“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)
A few verses after this passage comes the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). In the Golden Rule Jesus encourages us to act toward others as we would like others to act toward us. He starts that thought in today’s passage. He encourages us to judge others as we would want them to judge us. So the question is, how do you want others to judge you?
I want others to give me the benefit of the doubt.
I want others to assume my motives are as they appear and not make the assumption that my motives are selfish.
I want others to be compassionate, even toward my weaknesses and my areas of blindness and my unconquered sins.
But I also want others to will help me -- kindly and lovingly -- to face the problems they see in me. I don’t want brothers and sisters who just overlook my problems, but who care enough to help me see them and overcome them. Not with constant criticism and a judgmental spirit, but with patience and compassion.
And I want those who help me to be aware of their own weakness and sins, and know they too have areas of blindness. I’m not looking for people who will stand in condemnation of me as if they are on a higher level, but those who recognize we are all sinners helping each other to be conformed step by step to the image of the One we serve.
I’m thankful that I have brothers and sisters like that. I hope I can be that kind of brother to others.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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