Judge Not
1 Corinthians 4.1-5, Psalm 37, Luke 5.33-39
Don’t you look at me so smug
And say I’m going bad.
Who are you to judge me
And the life that I live?I know that I’m not perfect
And that I don’t claim to be.
So before you point your fingers,
Be sure your hands are clean.Bob Marley 1945-1981
What do Jesus Christ and Reggae music superstar Bob Marley have in common? Well, besides being long-haired rebels in their day, it seems both needed to overcome a great deal of judgment and persecution from the powers that be in order to spread their message of peace and to promote a world united by love. The lyrics above are from the first song that Bob Marley ever recorded and they express a frustration with a social situation that kept so many young Jamaicans mired in poverty. I am sure Jesus would have been able to relate to these verses as he faced the scribes and the Pharisees; though perhaps one of the disciples could have rewritten the second stanza in order to, more accurately, reflect Jesus’ sinless disposition.
The Pharisees pose to Jesus those most frustrating questions. “Why are you doing it that way? Why are you different? Why can’t you just be like us? Jesus stands his ground and reflects on the nature of change. We can’t begin to see things in a new way while still clinging to the old baggage, new wine requires new wine skins.
The changes that Jesus ushered in were reflected in a new relationship between us and God. We are no longer people of the law but people of the Spirit. We have been redeemed and forgiven and God’s Spirit has made its home in us. You would think that being forgiven in such a way would make us the most tolerant forgiving people on earth but of course that is not the case. St. Paul’s friends in Corinth had plenty of judgment left in themselves and it was tearing them apart. Paul reminds them that human judgment is folly. First of all, as Bob Marley reminds us, none of us are perfect. Secondly real judgment of any consequence belongs in the hands of God. We should save our energy for making peace and building bridges.
That leads us to our man of the day St. Gregory the Great who was a politician, a monk, a Pope and finally recognized as a Saint and Doctor of the Church. Gregory was a brilliant man and sought after for his keen intellect and diplomatic skills. However he is known as “Great” not because of his brilliance but because of his humility and willingness to bring people together and in his compassion not just for Catholics but for all people.
Through the example of Jesus our Redeemer, through the words of a Jamaican poet, through the intercession of Holy St. Gregory may today be a day without judgment and may your eyes be open not to the failings of others but to the Spirit which unites us all.
