It’s A Party Not A Court Hearing

Remember that judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are.{1}

Psychologists are discovering that we humans are naturally wired to use judgement when it comes to our survival. Can we trust and respect another person when it comes to our well-being? This question is what triggers our instinct to judge another (and ourselves) so we can move into a safe space. But, when our judgement becomes all we focus on, the results are not healthy.

Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy puts it this way:

However, we cannot let our judgements control us. It is easy to misconstrue information and deem someone as less trustworthy than they really are. To really get to know someone, we have to give them a fair chance and get to know someone before we decide. We may find that their personality only comes out once they reach a certain level of trust in you.

The instincts we have on judging others served us well in our efforts for survival, but we have evolved past the point where survival is life or death. Now, we are protecting emotions and status. We should be careful who we judge and why, as we may not be judging the wrong people for the wrong reasons.{2}

As a species, we have moved past the survival instinct (of life or death) to the protecting of our emotions and social status. This a huge difference when it comes to the purpose of judgement. We have made a judgment out of fear in order to keep our social status in tact. This ties in nicely with the current condition of Christendom . Is this belief in Christ really just a dichotomy of “no or yes” and boom–it’s either judgement to death or life? We have one choice for our eternal soul and we better get it right or else? It’s the court hearing that we can’t avoid and it’s our final destination that we all really shit our pants over (if we are really being honest with ourselves hehe).

Or is there another way to come to the Jesus story? I think so. In the space between the court hearing and the party, Jesus is always saying: Love has the last word. In the Eternal Now, we all should experience the party which celebrates the shalom that the gospel of Christ brings. How did we get to the point of the infamous court hearing for our final judgment with God? One word: Fear. This emotion is a great (and easier) motivation. It allows the masses to hold on to a God who if we don’t obey, will either burns us alive forever, zap us out of existence or just kicks us out to outer darkness for the rest of eternity (yay).

Well, here is a fun (and much-needed) fact. There is only one instance in scripture when there is a scenario of a “court room” with God being the judge: The Great White Throne Judgement (dun dun…DUN). This also includes themes such as the book of life, death, hell (I.e., the grave) and the Lake of Fire. When we come to this passage, we have to understand the background of the Book of Revelation. Revelation is a symbolic, political-driven book which was written to the “Seven Churches” of the first century. It was written to them (first and foremost) but for us (now and forevermore). It’s main thesis is that the peaceful slain Lamb is Cesar not the Empire State of domination and violence.

We need to grasp this truth before we can ever precede past the imagery of the court room scene with God. This is all hyperbole and allegorical Hebraisms that captures the imaginations of the first hearers (and later the readers) of this little book we call Revelation. These are not actual places, but states of being that can produce horribly real circumstances. When we do not transform our judgmental fear to the beautiful freedom of agape love, then we always will experience the shameful plea of “guilty” in the dreadful court room scenario.

Here is where we really stand when it comes to our relations to God. The Gospel of John beautifully states:

And this is the judgement; the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light

And…

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

The true Judgement happened when the light (Christ) came into the world–all the way to Jesus on the cross! It’s done! We judged the light (Jesus on the cross) and God still loved and forgave us. All people are now being drawn to this Light through self-sacrificial love. That is the good news! Love does and always comes through. That is something to celebrate! We have to let go of our primal fears of judgement in darkness and awaken into the light of our True Self.

But what about all the other 100+ verses that speak of judgement? Well, this has to be taken in light of Jesus (Who is the True Word of God) and the way the Sprit of Christ takes us from the letter that kills to the spirit that gives life. We have to come to these other judgement verses with another key perspective from Jesus: Judge not and you will not be judged. We have to let go of our fear of our social status “standings” and be liberated into the realm of perfect love that casts out all fear. It’s in this atmosphere where the true healing begins.

Yes, we have to bring a sense of discernment when it comes to our day to day lives. When we trust that The Divine is for the entire cosmos (not just a few) then we ourselves start being for the entire cosmos. This then enables us to see our fearful judgement be transformed into a freeing experience of love for one another. When we see the whole reality as “good”, we then come to see the systemic issues that still need liberating.

All should be joining the party of Christ. It’s no coincidence that it’s the humble guests in the Great Wedding Banquet parables who are really enjoying the party. We have to realize that its only when ALL are enjoying the party will the full reality of peace and love come into fruition. It’s uncomfortable to put our guards down for the “other“. But, the ones we cast aside will be our lost of liberation in the end. The poor, the outcast and the marginalized all have a seat at the table. This apocalyptic truth will only come by letting go of our judgement towards ourselves and others, and stepping into Grace. Life has the last word and all have that gift to share. So lets make room and enjoy the party…

The story of the wedding banquet is first a call for us to recognize the unequal and violent nature of the world in which we live, and second, to acknowledge our part in maintaining the inequalities of the status quo and then to actively work for a fairer distribution of the world’s wealth. {3}