quality of their character. We are saying nothing more about the man who owns an orchard or even the tree on which the apple grew when we decide not to eat an apple because it has worms or is bruised. There is no condemnation on anyone when we say that fruit is spoiled. This is an honorable way to live and other people will know it by returning honor back to us.
Christian Writer 