Friday, June 24, 2022

Dont judge.....




"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem."
Isaiah 53:2‭-‬3

I like one commentary that said Jesus wasn't necessarily ugly but he was perhaps not one who would turn your head.

I think of all of the movies that I've watched about Jesus. He's always cast as a very attractive man with dark flowing hair, tall, thin, not at all how these verses describe Jesus.

Then it occurred to me that attractiveness is subjective. It's personal. Would I recognize Jesus? Do I have a preconceived idea of what I think he should look like? And I began to ponder how often one's worth is determined by outward appearances.

When we look at others what do we see? Too tall. Too short. Too skinny. Too fat. Tattooed. Pierced. Unkempt. What do we see that sways our thoughts and our opinions about a person? Are we concerned about the color of somebody's skin? Their ethnicity? Their customs? Their beliefs? Their jobs? Do we think less of people who have a high school education as opposed to a college degree? Do we think less of someone who drives a beater versus a brand new expensive car? What about how somebody dresses? Do we consider them "less than" if their appearance is disheveled? Do we level the judgment, "boy they must not care about themselves much!" Do we look at someone differently who hands the cashier a government food card? Do we look in their cart to see what they are buying? Do we determine who they are by what they eat? Appearance is such a big deal! It is the first impression. Of course someone can have every hair in place, dressed to the nines, and have the heart of a cold fish. The opposite is true as well ...those who have really hard lives can be the kindness, most gracious people.

When I read God's word and I see how Jesus was treated, how he was beaten, how he was spit on, how he was despised, rejected, laughed at, ridiculed, it reminds me that people did not desire a relationship with him FIRST before they determined who he was, what he wanted and why he came. They judged him by their own circumstances, what THEY wanted, what THEY had predetermined this Savior would look like, how he should act and what he should give them.

Do we not do the same? We want to be in the popular crowd. We have FOMO (fear of missing out) like it's our job!

But that's not at all what God's Word, our "instruction manual" for living, tells us. Look at just a few passages:

Leviticus 25:35
"Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you."

Ruth 2:10
"Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Job 31:32
“The alien has not lodged outside, For I have opened my doors to the traveler.

This precious passage in Matthew puts it all in perspective.

Matthew 25:34-30
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’


I used to think kids were cruel because they lacked knowledge and life experience. I thought mean girls had a chip on their shoulder from past or present hurts and they weren't going to let anyone else hurt them so they hurt first. But the older I get the more I realize that the sinful nature is inherent. And it's evident in children very young right through adulthood. I am so convicted, where I used to be in denial. I used to think I was a victim. Too weak to defend myself. But the deeper I dig into God's Word, the more I realize the insidious ways sin creeps in...in the tiniest moments.....but I'm also very encouraged...because I can change in those tiny moments, one by one and become more like Christ. We don't have to have major changes for all to see. We can have tiny heart changes that only God sees.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”


It IS a heart issue! I feel ignored. I feel less than. I'm not favored. I'm not pretty enough. Smart enough. NO!!!

Galatians 1:10
"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."


I think of a prisoner who is where he/she is because of the things they've done. Though there are consequences for their actions, God doesn't love them less. God doesn't love less the girl who made a bad choice that morning that resulted in my husband's death. Oh and believe me I've judged her.....harshly. I've judged her family, her upbringing, her appearance.....the circumstances, her attorneys.... you're probably thinking I was justified, right? Truth is, she is no different than me before the Lord. If she, like me and every other follower of Christ, repents before the Lord she will be sitting with me in glory at the Lord's supper. I can either be outraged and declare, "How dare you!!" Or I can be grateful, that in my bad choices, he forgives me too.

There are times when truth must be spoken in love. "In love" implies there is a relationship to whom you're speaking truth. That is not the everyday eye rolling that I often employ. Yikes ..I'm actually rolling my eyes at myself right now at the truth of that last sentence.

Jesus IS my perfect example. Bit by bit... circumstance by circumstance...I can become more like Him. Today I'm going to look at the tiny thoughts and actions that keep me from being Christlike. Want to join me?

Have a beautiful day!

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