Actively Inventing Fault

Scripture: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. Matthew 11:18-19

Observation: Jesus is addressing the Jews, explicitly discussing their lack of understanding of the Messiah. In these verses, he explicitly calls out their judgmental attitude. The judge John the Baptist as unworthy because of his behavior, but then judge Jesus unworthy because of the exact opposite behavior. It is this attitude - actively inventing fault with everyone - that prevents them from accepting the good news that is proclaimed by Jesus, and the truth that was proclaimed by John.

Application: In this verse, I see two sets of fingers pointing to the truth. First, this is of course the attitude of society today toward believers. Some believers are over-the-top strict, some churches are far too relaxed, and thus unbelievers use these facts to state why they don't believe and won't listen to the gospel. However, more importantly, I see a finger pointing at me and my judgmental attitude.

I certainly have a problem with certain lifestyles and attitudes about the meaning of life. I need to examine myself and ensure that I am not judging people simply because ... they do something irrelevant that I feel is 'off'. It is one thing to embrace sin, and surprising I find myself 'judging' that less (though ... some). Instead, I will judge stupid things like how people dress, their written communications, when they arrive for appointments. I observe these things, then apply a negative interpretation of that behavior to the person.

Yes, in the context of faith in Jesus Christ, I may have preferences in style and message, but I do understand the value of all types of Christian faith. As Jesus says, "wisdom is vindicated by her deeds," so looking at the outcome of Christian practices - and not the methods - is the right way to assess faith. However, in the context of the world, I am simply too judgmental, and I care too much about meaningless behaviors. It is this that does no one - especially me - any good.

Prayer: Lord, again today I come to you seeking a heart of humility. It is in my prideful heart where I define those behaviors that I believe are proper and improper, and then apply that to others. Please forgive my judgment of others, and remove that attitude from me, so I may love others better and better as Jesus would have me do. Amen.