Bible Wisdoms - Judging Others

People have read various part of the Bible and have come away a bit confused at times. It does not read like any other book I know of. In fact, the Bible is a collection of books written by many authors and over a long period of time. Never the less, there are some important lessons and wisdom within its pages. Here is an example of a wisdom about judging other poeple.

- Jan. 2020

We are all human. We all have our biases and preferences. We have our likes and dislikes. It is what make us who we are as a person and an individual. Living in a society with other people, our family members, our neighbors, our friends and our colleagues, and our politicians, we tend to judge people based on what they say and do. It is only human to do so. It is also how we survive down through the ages. Our impressions of others is also tempered by our own experiences and culture and norms. We tend to compare other's behavior to our own or our expectations. When you think about it, it is very subjective.

The Bible has great wisdom in this area. It will guide us to do what is right.

Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

This passage in the book of Matthew is a great example of a true wisdom. It is stating a fact that all of us are guilty of one time or another. In fact, it is at the root of all bias.

We each have a set of beliefs and those are biases. That is to say, we like this and don't like that. When we come across a situation, we see it through the lens of our own reference.

In this very politicized climate, we are facing a new election. The country seems to be evenly divided. One of the primary division is on the current President, Trump. There are very strong opinions on both sides. To his followers and supporters, they defend him at every turn. They overlook some of his faults and personal failings, and support him in what he is trying to do. To his detractors, they point to his character flaws as being unqualified to be the Chief Executive. This impression is colored by some of what Trump tweets on a daily basis. It is also framed by a media that for the most part dislike him and his policies. They will spin any story related to Trump in a negative light or impose motives which may not exist.

What it comes down to is a "judgement" made by the people on a very colorful and unique politician. Like him or hate him, it is a personal judgement. What is missing from this equation is an honest assessment of his accomplishments.

These are two distinct attributes. A person has a persona and a list of acts. Trump is no different. Just like President Bill Clinton, who was in a very similar situation back in the late 1990s. In fact, they share one common trait, both have been impeached by the Congress. Clinton was acquitted and Trump is still in the process of being adjudicated now...

For the average person, we are faced with a real challenge. What should we take away from all this. How can we make an informed decision in the next election?

It just seems that there are a lot of noise and clutter surrounding this election cycle. For the average man on the street, it is hard to separate the facts for the myths.

The wisdom from the Bible may help. What is Matthew's message in the passage above?

Matthew 7:16 reads, "Ye shall know them by their fruits," and translators of the Greek and Hebrew generally interpret "fruit" as "deed," "act," or "work." The meaning of the phrase is that it is often misleading to base one's impression of someone on their words and that we are better off focusing on their behavior. That is, know them not so much by what they say but what they do.

To all who are confused and may not know what to do...Look to the wisdom of the scriptures. In the few thousand years of human history, isn't it comforting to know that there is one source we can count on?