The Tongue - Edition #32: The Poor Judge

May 15th to 18th, 2006

The Tongue – Edition #32: The Poor Judge

Well, I missed my quiet time on both Saturday and Sunday. I’m not sure what to say about it all, but I feel “OK” about it. I’m sick and my heart wasn’t like “I don’t want to have one.” In fact, I wanted to have to have them, but I also wanted to spend time with family. And so, I decided to spend time with family. I can’t see God being upset by that. When the needs presented themselves, Jesus tended to them, and rightfully so. Now, I received an email fairly recently about a company who is supporting the gay rights movement. The email is asking for the boycott of this company. I have mixed thoughts on the whole thing. I don’t support the idea of homosexuality, but to be honest, I don’t think the idea of a boycott is the right answer. I did a search on snopes.com and I couldn’t find a yes or no or anything for that matter on this whole issue. It must be a very new email and a very new issue and snopes has yet to post a response.

1st Corinthians 10:23-24
“Everything is permissible” - but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

What is strangely interesting about scripture is how people can twist it to make it what they want it to say for them. Using the above as an example: Those people are doing sinful acts – thus we should boycott them to teach them a lesson – It is a sacrifice for me, due to I now have to go out of my way to shop other places. This is justification, or simply justifying the action.

Justify (verb):

1. To prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable.


2. To show to have had a legally sufficient reason or cause.

I’ve been thinking this whole thing a lot.

Luke 6:20-22
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”

Luke 6:20 poor:
ptōchos
pto-khos'
(To crouch); a beggar (as cringing), that is, pauper (strictly denoting absolute or public mendicancy, although also used in a qualified or relative sense; whereas G3993 properly means only straitened circumstances in private), literally (often as noun) or figuratively (distressed): - beggar (-ly), poor.

Now, I did some extra research on top of what I normally on this word, structurally on the meaning of it all… this “pto-khos'” not only means poor as in a beggar, but it’s like a frightfully poor. It’s the kind that the homeless are afraid of. It’s the kind of poor where you have no one to turn to. And Christ says that those who are in this kind of shape are blessed because, when all is dark, they do have a place to turn to, and that place is God. Now, with a topic like the poor, what in the world does that have to do with a boycott? Work with me and I’ll show you (at least what I am thinking, anyway).

Scenario:
I see an old homeless man on a street corner. I give him a whopping $20. That’s a generous thing.

Wrench #1:
I then find out that very man used to beat his wife senseless and on a daily basis, which led to him being homeless.

Question:
Does that take away the good thing I did? Should I be angry for giving to the poor in this fashion?

Wrench #2:
(Throw out #1, mind you) After giving him the money, I then find out that the guy lives a homosexual lifestyle.

Question:
Again, do I get angry? Does this cause me to not want to give to the needy? Do I even want to go back and take the money away from him?

Matthew 7:1-6
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

Matthew 7:1 judge:
krinō
kree'-no
Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

Matthew 7:2 measure:
metron
met'-ron
An apparently primary word; a measure (“metre”), literally or figuratively; by implication a limited portion (degree): - measure.

Now, Johnny’s rewrite: “Do not condemn, or you too will be condemned. For in the same way you sentence others, you too will be sentenced, and with the portion you use, it will be the same degree to you.” Heavy. I think the point in all this is that I need to take care myself. How can I take care of someone else’s problems when I can’t even take care of my own? It’s good to take care of the poor. It’s good to give the guy a $20. But the fact of the matter is, do I judge him for his lifestyle and his mistakes? If I do, then the same condemnation is going to come right back on me. I don’t approve of wife beating or the homosexual lifestyle, don’t think I do, but the point I am simply trying to stress, in my mind, anyway, is the boycott idea is judgmental at heart. There is a sense of anger behind it all. I don’t like tomatoes. I don’t boycott them, I simply don’t care for their taste. I do buy pizza and have ketchup, but I most likely will never again eat a raw tomato. I don’t like the Yankees. It’s nothing personal, well maybe it is, but I will never root for them in the game of baseball. I would like to go to Yankee stadium someday and cheer on whoever plays against them. As far as Yankee merchandise, I may never buy anything, but again, that isn’t really a boycott. I am not trying to change someone’s mind by my actions not rooting for the Yankees.

Boycott (verb):

1. To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion.

If something is going to change peoples minds, it has to start with love. Over the last couple of months, my mind has changed. It was with love from others that I learned a lot about God and prayer. And even though I have only begun to grasp just a sliver of understanding, which I really haven’t asked God for understand, I have learned that God is there and he is really happy (I just couldn’t think of the right word), and happy fits though. I mean, when my son does something new and cool, and then he turns to see me there, he quickly crawls over to me to rejoice with me and I can’t help but share in his joy. How can I not? And then God looks down on the world and sees people shunning others, not wanting to get along, condemning at every chance they get, and why do we do it? I’m not sure why we do it. 1st Peter 4:8 says “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” And Proverbs 10:12 says “hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Well, I guess I am done for now. Johnny Out.