Liberated from Judgement; Set Free to Forgive
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
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Consider: Freedom from the need to judge others is a joyous experience of liberation.
We continue to explore wisdom that the Bible describes. We have also referred to this biblical calling as a quest for “skillful living.” Today, we turn to the words of Jesus in what is sometimes referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6. This, too, is a biblical call to living skillfully. Let’s look at how.
Frederick Douglass, when recounting his escape from slavery in Maryland, describes his feeling upon arriving in Philadelphia as a free man:
A new world had opened upon me … I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions … Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.
Jesus describes a similar kind of joyful liberation in our passage above. And the joy he describes becomes available from a valuable tool in becoming wise: learn not to judge other people. And discover the great gift of forgiveness.
Not judging and forgiveness seem like standard, well-known aspects of the Christian faith. Yet, sadly our practice of both is less common than most of us would like to admit. And what Jesus offers sounds like a pretty decent incentive. The kind of joy he describes, “pressed down (for dry goods), shaken together (for soft goods), and running over (for liquids)” conjures an image of glad abundance, of more than we can handle, yet ours still to enjoy.
Such is the power of forgiveness offered to others. Similarly, his described liberation views the world with different eyes, with an optimistic vision, an open spirit, a flexible attitude, a hopeful yearning, and a potent determination to live out our full potential. As Frederick Douglass describes his new liberation, an entire world opens before us. New, beautiful vistas and bold colors of freedom blossom in ways that defy description.
As you continue on your journey of wisdom, may your ability to forgive expand with humility, while your temptation to judge flitters away like the nothingness it is. As a result, may your liberation to this world of freedom Jesus describes become a new experiment in joy.
PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK: Lord, liberate me from the wasteful time and energy of judging others. Increase my ability to offer more grace; and let me celebrate the freedom that comes with forgiveness.
David Jordan
Senior Pastor