By Quentin Banks

I will never forget the first time I met him. I was sitting outside on the grass enjoying the warmth of the sun when all of a sudden I saw this HUGE intimidating-looking guy walking towards me. He was six foot four, well over 200 pounds, with a beard and long shaggy hair and his arms were covered with tattoos. “Probably a biker or a white supremacist” I thought. And then I noticed he had something tucked under his arm. What was that? Could it be…? No way! Yes! It was a Bible. He sat down on the grass next me and introduced himself. “Hi my name is Gene,” he said as he extended his hand. I sheepishly grinned back and shook his hand and introduced myself. We chatted for a while that afternoon. He showed me pictures of his children and his wife (who was an African-American). As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Gene and I became the best of friends. We met weekly for prayer and accountability and encouraged one another in our common faith in Jesus.

I am reminded of my initial experience with Gene as I look at this passage. The Jewish people had been watching and listening to Jesus and began whispering things about Him. Some said He was a good man. Others concluded that He was a deceiver. One crowd accused Him of being demon-possessed. This is surely one of the most misguided statements ever made! Jesus’ response is “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment.” (verse 24, NIV) In other words, we are not to judge superficially or at a glance but to look deeper so that we can make a righteous judgment. Other translations are worth noting here, “Stop judging by external standards, and judge with true standards.” (TEV) “You mustn’t judge by the appearance of things but by the reality.” (JB Phillips) “Look beneath the surface so that you can judge correctly.” (NLT)

This call to right judgment is a challenge to each of us, for we are all guilty at times of judging by appearances. The only way to avoid such shallowness is to be united with God of whom it is said,

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

In Isaiah we are told that the servant of the Lord “will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge…” (Isaiah 3-4a, NASB). As we go about our daily lives may we be mindful of this and not fall into the trap that I fell into in regards to my friend Gene or that the Jews fell into in regards to the Lord Jesus. Before we make a snap judgment about a person or a situation let us first take a moment and ask the Spirit of God for discernment so that we can judge on the basis of true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

“Spirit of God forgive us for judging others too quickly. Give us a purity of heart and clarity of vision so that we may see that which lies deeper than our emotions and imaginations and avoid the danger of judging by appearances and instead judge honestly and righteously. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

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