holier–than–thou

Simple Definition of holier–than–thou (having or showing the annoying attitude of people who believe that they are morally better than other people)

Matthew 7:1-5  – “Judge not, that you not be judged.” One of the biggest objections to Christians and the church today is that we are too judgmental. On the one hand, the world condemns us for our judgment against sin but, on the other hand, God requires that we live holy lives. Our culture would prefer no moral absolutes or code of conduct. Jesus calls us to righteousness.  “Do not judge, that you be not judged.”

The reality of the world’s critique against our judgmentalism is that there is an element of truth to it. Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, we are prone to condemn the very things that we ourselves participate in. We all know about fallen preachers. There are so-called Christian politicians who support morally-based public policy like traditional marriage and a pro-life agenda. But when it is revealed that they are having affairs or other moral failures, they completely discredit the moral stands they have taken. If they have claimed to be a follower of Jesus, the world mocks us even more. So what are we to do? Eliminate all moral discernment so that the world can be free from a burdened conscience? Of course not! Jesus said for us to “let our light shine before men.”

“Judge not, that you be not judged".  Why do you see the problems, the storms, the mistakes in some one else's life, but do not notice the ones in yours? You hypocrite, first look at your own life, and then you will see clearly to help and love, NOT JUDGE!

Only my opinion as I write this today and that’s What Jesus is not saying…

Jesus shifts his focus to relationships. From the beginning his teaching on individual character has penetrated beneath the simple veneer of performance, like that of the religious leaders, but Jesus has cut right to the heart. Having dealt with the character of a Jesus-follower, he addresses the essential matters of living together with other people. Christianity, after all, is a “team sport” – a community affair.

“Judge not, that you be not judged.” The question that we have to answer is “what is the meaning of ‘judge not.’” When confronted with their sin, some Christians get very defensive saying, “that’s none of your business” or “who are you to judge me?” You’ve probably heard it before. But the responsibility for moral accountability to each other remains.  Jesus always tells us to help our brother who lives in sin – after we’ve removed the sin from ourselves, of course.

What Jesus is saying, in my opinion is this: to judge means to separate, to select, to choose. You’re making a decision about what is right and what is wrong. This is where we struggle a lot because we do try and maintain a high moral standard. But we tend to be harsh with others in our assessment of their behavior! Instead we should be addressing the heart of the matter. A judgmental person is a fault-finder who is negative and destructive. He or she loves to see people fail. The judgmental person assumes the worst possible motives in others. They do not know grace, but can sure talk about it!  They extend no mercy in their own perceived moral superiority.

Most of the time, we are too well-mannered to blatantly bring our judgmental charges to the other person. We’d rather destroy them and their reputation through gossip. We make our self-righteous judgments against someone and then we begin the whispering campaign.  This is hurtful, this is bullying and the actions are without grace! People you are going to reap what you sow, “…for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged.”

We've all been judgmental.  We have shown no mercy or grace for the adulterer, the mom who leaves her children, the divorcee, the addict, the thief, etc.,etc., etc.,  No mercy.

Do not be judgmental. “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” We have an ugly tendency to minimize our own faults and exaggerate those of others.  A judgmental person sees all others as responsible! Since when did "You" my friend, become master of all!   The Apostle Paul rebuked such an attitude: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4).

You see, when we take such an attitude toward other people, are you telling God he can't do his job?  He is the only rightful Judge. I saw it on FaceBook this week: “Never look down on anyone; only God sits that high.”

Virtually everything that came out of his Jesus mouth said:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” The root of so many of our faults lies in our failure to comprehend our own mistakes before God.

Jesus is in the heart surgery business. He is probing to the depths of our souls. Surface religion won’t do for the disciple of Jesus. He won’t allow us glory in our own self-righteousness that will ultimately lead to final condemnation by the "One" true Judge. Jesus requires authenticity – rather than empty hypocrisy. No game playing with God and with other people. My friends, if you want our church (meaning our faith) to be relevant and make an impact on young people and young adults, then put away the masks. You don’t have to be perfect…because you’re not. Just be real. This is the Good News that he came to bring. We don’t have to play games with God or with other people. We are free to be our imperfect selves because of the grace that God has given to us. And we are called to minister, and love those who are struggling.

Those who follow Jesus are to be radically different from the world. People of the world are always scratching and clawing and stepping on others in order to survive and get ahead. We don’t need to do that because God has already given us his grace and mercy in spite of our failures. We can freely give mercy to others because we have experienced it ourselves. We’ve been set free to give mercy and grace to other people. You see, Jesus’ teaching here against being judgmental is not so that we would turn a blind eye, but rather that we would be generous to others.

God doesn’t often speak to me in dreams and this example might seem a bit silly to you. But this week, as I was faced with this "Holier than thou" attitude, I had a strange dream where I was surrounded by
my contestants. The setting itself wasn’t so strange because it's what I do;  I’ve always believed and taught that if you are not getting what you want from your finalists it is my fault as their executive director. In my dream, I was really frustrated that they weren't watching me. (A common frustration for directors.) In fact, the teens were peeling paint off the back wall while the miss girls were rehearsing talent. Then I realized what the problem was. I had my head down – stuck in my phone. Here’s the cardinal rule: you can’t insist that the people watch you when you are not watching them. Be engaged with the sinner and love them like you want to be loved!

No one’s perfect. That’s the point. We all still have our struggles with sin. God has given us grace. He continually extends his hand of mercy to us when we fail. When we consider the faults of another Christian, we should look to ourselves first and see where we have failed. If we are honest with ourselves, we will find a heart of compassion and mercy with our brother or sister in need. As a church, we need this kind of attitude in our thinking about other churches and the people who fill the seats. It is all too tempting to be condescending when we think about others and their mistakes and shortcomings!

Most of you probably know the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8. She was caught in the very act and dragged in condemnation before Jesus in the city square. Her self-righteous accusers stood, stones in hand, ready to administer capital punishment for her sins. Jesus quietly knelt down and wrote something in the dirt. I sure wish I knew what it was! And then he stood up, looked her accusers in the eye and said, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” They all walked away in shame. And in the greatest act of mercy, Jesus, the only one without sin, refused to condemn her but released her from her guilt and shame with the admonition to go and sin no more. 

 

We are to be transformed as Jesus-followers. We are to become more and more like him, in our homes, in our work, in our church, in our community, and to each other. Let’s help those who are struggling with their sins. But let us always be a generous people of grace and mercy.  And then the world will stop complaining about our judgmental selves and be happy with our grace and mercy that flows through us from the limitless love of Christ. 

 We are not called to live in isolation from each other. The Christian’s creed is not “live and let live.” No. We are our brother’s keeper. We are privileged and called to help each other in our journey. And when a brother or sister falls into sin or moral difficulty, we are to help restore and give grace! Have you put out your hand?