I was listening to the radio and heard about a judge in American idol who broke down into tears when she had to tell a contestant that he has been eliminated from the competition. A part of me was befuddled by the seemingly over the top reaction of this judge. However, another part of me became sympathetic. It could sometimes be painful to have to judge. Ms. Lopez felt pain for having to judge a contestant as unworthy to move forward in the competition, especially knowing how much they wanted to move forward. We parents sometimes feel pain when we have to discipline our children for unacceptable behavior, especially when we hear their cries pleading for another chance.

     Ms. Lopez was constrained by the producers to judge. We humans are constrained by our own natures to judge. Some humans try to present themselves as very tolerant, but they really are not. They would not be human if nothing makes them shout "unacceptable" from inside their beings. Where does this shout of "unacceptable" come from? I believe it comes from being made in the image of God. God is someone who judges, therefore humans made in his image are constrained to judge. 

     Judging can take a bad turn. Bullying is about judging others for something perceived as unacceptable (appearance, intelligence, etc.) Children bully each other to the point of harm. Adults also bully but in more subtle ways (avoiding others who makes them feel uncomfortable). Judging contributes to the human tendency to see heaven as a reward deserved by certain humans, those that had been good to others, especially to them. This is in contrast to the biblical view that sees heaven as a gift from God, to be appropriated by believing in his son.

     This reminds me of a parable that Jesus told about certain workers. There was a group of workers who worked various lengths of time who came to the employer at the end of the day. All of them got the same amount of wages. Predictably, those who worked longer complained, accusing the employer of being unfair. Those who worked less were grateful. The employer responded to the complaint by reframing the wages as a sign of his generosity. Are the complainers complaining about the employer's generosity, since the wages were already agreed upon? This parable speaks to our tendency to see ourselves, and those we like, as more deserving of God's blessings than other people, instead of seeing the blessings we have as a sign of God's generosity.  

     What then do we make of Jesus' command not to judge, which is something we are constrained to do? I believe the problem was with the attitude that says, "I am better than you" or "I am closer to the ideal". This leads to pride which prevents reconciliation, something God desires, and promotes self-righteousness, something God abhors. We can't help judging but when that voice inside us shouts "unacceptable", we need to remember humility as those who also fall short of God's standards of acceptability (all humans are under God's judgment). We also need to see people as neighbors whom God commands us to love, and to be at peace with.