RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENTS

I have noticed that humor can be a stimulus to the remembrance of life’s realities. I remember reading a cartoon of Frank and Earnest which provided me with just such a memory stirring humorous moment. While leaving church Frank and Earnest were confronted by their preacher who chided them with these words, “I do wish you two would quit pointing at each other and other members of the congregation during my sermons.” I chuckled appropriately, but my mind was almost immediately transported to the numerous times when I was standing at the head of a classroom or at a pulpit when my own concentration was interrupted by a spouse raising an eyebrow in the direction of their mate or placing a well-trained elbow in their ribs in response to a remark which had just been made.

In His great sermon given on the mount, the Savior has been reported to have said, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) For some reason this particular verse, along with a few others, I have fallen short of gaining a restful comprehension.

First – Even a casual glance will show us all mankind being condemned for the fracturing of this commandment. Even as I wrote that last sentence I added to my personal splintering of the command. It seems that it is not only impossible to keep from making judgments both about ourselves and others, but a large portion of life’s survival skills are dependent on the constant evaluation of ourselves and others. We watch, we listen and we start the process of rejection, acceptance and even find reasons to emulate or condemn.

Secondly – We have been told as Christians that our constant quest should be to become like our Savior. Obviously the first step towards emulation begins with some kind of judgment about how he acted or reacted in certain situations. We also are constantly judging the relevancy of every word he spoke and whether it applies to our personal situations.

Thirdly – Jesus Christ, because of His life and Atoning Mission, has become the judge of all mankind. My little mind immediately draws me to the conclusion that if I am to become as He is then I need to be about the business of developing that important attribute.

Joseph Smith, when he was doing his inspired translation of the Bible, rendered the afore mentioned verse in Matthew in the following words, “Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people, Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgments.” Sometimes the smallest of changes bring the greatest clarity and increase to our comprehension. With just a few added words we discover that the Savior’s instructions actually told us we should be about the process of judging. And how would being judgmental lead us toward becoming like Him? It seems that small steps toward that wondrous goal can be enhanced by our diligently dedicating ourselves to the task of learning how to make righteous judgments.

What a marvelous conscience relieving discovery, that if we learn to do it right, we will not only not be condemned for making judgments about ourselves and our neighbors, but in a very real way we will fail to fulfill the purpose of our mortal sojourn if we fail to judge with righteousness. After all, one of our primary reasons for being in mortality is to learn to choose or judge between good and evil by our own experiences.

With this little bit of added knowledge we learn that our task shifts dramatically from not making any judgments, (a non-probable situation) to the task of learning how to come as near as our humanness will allow us to following the example of the Savior in making righteous judgments.

First – He judges with a perfect knowledge of his neighbors and their situations. With our frailness we can only approach this knowledge through the enlightening channels of not making rash judgments, gathering all information available and relying on as much of the light of Christ that our own level of obedience allows us.

Second – He judges with perfect justice based on Eternal Laws and Everlasting Understanding. Once again, in our present state of being neophytes in the practice of judging righteously, we can be aided by withholding responses until more information is available, by not condemning by association and by being guided by promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly – He judges with perfect mercy being filled with infinite love of all. As beginners who have not as yet shed their training wheels, we can begin by showing our mercy to those who are easy to love. As opportunity presents itself we can expand our circle of love and, hopefully, with the help of the Comforter we can eventually move closer to a universal love.

My incomprehension doesn't allow me to wrap my mind around the change that would be affected upon this beautiful sphere if each of us became just a little more practiced in making righteous judgments.

How much sadness and sorrow would be avoided because we were no longer making amateurish judgments.

How much joy and gladness would be spread if everyone were being judged a little more by the Light of truth, justice and mercy available to all who are striving to make righteous judgments.

How much closer to having heaven on earth would we come if righteous judgments came not only from God, but also from his mortal children?

Frank and Earnest are still very humorous!