Jesus’s Message to Those Who Judge Others
By: Dan Foster
Tags: Life Lessons, Spirituality, Religion, Faith, Jesus

Jesus’s Message to Those Who Judge Others

Sorry, you’re not qualified

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One of the most dominant perception of Christians today is that they are judgmental. In a study of over a thousand people aged 16–29 in the USA, 87% of non-Christian respondents said modern-day Christians are judgmental, and 85% said that modern-day Christians are hypocritical.

However, I respectfully disagree.

I think that judgmentalism and hypocrisy are not modern-day religious problems at all. Rather, they have been around for a long time — so long, in fact, that Jesus was forced to confront religious judgmentalism and hypocrisy time and time again. Jesus has a clear and unmistakable message to those who wish to look down on others from the lofty height of their moral high-horse. But first, a story…

A Modern Day Parable

In March 2004, at the Australian Swimming Championships in Sydney, Australian swimming legend, Ian Thorpe lined up in the heats of the 400m freestyle to swim for the right to qualify for the Olympic Games. However, Thorpe overbalanced whilst on the blocks and fell into the water, resulting in his disqualification, ending his chance to defend his 400m Olympic Title.

Ian Thorpe’s disqualification lead to widespread debate with some saying that the rules should be relaxed to maximize Australia’s chances of winning Olympic Gold, while others defended the Australian selection policy — one false start and you’re out.

Public debate was so widespread at the time, that even then-Prime Minister John Howard threw in his two cents worth, describing the situation as a national “tragedy.”

Australia split into two bitter factions. On one hand, there was a group of people who argued that Ian Thorpe was Australia’s greatest swimmer and so the rules should be relaxed so that he could go to the Olympics. On the other hand, some people argued that “rules are rules” and they must be upheld for all people. In the end, Swimming Australia decided not to relax its rules. So, failing some kind of outside intervention, Ian Thorpe was out of the Olympic Games.

Enter Craig Stevens.

Craig Stevens, was the swimmer who had claimed the second qualifying position in the 400m event, and if Craig Stevens were just willing to give up his place — the place that he had rightfully attained — then Ian Thorpe, the disqualified swimmer, could go instead. The Australian Newspaper’s front-page headline read “Only one man can come to the rescue.” Craig Stevens: The savior!

Craig Stevens was the one man who could save Ian Thorpe from those who wanted to strictly apply the letter of the laws of swimming to poor Ian Thorpe. There Ian Thorpe was, powerless to save himself from Olympic oblivion, at the mercy of Craig Stevens — the rightful qualifier. Would Ian Thorpe get a second chance?

In the end, Craig Stevens did in fact surrender his position in the 400m freestyle, so that Ian Thorpe could take his place. Aside from the fact that Craig Stevens was paid $130,000 from a popular current affairs program for his story, it was a remarkable act of grace on his part.

Stevens would never win an Olympic Gold, but Ian Thorpe did go on to win the Gold Medal in the 400m Freestyle at the Athens Olympics later that year. Ineligible though he was, he qualified through the sacrifice of another who surrendered the place he had rightfully attained through obeying the rules of swimming.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

A Triumph of Grace Over Justice

This true story was a triumph of grace over justice. Justice said. “Ian Thorpe is disqualified.” Justice called in the law and said, “It doesn’t matter how good you are. You might be the greatest swimmer in Australia, but you have broken the rules. There is no loophole here. There is no redemptive clause that allows you to go to the Olympics in spite of your failure to keep the laws of swimming. The law says you are done for, out, disqualified.”

On the other hand, grace calls in the person who kept the law, won the prize, and then substitutes him for the lawbreaker. The lawbreaker receives the law keeper’s prize and the law-keeper walks away with nothing but the satisfaction of knowing the law breaker has now qualified.

When People Bay for Blood

When someone fails, there always tends to be people who “bay for blood.” This is not exclusively a Christian response, but a societal one in general. We are addicted to being outraged and obsessed with finding and slaughtering a scapegoat to appease our own sense of right and wrong.

As someone who spent more than three decades attending Church, I tend to believe that most Christians are actually reasonably gracious when it comes to the faults of others. However, there is a smaller group of religious zealots — a kind of self-appointed moral police — who are largely responsible for the bad wrap that Christians get. They are very vocal about the sins of others — though unusually quiet about their own shortcomings — and especially hard on anyone who they perceive has failed.

In Jesus day, they were known as Pharisees. There is a story in the Bible where this group of self-righteous religious extremists haul a law-breaker in front of Jesus and demand justice. Jesus response to this crowd of “Judgers” is truly wonderful. It’s a message to modern-day Pharisees as well. We find the story in John 8:1–11:

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash

How Jesus Responds When People Demand Justice

In this account we have a bunch of law-abiding people — good church people — who bring to Jesus a woman they have caught in adultery. The words used in this passage imply that she was literally caught in the act — in bed with someone who isn’t her husband.

These religious folk say to Jesus, “Look at this woman! She has broken the rules. There is no loophole here, Jesus. There is no redemptive clause here in the law that says she can get away with this! She is a law breaker! What do you say, Jesus? What do you say?”

According to Jewish law at the time adultery was punishable by death. Therefore, these rule-keeping people are not asking Jesus if this woman is guilty. They are asking Jesus to prescribe punishment. More than that, they are trying to trick Jesus into saying something stupid, and they thought they had laid a wonderful trap. They knew that Jesus was the consummate teacher of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. But, on the other hand, they also knew that Jesus had affirmed the Law of Moses as being from God.

This is Jesus’s conundrum: If Jesus lets the woman off, then he undermines the Law of Moses and the Pharisees will say, “This man is not from God!” On the other hand, if Jesus applies the letter of the law to this woman’s situation, she is done for, and the Pharisees will accuse Jesus of being a bloodthirsty tyrant. “Come to Jesus and he will execute you!”

They present Jesus with a problem that neither religion nor society has ever been able to solve. If you always have compassion — if you always let people off — you relativize morality. However, if you always enforce the law and have absolute morality, then you destroy people. This is a classic battle between justice and grace. And Jesus is holding the life of this woman in his hands.

So, what is Jesus to say and do here?

You Are Not Qualified to Judge

First he turns to the accusers — the ones who seem so interested in keeping the law — and he says to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” He doesn’t say she is not guilty. He doesn’t say the woman should be let off. He doesn’t say she shouldn’t be stoned to death. In fact Jesus says, “Sure, go ahead and throw stones at her but makes sure that one who does it, is without sin.” This is a stroke of pure genius. What Jesus is really saying here is this: “You are not qualified to be judges and executioners.”

Why not?

Contrary to what you might have watched in certain Monty Python movies, Jewish Law was actually set up so that it was quite difficult to get someone sentenced to death. For someone to be convicted of a capital offence — adultery for example — there had to be two eyewitness who actually saw the act itself and, under cross examination, there must be no contradiction in their stories. In fact, it was so hard to get a death sentence, The Mishnah (the Jewish commentary on the Law) said that a court that executes more than one person every 7 years, is a slaughter house. Yet, the Pharisees were so convinced she was worthy of the death penalty.

What does that tell us? In order for this women to be caught in adultery, by two eyewitnesses whose stories both lined up completely, she virtually had to have been set up. If this wasn’t a set up, then where was the man that she slept with? There is no such thing as adultery where only one party is guilty. The Law of Moses was clear that both the man and the woman should be executed. The Old and New Testament are absolutely against the sin of partiality in justice — that is, it is completely against the idea that you would show favoritism when administering justice. Yet, these Pharisees turned up with only the woman, saying, “We saw her do it!” The whole story reeks of a set-up. Who knows? Maybe the man was even in on the act, with witnesses lying in wait.

Not only does it look like the whole situation was engineered, but the Law of Moses demands a fair trial. Instead of a trial, the good-religious folk drag her out, presume her guilt and, in public humiliation, throw her in front of Jesus. You really have to question how committed are these people really are to the proper administration of the law.

Jesus sees right through their hypocrisy and through his words and actions makes a stunning claim: “I do not deny the Law of Moses, but by the Law of Moses, I deny that you are qualified to be judges and executioners.” The statement lingers in the air for a moment. Then, one-by-one, the people drop their rocks and slink away — the oldest and wisest first. They realize they have been bested. Because they wouldn’t name their sin, Jesus named it for them, and off they go with their tails between their legs.

Then, having dealt with her accusers, Jesus turns to comfort the disturbed woman.

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Leave Your Life of Sin

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:10–11

In this incredible moment, Jesus beautifully holds the tension of justice and grace. Having unveiled the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, he doesn’t leave the sin of the woman undealt with. Jesus does not say, “Neither do I condemn you, so it doesn’t matter if you commit adultery.” No! Jesus says, “I demand a change of heart and I demand change of life. Go and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus does not say to the woman, “You’re not guilty.” He says “You ARE guilty BUT I don’t condemn you.” He has destroyed the case against her, and removed the witnesses who accused her. In a legal sense, she literally no longer has a case to answer, but when Jesus talks about the removal of condemnation, I think Jesus is thinking at a different level.

Perhaps, in this moment, Jesus is thinking ahead to a time when might willingly lay down his own life — at the hands of supposedly good religious people — in order to bridge the gap between humanity and the divine.

Jesus says, “I don’t condemn you, because I will be condemned for you. By law, you deserve to be stoned to death, but I will die in your place. Don’t commit adultery anymore, not because you’re afraid of being stoned to death, but because you have met God, and have been rescued by his grace.”

He is the law-keeper who substitutes himself for the law-breaker so that the law-breaker might qualify for the prize!

What are we to take away from this beautiful story where Jesus holds justice in one hand and grace in the other, and somehow administers both in perfect balance?

Instead of Judging

On the day when you fall off your block and come crashing down into the pool, think about how you would like to be treated! “It is a terrible thing for a sinner to fall into the hands of his fellow sinners.” Says theologian, F. B. Meyer.

You see, there are plenty of religious folk who are crying out, “The law! The law!” These people have appointed themselves as the judge and executioner of others. But if we are honest, we’ve all been guilty of doing the same. Have you ever assassinated the character of another person? Have you ever decided on someone’s guilt before their trial? Have you ever talked about someone else’s failure like it’s everyone’s business?

I’m not saying that judges and executioners must be sinless. The point is that righteousness and justice should be founded on a gracious spirit. If it’s not, you are left with the heartlessness and hypocrisy of Pharisaism. It is a spirit which says, “I have a right to execute judgement on the behavior of others, because I have it all together.” That spirit doesn’t come from God.

So, Just remember to treat people how YOU want to be treated on the day you fall off your block and plunge into the pool of your own failure — and that can be a very deep pool. We all fall sometimes.

Grace Precedes Change

Whenever Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you,” he also says, “Now go and leave your life of sin.” That is, whenever Jesus Christ gives you a word of grace, it also includes a challenge towards growth. The point of this story is not that we should ignore sin. It’s not that we should sweep it under the carpet and pretend it never happened. It’s not a message of cheap grace which says, “Oh… It doesn’t matter what you do… God will forgive you any way.”

When you fall off your block, the law-keeper, Jesus Christ, puts you back on the starter’s block again. He gives you a fresh star t— a second chance at the race — not so you can fall in, but so you can win. The good news is that he does this again, and again, and again, and again and again.