Reflection - Judgment

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022618.cfm
Daniel 9:4-10
Luke 6:36-38

Various Scripture passages are sometimes difficult to reconcile. The current Gospel reading presents us with one such conflict.

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.”

The words of Jesus seem clear, neither cluttered with innuendo nor burdened with subtleness. Yet, we must somehow understand them as compatible with other Gospel words and incidents. Examples that might create dissonance in our understanding are not hard to find. We just consult the Gospels.

It sure sounded like Jesus was judging when he said to Peter: “Get behind me Satan.” Or when he threw the money-changers out of the Temple courtyard. Or when he told his disciples: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

And condemning? That follows from judging. The incident of the woman caught in adultery demonstrates that fact. The Pharisees, already having judged the woman themselves, bring her to Jesus and press him to make a judgement too. Ultimately, it is the condemnation which flows from judgment that they are after. But Jesus resists.

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)

The words of the prophet Daniel, put the situation of the Woman the Pharisees and Jesus into proper perspective.

Lord, great and awesome God,
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.

Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day.

Little wonder that the crowd departed, one by one, as would all of us. But then, something even more remarkable happened: the Son of God, He who was without sin in a sinful world, neither judged nor condemned the woman. Rather . . .

Jesus looked up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again." (John 8:10-11)

Does Jesus tell her she’s ok?

Does he tell her that . . . well . . . prostitutes are necessary?

Does he tell her that it was the suffering she endured as a child that led her into this questionable lifestyle?

Does he tell her “Hey, you’re made that way.”?

Does he offer any of a thousand other excuses for the sin in her life?

He does none of these. Rather, he acknowledges the sin for what it is and directs her to avoid it in the future.

We might also consider Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. When the son returns home, he is neither judged nor condemned. There’s not the slightest note of judgment or condemnation, not even: “Well, it’s about time.” The only thing the Father is concerned about is the need for the best robe and a fatted calf . . .

"for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." (Luke 15:24)

Still, lest we forget, there is that apparent conflict we must address and understand. I’m referring, of course to Jesus’ harsh words to Peter, to the money-changers thrown out of the Temple, to the questionable righteousness of the Pharisees. So far, what we clearly know is that Jesus and the Father are more interested that we return ‘home’ and sin no more than they are in judgement and condemnation. Sure there will be both at the Last Judgment. But that will come about when the truth becomes inescapable; and, at that time, evil will condemn itself.

The text from Daniel reminds us (as if we need reminding) that we’re not in a very good position to judge others, unless,of course, you want to take the position that “it takes one to know one.” But what about Jesus when he tells us not to judge and then sets an example of judging. We can, of course, attribute the discrepancy to the fact that Jesus was God and he could do what he wanted. But that would both be unnecessary and over-simplistic, especially if we give attention to his opening statement:

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

What follows this opener are some specifics on just how mercy is actualized in real life. Mercy has room for neither judgment nor condemnation. Nevertheless, It is an issue that the Church has struggled with from the beginning. The Apostles delt with it in one area: Could the Christian eat meat which had been sacrificed to idols? During the times of persecution a different question arose: Could the Apostate, I.e., one who has denied the faith, be readmitted to the Christian community? In our time we are more perplexed by a different set of issues. Should those divorced and remarried or those living in homosexual relationships partake of the Eucharist?

These issues stand out because they are serious matters, they are publicly known and they are persistent lifestyles. But, like the multitude of less notable actions contrary to God’s Law, none of the influences which generated their origin is so evident that any one of us can be privy to those physical, mental or emotional circumstances which brought any person to the point in his life where he engages in these objectionable behaviors.

If, in considering these issues, we recall the adulterous woman standing before Jesus or the prodigal son in the embrace of his joyful father, it is hard to judge or condemn anyone sincerely seeking a relationship with God. Furthermore, it is up to God, not us, to accept or reject the relationship that is sought. We need to leave it to him to read the thoughts of our hearts. And, if these more serious issues invite neither our judgment nor our condemnation, how can minor issues solicit either.

But still the issue is before us. It is that persistent fact that Jesus tells us not to judge or condemn and then sets an example of both judging and condemning. Why does he do that and how do we reconcile the words with the action?

When studying philosophy and theology it was heartening to know the sharp division between black and white. Personally, I liked the sharp division. But when abstract principles and dictums are introduced into the real world, this fallen and broken world, those same principles and dictums necessarily are enshrouded and muddled in a world of grey. Why? Because, since the fall of Adam and Eve, the whole of creation has been immersed and mesmerized by something not of itself. Just try and separate the chocolate from the milk once the two are mixed.

Evil is evil. It has been and it always will be. Correspondingly, truth does not change no matter how hard we struggle to bend it to our will and perspective. Nor does it evolve or go through a metamorphose through the passage of time. Jesus would tell us to avoid judgement and condemnation of people because he was calling on us to be merciful as our Father is merciful. But that’s not the end of the story. Through his words and actions he was also calling on us to recognize evil for what it is. He didn’t mean for our restraint in judgment and condemnation to be a restraint in identifying the right and the wrong, the true and the false, the evil and the Good. But that is a hard thing to do in this broken world. In fact, it is so hard to do that I don’t believe Jesus himself could have readily identified evil were it not for his intimate relationship with his Father. All that is good, all that is Holy comes from him.

It seems to me that the bottom line is this: we should neither judge nor condemn; but we should always identify and resist the evil in our lives. For that, we, like Jesus, need to be close enough to the Father that we can see with clarity.