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Beyond labels
People tend to use labels to categorize others. One T-shirt read: “I don’t know why judges earn so much! I judge everyone for nothing!” Judging this statement without all the facts or knowledge is a common human behavior. However, this can lead us to define complex individuals in a simplistic way, thereby overlooking each person's uniqueness and individuality. We are often quick to judge others and put labels on them. Jesus warns us not to be quick to judge others: “Judge not, lest you be judged. For as you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7,1-2).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against being quick to judge or condemn others. He reminds people that they will be judged by the same standards that they apply themselves. When we don't see a person as part of our group, we can be tempted to overlook their wisdom, experience, personality, value, and ability to change, pigeonholing them whenever it suits us.
We often disregard the humanity of others and reduce them to labels such as liberal, conservative, radical, theorist, practitioner, uneducated, educated, artist, mentally ill - not to mention racial and ethnic labels. Most of the time we do this unconsciously and without thinking. However, sometimes we consciously harbor negative feelings toward others based on our upbringing or our interpretation of life experiences.
God knows this human tendency but does not share it. In the book of Samuel, God sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse with an important task. One of Jesse's sons was to be anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel, but God did not tell the prophet which son to anoint. Jesse presented Samuel with seven impressively handsome sons, but God rejected them all. Ultimately, God chose David, the youngest son, who was almost forgotten and was the least fitting of Samuel's image of a king. When Samuel looked at the first seven sons, God said to him:
«But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his height; I rejected him. For this is not how man sees: man sees what is before his eyes; but the Lord looks at the heart" (1. Samuel 16,7).
We often tend to be like Samuel and misjudge a person's worth based on physical characteristics. Like Samuel, we cannot look into a person's heart. The good news is that Jesus Christ can. As Christians, we should learn to rely on Jesus and see others through his eyes, full of compassion, empathy and love.
We can only have healthy relationships with our fellow human beings if we recognize their relationship with Christ. When we see them as belonging to him, we strive to love our neighbors as Christ loves them: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I love you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15,12-13). This is the new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus loves each of us. This is our most important label. For him, this is the identity that defines us. He judges us not by one aspect of our character, but by who we are in Him. We are all God's beloved children. While this may not make for a funny t-shirt, it is the truth that followers of Christ should live by.
by Jeff Broadnax
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