I really don’t care that the National Basketball Association (NBA) is in the middle of their playoffs. However, I do find myself watching a little of some of the games. Surprisingly, these forays into sport watching have me reflecting on the opening of the seventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, which opens thus: 7“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”
I have been amazed at just how judgmental I am and how off my judgments are. Three weeks ago, I was in Meijer picking up some prescriptions. This was soon after the mask mandate had begun to be lifted, still about 90% of the folks were wearing masks. For some reason, I found myself judging and getting angry in my heart towards those people who were wearing masks but wearing them incorrectly. I had wanted to start a movement that declared the tip of one’s nose to be obscene so that if a person were seen in public with the tip of their nose exposed, they could be ticketed. I laughed at my getting upset at people not wearing masks correctly but just noticing the ones who were not wearing masks at all.
Then there was the pharmacy. They were busy so they had two clerks waiting on people. I glanced at the elderly fellow next to me and quickly knew that elderly was the correct word to use to describe him. When he told the clerk his date of birth, I found out he was eight years younger than me. An elderly couple were next in his line, I took a slightly longer glance at them, trying to correct my judgment. They were definitely elderly. I was certain. She was three years younger than me, and he was two years younger. I assign negative connotations to being elderly. I was negatively judging them for being elderly and here they were younger than me. Furthermore, they all walked up to the counter and there I was riding one of the motorized carts! No wonder mirrors and photos do not seem to be my friend. If I am that judgmental of others, of course I judge myself.
That takes me back to the NBA. I have called Corky’s attention to several of the players, she isn’t watching hardly any of the games, and pointed out the weird way they are wearing their hair. One starting guard even had two ponytails, one pointing forward and the other pointing back. Back when the pandemic started, I thought I might look good in a ponytail and since I still grow a lot of hair, I thought it was worth a try. I am finding that the journey from short hair to a ponytail is not as easy as I thought it might be, nor is it the look I was looking for, still I persevere and point out all the crazy hair on the NBA players.
The prophet Micah said: (6:8) “and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” I think that is what led to the 7th chapter of Matthew. We are told that Jesus came to the world that we could have life and have it more abundantly and we can only have an abundant, joyful, life if we lighten up and learn to walk humbly with ourselves and each other. When we can be gentle with ourselves, we will be more gracious with others. When we can listen for the truths in what others are saying and not simply try to explain why we are right, the Kingdom of God blooms more fully in our midst.
We must make judgments all day, what to eat, when to turn, how fast to drive, what to watch, what to wear, when to get up, when to go to bed, what to do, what to say, how to say it, what to get, what to keep, and what to get rid of. May God give us the grace to be wise and humble, that our lives might be rich and blessed.
John W Fisher
