SNAPSHOT OR LANDSCAPE
Steve W. Reeves, Searcy, Arkansas
Do you
judge people by looking at a snapshot or a landscape? When Jesus said, “Do not
judge” (Matthew 7:1), He was not saying that we should ignore injustice,
iniquity or immoral behavior. Nor was He implying that we should refrain from
the proper discernment of right and wrong. A closer examination of His teaching
reveals that Jesus was warning against unrighteous judgment that holds others
to a higher ethical standard than we apply to ourselves. Notice how He
continued, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you (verse 2). Jesus explained that
such judgment was like removing a speck from another’s eye while having a beam
in your own eye (verses 3-4). It is far better, according to Jesus, to remove
the beam from your own eye before attemptiving to address the speck in another’s
eye (verse 5). In John’s gospel Jesus
addressed the subject of judgment with these words, “Do not judge according to
appearance but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
Too
often we judge others on a snapshot basis. We form our impression of them
during a time of weakness, struggle and sin. Holding on to this snapshot image
we fail to see the larger landscape. We may never notice how the person moved
beyond the occurrence. We fail to recognize the redemptive work of God’s grace
and the changes He works in people’s lives. It is tragic and heartbreaking to
see people holding on to shapshots made years ago without any consideration of
the larger landscape of a person’s life.
King
David’s life consisted of far more than his poor judgment and sin with
Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11). There was remorse, repentance and
redemption. The broader landscape of David’s life was so much more than this
painful snapshot. This is why Paul's first recorded sermon mentioned God’s
statement, “I have found David a man after My heart, who will do all My will”
(Acts 13:22).
I tremble
to think that I might be judged by the snapshot of something I said or did
twenty, thirty or forty years ago. I am no that man today. If the Lord allows
me to klive another twenty years I will not be the same man then. There is
increased wisdom as we study the Scripture, experience life and allow God to
shape us through the Holy Spirit. In the words of a popular children’s
song, “He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be. It took Him
just a week to make the moopn and the stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter
and Mars. How loving and patient He must be, ‘cause He’s still working on me.”
Let’s
make a deal! If you are judging me based
on a snapshot I hope you will destroy it and consider the entire landscape of my
life. I will do the same with you.
