Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” (John 7:21-24)
Read: Proverbs 14:1 – 16:33
Relate: Possibly it is true, more likely it is fictional, but I’ve read that the following series of advertisements were placed in a small town newspaper:
Monday – The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who lives with him, cheap.
Tuesday – We regret any embarrassment caused to Rev. Jones by a typographical error in yesterday’s paper. The ad should have read: “The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap…Telephone 626-1313 and ask for Mrs. Donnelley, who lives with him after 7 p.m.”
Wednesday – The Rev. A.J. Jones informs us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of an incorrect ad in yesterday’s paper. It should have read: “The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who loves with him.”
Thursday – Please take notice that I, the Rev. A.J. Jones, have no color TV set for sale; I have smashed it. Don’t call 626-1313 anymore. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Donnelley. She was, until yesterday, my housekeeper.
Friday – Wanted: a housekeeper. Usual housekeeping duties. Good pay. Love in, Rev. A.J. Jones. Telephone 626- 1313.
React: Getting back to John chapter seven, I am not a big fan of that last sentence Jesus used: “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” It would be a lot easier to judge Reverend Jones than it would be to find out what is really going on. I make snap judgments all the time. I hear something and I immediately react. I see something and I immediately form opinions. I do not bother to find out the truth, I simply assume. What is worse, I find that I impose my own struggles or past failures on to what I believe are the personal thoughts and motives of others. If I struggle with anger, I assume that other person messaging me is doing so from a position of anger. If I am a gossip, I assume that others are gossiping about me. I don’t look beneath the surface. I don’t bother to try to find the cause behind the behavioral issues which are merely symptoms.
Respond:
God, I am sorry for the times I have made unjust assumptions. I am sorry for the times I have jumped to harsh conclusions. Give me the patience to dig beneath the surface before making judgments. Give me the wisdom to look deeper. Help me to see those around me through Your eyes.
THE RIVER WALK 
Ouch! You hit a nerve. 🙂
“behavioral issues which are merely symptoms.”
I really do know.
I do not bother to remember
(Ditto Sue C – Ouch!)
Yep, me, too. I just read this in My Utmost For His Highest: “When God wants to show you what human nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself.” Oswald Chambers. Big ouch!
It seems to be an area that a lot of us are guilty of at one time or another. Very good point in bringing up this subject that we all have been guilty of in the pass.
Something to remember ;”Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”,as stated in Phillipians 2:12. This way, we learn how to submit everything to prayer, instead of jumping to conclusions. We can really injure our brother’s and sister’s in the body of Christ by pointing the finger when in fact, there are three pointing back at us.I speak from experience. Let us love one another, and be quicker in praying for each other. It is “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man(or woman), that availeth much. From a person whose hurt others and been hurt by others, but have forgiven and been forgiven. Blessings, paul m.
Reblogged this on born2xdie1x's Blog and commented:
A truly great subject and a big problem that can be healed by our LORD and Savior, through repentance, prayer,and forgiveness.
I think Sonder is useful here – the definition of which is realising that others have a life as complex as our own (that will include having a bad day, being misunderstood etc). Yup, Been there, done that, got the t-shirt on the whole judging without digging deeper. The temptation to just react rather than stop and think.
Born to Die is absolutely right.
Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for the reminder!