What is the first thing you notice about a person when you first meet them? Is it an outstanding feature, their clothes, hairstyle, eyes or maybe the way they carry themselves? Every interaction can be different. For me, unless something is outlandish, its's the eyes or the way they carry themselves. Do you make any judgements about the person based on their appearance or the way they carry themselves? Be honest! I know I have been guilty of it before. Has your perception changed since you've gotten to know them? Sometimes no and sometimes yes, right? Making judgements in a split second is something we all do. It can be part of a defense mechanism. I mean we don't want to put ourselves in harms way do we? However we don't want to base someone's worth on our opinions. We must remember that everyone has eternal worth, no matter what our opinion or judgement of them are. 2 Peter 3:9 NASB says " The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but all to come to repentance. In this post we will dive deeper to see what the Bible says about judging.
First, let's look at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5 NASB about judging, 1"Do not judge lest you be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye. 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye' and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Verses 1&2 tell us that it is better for us to not even judge someone. In John chapter 8, the Pharisees and scribes bring a woman that was caught in adultery to Jesus. By law the punishment for this act was to be stoned to death. They wanted to know what Jesus said they should do. This is His reply, verse 7 "But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'" His position wasn't that the lady had not sinned but that everyone that had brought her to Him all had sin in their lives also. In essence, Jesus is asking them who were they to judge? I think we, as a people in whole, have forgotten the Golden Rule. Luke simply states it this way. Luke 6:31 "And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way."
Secondly, we find some warnings about judging by appearances. Jesus calls out the Pharisees and scribes for it in Matthew 23:25-28 NASB 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to man, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Here we see Jesus warn of paying too close attention to outward appearances when it is the inside that matters. We see this again in John 7:24, "Do not judge according to appearances, but judge with righteous judgement." Paul addresses it in 2 Corinthians twice. The first time is in 2 Corinthians 5:12, "We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart." He mentions it again in 2 Corinthians 10:7, "you are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's so also are we." We believe it is James, Jesus' brother who wrote in James 2:2-4, 2"For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool' 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?"
Lastly, our first judgments of people can have consequences for both the people we are judging and ourselves. Hopefully this post has shown that. I know it is a common reaction but let's remember that we are all created in God's image and He loves us all. Let me leave you with this verse from John 3:17 "for God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." God bless and let's make the world around us a judgment free zone.