May 16

Judging of Others

Do not judge, or you will be judged. — Matt 7:1 BSB

Few faults are more common than judging others. It wouldn’t be so bad if we were inclined to judge others charitably, but we aren’t. We tend to be much sharper in noticing flaws and faults than in seeing beauty and goodness. Few of us are always discovering new features of loveliness in others, but many of us can easily point out an endless number of faults. If we held ourselves to the same standard we use to judge others, we would have to be nearly saintly people. If we were free from all the faults we are quick to point out in our neighbor, we would be almost faultless ourselves.

Jesus’ words not only tell us not to be critical and judgmental of others, but they also give us a strong motive not to judge. The appeal is made to our own interests—others will treat us the same way we treat them. None of us likes it when others are critical or judgmental toward us. We flinch when we receive unfair judgments. We resent being unfairly criticized. We expect people to judge us fairly, and we ask for grace when we fall short or show our weaknesses. But can we really expect others to be more forgiving or lenient toward us than we are toward them?

If we want to receive kind judgment from others, we must extend the same to them. If we harshly criticize someone today, we shouldn’t be surprised if we hear someone’s harsh criticism of us tomorrow. But if, on the other hand, we speak kind, appreciative, and charitable words about someone today, we may very well hear someone say something pleasant about us tomorrow. In this way, we create the harmony or discord in our own hearts. We receive what we give. We reap what we sow. And, in the end, at the final judgment, we will receive from the Judge what we have given to others.