In reading through Mark's Gospel this week, I've been deeply encouraged by Jesus' honesty with the disciples when they were struggling to walk in Christlike-love toward one another and outsiders. When James and John vied for the best seats in heaven and the others found out and become "indignant", Jesus warned them all that "He who wants to be first must be slave of all" (Mark 10:44). Again, when the disciples were setting themselves above others who were driving out demons and trying to stop their work, Jesus reminded them that "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other" (Mark 9:50). 

Jesus warned that they were not appointed judges over one another. While he gave them the responsibility to "Judge a tree according to its fruit" (Luke 6:43-45), this was never an open invitation for them to sit in judgement over a person's heart or their motives based on their understanding of a situation. If they chose to do this anyway, he promised they would be judged by the same measure (Matthew 7:2), which would not be pleasant.

I've learned that it's easy to walk in this kind of superficial, critical judgment, especially when I'm not allowing the Spirit to convict me of my own sins. Jesus said that if we simply look at another person lustfully we have committed adultery in our heart (Matthew 5:28). Or if we hate someone, we've spiritually murdered them. And John says that this is a matter of life or death: "You know that no murderer has eternal life in him" (1 John 3:15). If we're living in true awareness of our utter sinfulness and condemnation apart from the saving blood of Jesus, our attitude will be one of grace toward those who do not meet our demands and expectations. Like the tax collector, instead of condemning others we will beat our breast in the presence of God in sorrow for the sins we've committed (Luke 18:9-14).

In addition to these reasons, there are others that show why unkind judgment is forbidden by the Lord: 

Things are not always the way they appear (Proverbs 18:13): This can be seen in the story of the woman caught in adultery and how Jesus responded to the Pharisees' accusations regarding her guilt and their reasoning that she deserved to be stoned. He gave them complete freedom to throw the first stone if they were innocent in the matter (John 8:7). Instead of throwing rocks, they experienced God's conviction in their consciences of their personal guilt and "Went out one by one, beginning with the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." This same kind of superficial judgement occurred when the "sinful" woman anointed Jesus' feet with perfume and Simon the Pharisee had contempt for her. Jesus' rebuke to Simon showed that he had judged incorrectly and, as a result, had dishonored God (Luke 7:36-50).

Unkind judgment is often linked to hypocrisy (Matthew 6:2): I am challenged by the reminder that the Pharisees, who were so quick to find the speck in someone else's eye, had a log in their own (Matthew 7:5). Jesus told them to first deal with their own huge sins of lust, hate, greed and idolatry and then they would be able to address the "speck" in their neighbor's eye. Though they were committing the sins they accused everyone else of committing, they were completely blind to them. This same hypocrisy was seen in Cephas' life, a believer, when he shifted his focus from God to man and began fearing and seeking the praise of man over God (Galatians 2:11-14). 

Slander is unkind judgment put to words (Proverbs 19:5): The Bible speaks a lot about slander and gossip, so much so that 1 Corinthians 6:10 and Revelation 22:15 say that those who continually practice this sin will not inherit eternal life. I have often wondered why slander is so offensive to God and believe that it's because ruining or harming someone's name is a destruction of their nature as image bearers (James 3:9-12). God calls us each by name and kindly addresses many of the prophets, disciples and others by their name. He forbids us from taking his name in vain, showing that the words we use to identify him are extremely important (Exodus 20:7). Since we are made in his image and created to reflect his glory in Christ, when someone slanders our name it is a reflection on his character and nature in us (Acts 9:4)! 

We've all witnessed this kind of slander and evil judgment and know how devastating it can be. Praying today that the Lord will keep reminding me of the seriousness of this sin so that I remain in his grace, showing others mercy and allowing him to be the Just Judge who alone is able to discern the heart of man. 

Transformed by God's Sovereign Grace

"So it was not you who sent me here, but God" (Gen 45:8)

Both Joseph and Judah experience God's transforming grace through the tragedy of betrayal -- not because they have to, but because they choose by faith to submit to God and trust him. Judah, who devises the plan to sell Joseph into slavery (37:26), experiences his share of suffering after the betrayal -- losing two sons who the Bible says are so wicked the Lord takes their lives (38:7). His own life is immoral and brings dishonor to his family. Yet, he repents and years later offers his own life in place of his brother's. Joseph lives as an alien and stranger in Egypt for years, suffering many hardships and injustices, before being reunited with his brothers. Yet when he is tempted to seek revenge he chooses  instead by faith to relent, testifying to his confidence in God's plan to use their intended evil for his good and to sustain their family (45:7).

Two very different men with different roles in the family and in God's story -- yet they both learn to surrender fleshly striving and submit to God's sovereign grace. We see the beauty of this transformation in Judah when he returns from Egypt and pleads with his Father to choose life instead of death by allowing Benjamin to return with them. He sacrificially offers his own life as a pledge for his brother's safety (43:9). And when he is confronted with the possibility of Benjamin's death, Judah boldly goes before Joseph, pleading for his brother's life for the sake of his Father and following through on his promise, "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers" (44:33). 

God uses Judah's transformed life of humility, commitment to truth and the desire to honor his Father as an instrument of righteousness to soften Joseph's heart and bring him to repentance (Rom 12:21). Instead of doing what felt right, Joseph chooses by faith to submit to God's plan and return good for evil. In place of declaring his victim status, he testifies to the greater reality of God's goodness in all of his suffering, "And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors" (45:7). By faith, he realizes that it was God, and not his brothers, who sent him to Egypt and honored him there - making him "a father to Pharaoh...lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt" (45:8).

I'm reminded today to relinquish my right to understand and to get justice, trading it for the greater portion of the God's sovereign grace and his assurance that he will work all things together for my good and his glory -- as I trust in him (Rom 8:28).  

 Humility and the Fear of the Lord

"Do this and live, for I fear God" (Gen 42:18)

In reading Genesis 41-42 today, I saw how God was able to use years of slavery and imprisonment to teach Joseph how to walk in the fear of the Lord. His mindset beautifully reflected submission and humility as he gave stipulations to his brothers and responded to Pharaoh about interpreting his dreams declaring, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer" (41:6). While Joseph knew that any ability to discern truth from a dream could never come from following his own heart (40:8), he also trusted that God was willing and able to speak through him. Pharaoh also saw that Joseph was a "discerning and wise" man not because he was so amazing, but because the "Spirit of God" was indwelling him (41:38:39).

I'm reminded afresh today that true humility is not diminishing the gifting and graces that God has given us but instead a desire and commitment to magnify God rather than ourselves as we use them for his glory (Col 3:23). This kind of humility is inextricably linked to the fear of the Lord, which God says is the "beginning of wisdom" (Prov 9:10). As we humble ourselves before him, standing in awe of his greatness and power, his Spirit reminds us (like he did Joseph) that apart from him we can do nothing, but that in and through him we can do all things (Jn 15:5, Phil 4:13).