My dog Waffles makes faces. Anyone else’s pet do that? You look at them, and they tilt their head. You say something to them, and they raise their eyebrows and stare at you. I know I’m making him more human than the K-9 that he is, but he often looks like he’s judging me. The Ancient Greeks were fans of the practice of physiognomy or face reading. It is the practice of assessing a person’s character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. I find it ironic that you would try to judge someone based on their face that has a judgmental look…
Eugene H. Peterson was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. In case you aren’t familiar with that version of the Bible, The Message is not intended to be a literal translation and is not a study Bible. The Message tries to recapture scripture by using the words we use today. In Matthew 7, Peterson translates the plank and speck parable to say, “Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.”
Our face and body language tend to give us away when we have a judgmental attitude. Judging out of meanness or spite tends to require a frown, a furrowed brow, or other not-pleasant facial expressions that show our disgust. It is hard to judge someone in hate with a smile on your face.
We can be honest with ourselves: it is easy to judge. When we disagree with people’s lifestyle, choices, or even their political party, we find ourselves choosing a spirit of judgment; and not a judgment that would lead to gentle correction.
While there are times to judge, there are also times to hold back. We should pray that the Holy Spirit shows us the difference in those moments. It all goes back to following the way Jesus taught us. Do I, do you, do we,judge and give mercy in the Spirit of Jesus? Jesus, in this upside-down kingdom, invites us to choose empathy, grace, and mercy instead of judgment.
The Sermon on the Mount will take us to the foot of the cross of Jesus…where we are guilty as charged. Yet, because of Jesus, we are judged with grace and with mercy. Let’s trade our judgmental attitudes for grace, mercy, and love.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to be more like Your Son Jesus; trading our judgmental attitudes for grace, mercy, and love. Build your upside-down kingdom in this place with Your power and for Your glory through our group project. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Aaron