Who Shall Be the First to Cast a Stone?

I stumbled across a simple, black stone along my path one bright morning. There was nothing spectacular about this stone. It didn't shine, glimmer, or sparkle. It had no monetary value and at best, it's only value was as part of a landscape matched with other stones in similarity to it. But what urged me to bend over and take notice as I lifted it up and examined it?

In recent months, I was exposed to many incidents of good people gone bad, the saints becoming the sinners, and pastoral leader falling to the lustful and hypnotic allurement of a woman not his wife. In our politics, mud is slung so thoughtlessly and randomly at times against the opposing politicians that you have to wonder where the truth can be found...and if we could ever find one so faultless. A mother shows her distaste for another mother for her "lack of parenting skills" as she sets her own children in the back of her car without securing the little tykes in safety restraints.

Then there are the ridiculers of the homeless. The people who drive by and shout out to the less fortunate to "Get a job, bum" and "Oh, they can do better than that. They just don't care and prefer to live like that." Have you done this? Have you been so blinded by your own affluence that you can't see the true struggles of people who are trying to make a life out of nothing? Probably time to do a whole lot of self-reflection. We, as a nation, dream of a better time for everyone...or do we? Do we really dream of prosperity and grace for every one of our nation's citizens? Or is it actually our desire to gain the fortunate life of success for ourselves, with no regard for our fellow Americans? The "American dream" as it pertains to us, as individuals, but not for our neighbors?

This little black, smooth stone has served me well. It reminds me of the lesson that Jesus taught in Matthew 7 "Don't judge others, or you will be judged. You will be judged in the same way that you judge others., and the amount that you give to others will be given to you."  For some, this judgment will occur while you are still living. But for all, we will be judged in eternity before the Judge Himself, Jesus Christ. How easy it is for us to cast judgment against our brothers and sisters, for we live in a fallen and wicked world. I am guilty of this, and you as well. But we can, should, and must live as Christ teaches and develop the lifestyle and habit of being non-judgemental. It's a discipline and a process, but is definitely doable. I know, because I have been on this journey and my own perspectives and quick-jump-to-judge attitude has all but been eliminated.

One of the more vivid accounts of Christ's examples of grace is found in John 8 when a woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. Religious teachers and Pharisees brought the woman before Jesus in an attempt to trick him. They reminded Jesus that the law of Moses called for the woman to be stoned to death and then asked Jesus, what he thought should be done. He wrote in the sand, looked up at them, and said to them, "Anyone here, who has never sinned, can throw the first stone at her." The Jesus went back to writing in the sand. There was not one individual who could make a claim of a sinless life (except for the Man who posed the statement, Jesus). So they all turned and went their way. Then Jesus told the woman that He forgave her and to sin no more.

I was recently a witness to such an incredible level of judgementalism that it screamed out arrogance on behalf of the person in question. If you find yourself delighting in the misfortunes of another, then choose to share it with others, as if it was a victory to behold, then you have not a heart of Christ but have allowed the Evil one to enter in. A waitress comes to you and offers you her service. You have an issue with the lack of personal accommodations that the chef of the day is not privy too, then you launch into a firestorm of ridicule at the server, who apologizes to you on behalf of the restaurant, only to be relentlessly attacked until tears are formed and she becomes distraught over your tyrade for your "service requirements." You go on to delight in embarrassing your friend who is now an innocent bystander and witness to your explosive emotions, by boasting of how you made this young lady cry. And you dub yourself a champion of righteousness? That is not being "Christ-like" in the least, but very much influenced by greed, selfishness, and obvious huge insecurities.

So as I sit here now, with this black stone sitting on my desk in front of me, I ask you the same question...have you lived a life without sin? Have you ever done, thought, or said something that would be of a judgemental and condescending manner to someone else? The excuse we often fall back on is this, "That's just the way the world is." To that, I have no argument. But we, as Christians are called to be NOT of this world but to be greater than the world. That isn't to say to develop a "better than thou" attitude towards others. They need us to be what Christ has called us to be, whether the world wants to admit it or not...they need us "unnatural" Christians. And we need to represent the one who has given us the grace and the gift of salvation by being ambassadors for Christ in a fallen world.

So adopt this habit everyday...pick up a stone, place it in your pocket, and be reminded of Romans 3:10, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." That puts you and me into the same pot as well my fellow believers and followers of Christ. The next time you get that urge to launch a thought or word of judgment, bring that stone from your pocket and say a prayer of repentance and forgiveness. Then, show grace to that person. And when you find you are in the company of a self-righteous "judge", offer him/her your stone and share the message behind it. I've given a few away, and I hope to give more away as I am led to do so.

Are you so faultless that you can validate any form of judgment against another? I'm not.

~ Jay Goff