A Judging Controversy

With the Olympics being the worldwide spectacle that it is, it's no surprise that this year’s Winter Games have already delivered a fair share of controversy.

Perhaps the biggest controversy to date involves Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who won the silver medal in ice dancing on Wednesday.

Heading into the competition, Chock and Bates were considered the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold medal in the event. Ultimately, however, the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron edged out the American pair to bring home the gold.

The controversy ultimately comes down to the judges, who scored the routines. 

Many fans and experts believe the American couple clearly outperformed the French pair on the ice, prompting a public outcry that the judging results were unfair. 

With the judges' individual scores released, it appears there may be at least some "irregularities" in the event's scoring.

Of the nine judges who scored the event, more than half (five) ranked Chock and Bates higher than their French competitors. 

In addition, a French judge scored the French skaters 7.71 points higher than the American pair in the free dance routine, which was particularly shocking because no other judge gave either team more than a 4.1-point advantage in either portion of the competition (rhythm or free dance). 

In the aftermath of the competition, the American couple has openly acknowledged their disappointment with the results and even called for changes to the current judging system.

Chock told CBS News,“I think it would definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for the viewers to just see more transparent judging and understand what’s really going on. I think it’s also important for the skaters that the judges be vetted and reviewed to make sure that they are putting out their best performance. There’s a lot on the line for the skaters when they’re out there giving it their all. We deserve to have the judges also giving us their all, and for it to be a fair and even playing field.”

Regardless of whether the ice dancing results constitute a true injustice, there's no denying that, as long as humans are involved in judging athletic events, mistakes of judges will continue.

As followers of Jesus, when we interact with people, we must remember to judge others rightly. While the Bible speaks to us about refraining from certain kinds of wrong judgment, such as hypocritical judging, we must rightly judge and make correct assessments about what is taking place around us.

In John 7:24 (NASB), Jesus said, “'Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.'”

Proverbs 31:9 (ESV) adds, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

For us to be the righteous judges that God desires, there are a couple of things that we must always keep in mind.

For starters, we must remember that our judgments must never be arbitrary or based on our personal feelings or desires. There's a clear standard given to us in the Bible, and it is by that standard alone that we should make all of our judgments.

That means that we will have to know the difference between clear sin issues and mere preference issues. Just because someone chooses to do things a little differently from us doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong, especially when the Bible has given us freedom to make choices of preference.

However, this principle also means we're not allowed to look the other way when another believer is clearly sinning against one of God’s explicit commandments. 

Sometimes, believers mistakenly think that all forms of judging are wrong and inappropriate, but that's not the case.

In Matthew 18:15 (NKJV), Jesus told His followers, “Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”

This command requires that righteous judgment has already taken place. After all, how can we confront a believer about their sin if we haven't first made a righteous judgment about the fact that they have sinned?

In other words, all our righteous judging must be done impartially and without favoritism.

Leviticus 19:15 (ESV) says, “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”

We must avoid the temptation to overlook transgressions by fellow believers, even when we have a close relationship with them. At the same time, we must humbly show them love and grace as we point them to Jesus and avoid being harsh or unkind.

At the end of the day, we want our character to become more and more like our God, who is perfectly just and impartial in His judging. 

Today, let's remember that although we make all sorts of judgments in various areas, we must be thoughtful and deliberate about them and how we act on them.

As we make those righteous judgments, may God use them to help conform all of us increasingly into the image of His Son.

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me be someone who always judges by Your standards. Even as I make righteous judgments, please help me to be kind, humble, and gracious in the way that I interact with others. May it all be for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.