Judged by Man, Justified by Jesus

Matthew 26:6-13, ESV

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Luke 6:37, NIV [Jesus speaking]

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

James 4:11-12, NIV

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. … There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

This is going to be a bit of a longer post, but there’s something burning in my heart right now.

We know from John’s gospel that the woman who poured the perfume on Jesus before His burial was Mary of Bethany—a woman the disciples knew very well at this point. They had spent much time with her and her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus.

And still they judged her.

Mary had probably been moved by the Holy Spirit to perform this act of anointing Jesus, likely without even fully understanding why she was doing what she was doing. And, if this was the case, then the disciples were not simply judging Mary, they were judging the prompting of God.

Church, we have to be so careful.

We tend to place judgments on our brothers and sisters in Christ when we don’t understand the things God calls them to do. Yet, when God calls us to do something, we desire to be understood and respected anyway.

We believe our judgments are justified because they are thematically righteous—like the disciples with Mary.

The disciples took a right line of thinking (that it’s important to serve the poor) and used it to come to a wrong conclusion (judgment) against Mary.

But they were wrong—and God rebuked them accordingly.

And here’s the scary part—the disciples’ judgment was instigated by demonically-inspired reasoning disguised as righteousness. We know this because in John’s gospel we find out that the disciple who initiated the accusation against Mary was Judas Iscariot. He mentioned the poor because it sounded righteous, but John tells us that he didn’t actually care about the poor, but rather his own pocket. In fact, it was right after this moment that he went to the chief priests to ask what they would give him to betray Jesus. 

And the disciples jumped on board his demonically-induced judgment train just because it sounded righteous. 

Again, Church, we have to be so careful.

Just because we know a right line of thinking does not mean we’re entitled to use it to form a judgement against a brother or sister in Christ. It's different if we’re talking about sin, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Slander and accusation disguised as a righteous sentiment is still sin—and, as the people of God, this is not a train we want to jump onto. 

So let’s pause today and really allow the Lord to check our hearts. First, if you’ve been judged by someone(s) close to you in the body of Christ for steps God has asked you to take, then be encouraged that you’re not alone! The people of God were judged all over the Bible by those who should have supported them. So be encouraged, yes, but also be challenged—to let it go quickly and forgive, forgive, forgive. Don’t let a bitter root grow up. It’s very purposeful that in Luke 6:37 above, Jesus speaks about judging in the same couple of sentences He speaks about forgiving. We must always forgive—just like Jesus on the cross. As He was surrounded by those who were mocking and judging Him, He was simultaneously praying for their forgiveness.

But secondly, let’s ask the Lord if there are any judgments or accusations in our hearts which we have placed upon someone(s) in the body of Christ for something they’re doing (or have done) which we don’t understand. Then, let’s repent and let it go. God will prove what is right, just as He did with Mary—and so many others throughout the Bible.

Including Jesus.

Satan is doing everything he can in this moment in time to bring division and disunity among families, churches, and the global body of Christ. Let’s decide that we won’t be a part of it! Let’s decide that, as far as it depends on us, we will be the ones who promote peace (Romans 12:18)—in our families, our churches, on social media, and in the people of God as a whole. Because, as Jesus prayed before He went to the cross, it is through the unity of God’s people that the world will know that Jesus loves them!

Oh Lord, please help us! And forgive us. Give us the humility to open our hearts before you for the purpose of both forgiveness and repentance, that our lives will promote peace and unity and reveal to the lost that you love them. Amen.