Always a Critic?

Luke 7:33-34 - “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

We can always find faults in others. Every one of us is an imperfect person. Many of us are allowing God to shape us, grow us, and improve us, but that is a lifelong process. Along the way, each of us will manifest our faults at times. We can be real targets for others’ criticism.

Sometimes flaws need to be pointed out by others if we are ever to correct them. Some criticism is necessary to keep families, organizations, and churches healthy. When others criticize us, we need to carefully evaluate the merits of the criticism and change what validly needs to be changed.

Yet, far too often the critic’s motive is to not to improve the one they critique. If I find fault in another, it can give me a feeling of superiority. It is this kind of self-righteousness Jesus attacks in Luke 7:31-35. The cultural and religious leaders of Jesus’ world criticized John the Baptist for his asceticism and Jesus for his indulgence. The implication is that no one would have been good enough. The Pharisees’ position depended on them being better than others, so they criticized everyone who was not like them. My guess is they criticized one another just as harshly. The day they stopped criticizing was the day they were no longer “preeminent” – at least in their own minds.

I am sure you know the pain of the self-promoting critics’ unwarranted attacks. You may still be dealing with the effects of a parent, teacher, coach, or other influential person who was never willing to give you full approval. Today, though, let us each evaluate our own hearts, words, and actions. Why do we criticize? Do we want to help others or just ourselves feel superior?