Stop judging, that you may not be judged
Published Jun 20, 2022 12:05 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY
Human judgment, even at its best, has its limitations and imperfections. In different cultures, laws are agreed upon and enacted to serve the greater community, but these do not cover relationships in their entirety. Often, there are the offensive and the aggrieved parties. Though there may be judges to interpret and apply the laws, sometimes the community is asked to participate in weighing the innocence or culpability of the accused. It is very hard to be objective when we cannot fathom the subjective motivations, feelings, and emotions behind human actions. According to the Johari Window, there are areas to be considered: known to me and known to another (arena); unknown to me but known to another (blind spot); known to me but unknown to another (façade); unknown to me and unknown to another (unknown). Human standards are flawed; only God can make a perfect judgment.
Legal judgment is necessary for the ordering of society, and Jesus does not prohibit it. What he wants us to do is to go slow in or altogether stop judging or condemning on a personal basis. We may fall into the ridiculous mistake of pointing out the splinter in someone else’s eye yet fail to perceive the wooden beam in our own eye. The fact is, when we point a finger at someone, the rest of the fingers are pointing back at us.
Gospel •Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
Human judgment, even at its best, has its limitations and imperfections. In different cultures, laws are agreed upon and enacted to serve the greater community, but these do not cover relationships in their entirety. Often, there are the offensive and the aggrieved parties. Though there may be judges to interpret and apply the laws, sometimes the community is asked to participate in weighing the innocence or culpability of the accused. It is very hard to be objective when we cannot fathom the subjective motivations, feelings, and emotions behind human actions. According to the Johari Window, there are areas to be considered: known to me and known to another (arena); unknown to me but known to another (blind spot); known to me but unknown to another (façade); unknown to me and unknown to another (unknown). Human standards are flawed; only God can make a perfect judgment.
Legal judgment is necessary for the ordering of society, and Jesus does not prohibit it. What he wants us to do is to go slow in or altogether stop judging or condemning on a personal basis. We may fall into the ridiculous mistake of pointing out the splinter in someone else’s eye yet fail to perceive the wooden beam in our own eye. The fact is, when we point a finger at someone, the rest of the fingers are pointing back at us.
Gospel •Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.