“Can I watch your goats?”
Every week, literally, I have the same conversation with different folks — Christians and non-Christians, alike. They say things like, “Ya ain’t supposed to judge,” and, “Doesn’t the Bible say ‘Don’t judge, lest ye be judged'”, and, “Don’t judge me,” and, “Only God can judge me!” (Sigh & face-palm)
I swiftly present these babblers a simple hypothetical: Suppose you’re goat farmer. You’ve put in a lot of time and energy to raise your goats, and now you’re very successful, and consequently, extremely protective of your goats. Now suppose, that I just got paroled from prison after serving a five-year stretch for violating goats. (LOL! Bear with me.) And let’s say that you are totally aware of my affinity for goats and my recent past because, after all, it’s a matter of public record since I had to register in the community as a goat offender. (Seriously, hang in there.) Now suppose, the reality is that you are really tired. You’ve worked long hours, you haven’t taken a vacation in years, and you really do need a break. So now, I approach you with, “Man, you look really tired. You and the family oughta take a vacation. You know, take a couple of weeks off.” And then, as I stand there wide-eyed and practically drooling, I creepily ask, “Can I watch your goats?” (LOL! You should see the faces of these people!)
In the interest of being productive, I press them. “Seriously, can I watch your goats?” Not one person in these hypotheticals would give me permission to watch their goats. They flatly say no. (Got ’em! So I pounce on them.) “Are you judging me?!!!” They stammer a bit, but they hold. I demand an answer. “Why can’t I watch your goats?!!” They admit that, given my hypothetical past (my weakness for goats), I’m not ready to be alone with goats — not good for me or the goats. I clarify that this is ‘judgment’, and it’s okay!
Some still resist and try to squirm out of admitting that judging is okay. They say that this is just a comical hypothetical, mainly just theory. So I tweak the scenario a bit. “Suppose my conviction was for repeated child molestation. Can I babysit your children?” Oh man! These people go nuts! “No way!” Again, I ask, “Are you judging me?” (Checkmate!)
Today, the Church has pews full of opinion-based Christians, instead of bible-based Christians. As a result, we — the Church — have allowed a simple passage of scripture (“Judge not, lest ye be judged” Mt 7:1) to be so misinterpreted, that we now believe “Ya ain’t supposed to judge.” (By the way, these same immature Believers couldn’t find Matthew 7:1 in the Bible without assistance.)
In John 7:24, Jesus made it plain. “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” Bam! At this point I have to very quickly explain that we _are_ called to judge, BUUUUT… there are two basic definitions of judge.
1. To CONDEMN
2. To EVALUATE
None are called to condemn (destroy) anything (Rom 8:1; 2Pet 3:9). Condemnation sounds like, “You’re stupid,” and, “You’re ugly,” and, “You’re going to hell,” and “You’re not saved!” This is all condemnation. Not one of us is qualified to definitively say who’s saved and who’s not saved. Nor, on judgment day, will God ask for your input about someone’s eternal destination. (Lol!)
However, we are called to evaluate everything! When read in proper context, Matthew 7:1-5 says clearly that you’re called to judge — examine yourself first, so you can properly examine your brother. So whether choosing a movie, a mate, a song, a house, a car, a church, a restaurant, a school, a political candidate, promoting someone, trusting someone, etc., you must exercise judgment.
To judge correctly requires the Word of God and maturity. Hebrews 5:12-14 exhorts Believers towards maturity (from milk to meat) so we can better discern (judge) between good and evil. How else will one be able to recognize good from bad, truth from lie, or right from wrong? The truth is, most Christians don’t judge — get involved — because of ignorance and fear. Ignorance because they don’t know the Word of God commands us to get involved, participate, and fight the good fight. And fear, because we’re scared of failing, or looking stupid, or being dubbed a Jesus freak.
Add to mix that Ezekiel 33:1-9 commissions us to be “Watchmen on the wall.” To be a watchman is to be on guard over your family, your community, your nation. The watchman is to be alert and on the lookout for danger. To do this, the watchman has to exercise “judgment” (discern) between good and bad, so that if danger is approaching, the watchman can sound the alarm so that people might be saved. (Real talk: danger is consuming America in the form of ever-increasing godlessness. What are you doing about it? You’ve been commissioned by God. Mark 16:15)
God’s Word is the ultimate measuring stick for judging all things. We would do well to eagerly study the scriptures daily like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). Just remember, the next time you hear someone say, “You’re not supposed to judge,” just ask them, “Can I watch your goats?”