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“Judge not, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). Is it possible to put this Gospel saying into practice? Do we not have to judge, if we do not want to give up trying to change what is not right? But this invitation of Jesus penetrated deep into people’s hearts. The apostles James and Paul, different in so many ways, echo it using almost the same words. James writes, “Who are you to judge your neighbour?” And Paul: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” Neither Jesus nor his apostles wished to abolish law courts. Their maxim concerns daily life. Although the followers of Christ have made the choice to love, they still keep on doing things that are wrong, and this has more or less serious consequences. The spontaneous reaction is then to judge those who, by their negligence, weaknesses or oversights, cause harm or setbacks. We can of course come up with many excellent reasons to judge our neighbours: it is for their own good, so that they may learn and make progress…. Jesus knows the human heart, and he is not taken in by the most hidden motivations. He said, “What are you looking at the straw in your brother’s eye for? And the beam in your own eye, do you not notice it?” I can use the faults of others to reassure myself of my own worth. The reasons to judge my neighbour flatter my self-love (see Luke 18:9-14). But if I am on the lookout for my neighbour’s smallest mistake, is this not a way of keeping me from facing my own problems? The thousand and one faults that I find in him do not yet prove that I am worth more than him. The harshness of my judgment may only be hiding my own insecurity and fear of being judged. On two occasions, Jesus spoke of an “unhealthy” or “evil” eye (Matthew 6:23 and 20:15). He was referring to looking at others with jealousy. An unhealthy eye admires, envies and judges one’s neighbour all at the same time. When I admire my neighbours for their good points but at the same time am jealous of them, my eye becomes evil. I no longer see reality as it is, and I may even judge someone for an imaginary wrong that he or she has never done. A desire to dominate can also cause someone to judge. That is why, in the passage already quoted, Paul writes, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” Whoever judges their neighbour makes themselves his or her master, and in so doing takes the place of God. We are called instead to “consider others superior to us” (Philippians 2:3). This does not mean putting oneself down, but serving others instead of judging them. Does refusing to judge others lead to indifference and passivity? In one and the same phrase, the apostle Paul uses the word judge with two different meanings: “We should stop judging one another; judge rather that you should not put anything before your brother or sister to make them stumble or fall” (Romans 14:13). Ceasing to judge one another does not lead to passivity; it is a precondition for acting and behaving justly. Jesus does not advise us to shut our eyes and stop trying. Immediately after telling us not to judge, he continues, “Can a blind person be the guide of another blind person? Will not they both fall into a pit?” Jesus wants blind people to be helped to find their way. But he criticizes incompetent guides. These guides, who are a bit ridiculous, are according to the context people who judge and condemn. Without refusing to judge, it is impossible to see clearly and to help others find the right road. Here is an example drawn from the correspondence of Barsanuphius and John, two monks of Gaza in the sixth century. After having reprimanded a brother for his negligence, John was sorry to see how dejected he was. He is hurt again when, in his turn, he feels that his brothers are judging him. To remain serene, he then decides no longer to criticize anyone else, but simply to take care of the things for which he alone is responsible. But Barsanuphius makes him see that Christ’s peace does not mean withdrawing into oneself. He quotes some words of Saint Paul to him several times: “Correct, rebuke and encourage with tireless patience and the concern to instruct” (2 Timothy 4:2). Leaving others alone can be yet another subtle way of judging them. If I only want to worry about myself, could it not be that I do not consider others worthy of my attention and my efforts? John of Gaza decides not to correct any of his brothers any longer, but Barsanuphius realizes that, in fact, he is still judging them in his heart. He writes to him, “Do not judge or condemn anyone, but admonish them like true brothers” (Letter 21). John will become able truly to be concerned with others when he stops judging them. “Do not make any premature judgments; wait for the Lord to come” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Paul recommends great restraint in judging. At the same time, he appeals to those to whom he writes to take care of one another: “Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, assist the weak; be patient with everybody” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). By experience, he knew that reprimanding without judging could be costly: “For three years, night and day, I did not cease admonishing each one of you” (Acts 20:31). Only charity can accomplish this kind of service.
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«Ne sudite i nećete biti suđeni. Ne osuđujte i nećete biti osuđeni. Praštajte i oprostit će vam se» (Luka 6,37). Je li moguće sprovesti ove evanđeoske riječi u djelo? Ne moramo li suditi kako bismo promijenili ono što nije pravo? No ovaj Isusov poziv zadire duboko u ljudska srca. Apostoli Jakov i Pavao, u mnogome tako različiti, ponavljaju ga koristeći gotovo iste riječi. Jakov piše: «Tko si ti da sudiš bližnjega?» (Jakovljeva 4,12). A Pavao: «Tko si ti da sudiš tuđega slugu?» (Rimljanima 14,4). Ni Isus ni njegovi učenici nisu nastojali ukinuti zakonite sudove. Njihove se riječi tiču svakodnevnog života. Iako su Isusovi sljedbenici odabrali ljubiti, oni nastavljaju činiti krivo i to s više ili manje ozbiljnim posljedicama. Spontana je reakcija stoga osuđivati one koji, iz nemara, slabosti ili previda, uzrokuju nepravdu ili nazadak. Naravo da možemo navesti brojne valjane razloge za suđenje naših bližnjih: da je to za njihovo vlastito dobro, kako bi učili i napredovali... Isus poznaje ljudsko srce, i ne nasjeda na skrivene motive. Rekao je: «Što gledaš trun u oku brata svojega, a brvna u oku svojemu ne opažaš?» (Luka 6,41). Tuđe pogreške mogu rabiti kako bih samoga sebe uvjerio u svoju valjanost. Razlozi za suđenje mog bližnjega laskaju mom samoljublju (vidi Luka 18,9-14). No nije li potraga za i najmanjom pogreškom mog bližnjega zapravo način da se ne suočim sa svojim vlastitim problemima? Tisuću i jedna pogreška koju kod njega pronađem još ne dokazuje da vrijedim više od njega. Strogoća moga suda možda samo prikriva moju osobnu nesigurnost i strah da budem suđen. U dvije je prilike Isus govorio o «nevaljalom» ili «zlom» oku (Matej 6,23 i 20,15). To se odnosilo na ljubomorno promatranje drugih. Nevaljalo oko se istovremeno divi, zavidi i sudi bližnjega. Kad se divim svojim bližnjima zbog njihovih vrlina i u isto sam vrijeme na njih ljubomoran, oko mi postaje zlo. Ne vidim više stvarnost kakova je, i čak mogu nekoga suditi zbog zamišljene krivice koju on ili ona nikad nije počinila. Želja za prevlašću isto može navesti nekoga da sudi. Stoga u već navedenom odlomku Pavao piše: «Tko si ti da sudiš tuđega slugu?» Tkogod sudi bližnjega čini se njegovim ili njezinim gospodarom i čineći to zauzima Božje mjesto. Umjesto toga mi smo pozvani «druge smatrati višima od sebe» (Filipljanima 2,3). To ne znači sebe ponižavati, već drugima služiti, umjesto da ih sudimo. Vodi li odricanje da sudimo druge u ravnodušnost i pasivnost? U istoj izreci apostol Pavao koristi riječ suditi u dva različita značenja: «Ne sudimo više jedan drugoga, nego radije sudite o tome da ne valja postavljati bratu stupice ili spoticala» (Rimljanima 14,13). Prestanak međusobnog osuđivanja ne vodi u pasivnost, već je preduvjet za pravedno djelovanje i ponašanje. Isus nam ne savjetuje da zatvorimo oči i prestanemo nastojati. Odmah nakon upute da ne sudimo, on nastavlja: «Može li slijepac slijepca voditi? Neće li obojica u jamu upasti?» (Luka 6,39). Isus želi da se slijepcima pomogne da nađu svoj put. No on raskrinkava nesposobne vodiče. Ti ponešto smiješni vodiči su prema smislu čitavog odlomka oni koji sude i osuđuju. Ne odbijemo li suditi, ne možemo jasno vidjeti i drugima pomoći da nađu pravi put. Evo primjera izdvojenog iz dopisa Barsanufija i Ivana, dvaju monaha iz Gaze u šestom stoljeću. Ukorivši brata zbog njegove namarnosti, Ivanu bi žao vidjevši kako je ovaj potišten. Uz to ga zaboli kad osjeća kako ga njegova braća osuđuju. Kako bi očuvao spokoj, odluči nikome više ništa ne govoriti i samo brinuti o stvarima za koje je osobno odgovoran. No Barsanufije mu daje vidjeti da Kristov mir ne znači povlačenje u sebe. Nekoliko mu puta navodi riječi svetoga Pavla: «Uvjeravaj, kori, zapovijedaj sa svom strpljivošću i poukom» (2 Timoteju 4,2). Jer ostavljanje drugih na miru isto može biti istančani način osude. Ako se želim brinuti samo za sebe, nije li to možda jer druge ne držim vrijednima moje pozornosti i napora? Ivan iz Gaze odlučuje više ne uvjeravati ikojeg od svoje braće, no Barsanufije shvaća da ih on u svome srcu još osuđuje. On mu piše: «Ne sudi niti osuđuj nikoga, već ih opominji kao istinsku braću (Pismo 21). Ivan će postati kadar istinski skrbiti za druge kad ih prestane suditi. «Ne sudite ništa prije vremena dok ne dođe Gospodin» (1 Korinćanima 4,5). Pavao preporuča veliku uzdržanost u sudu. U isto vrijeme poziva one kojima piše da se međusobno skrbe jedni za druge: «Opominjite neuredne, sokolite malodušne, podržavajte slabe, budite velikodušni prema svima» (1 Solunjanima 5,14). Iz iskustva je znao da urazumljivanje bez suda može biti dragocjen: «Tri sam godine bez prestanka noću i danju urazumljivao svakoga od vas» (Djela 20,31). Samo ljubav može vršiti takovu službu.