Judge Not
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
by the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp-
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
Has there been a huge mistake?
And why's everyone so quiet,
so somber? Give me a clue.'
'Hush, child, ' said He 'They're all in shock.
No one thought they'd see you.'
David (Johnny) Nixon ©
Who knows what the qualifications are and who we will meet? Great poem. Thanks
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
That is the anti-climax at the end. A good thought. We can judge people but need not or cannot conclude. Without judging people, we can't live in this world for our safety and prosperity but concluding people has something extra. We often conclude the world, ie we stamp people this way or the other way. That we need not. Such conclusions can create such unexpected scenes while going to Hell or Heaven. A thief won't wish to conclude himself as a thief. That is the point.