Do not judge, or you too will be judged

by Le Magazine de la Diaspora Ivoirienne et des Ami(e)s de la Côte d’Ivoire | 14 novembre 2010 0 h 47 min

Do not judge or you too will be judged

“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?”
Matthew 7:3 (NIV)

This is a passage that comes to my mind over and over. There is a valuable message to be found here, but I am surprised at the response I often get when I mention it without any further explanation. Many people respond with something like, ‘Oh yes, I know someone exactly like that. They are always criticising me about this or that and…’ While there is no real right or wrong response, and it is true that there is usually more than one message in any passage in the Bible, I think that the main point in this particular passage often goes unseen.

Jesus teaches us to look at ourselves. One of the first steps to becoming a Christian and accepting Jesus Christ, is to first look inside yourself to know who you are. This requires a deep contemplation and is not always easy. We are often confronted with many demons, internal and external. But it is an important step and one that we must consider, as we will never move forward if we cannot acknowledge who we are now.

So I ask you to look again at this passage and ask yourself why you are trying to fix the problems of those around you. Why are you criticising those around you? Why do you judge those around you? Why is it so important for you to fix the errors your friends and loved ones are making?

It seems to be inherent in human nature that we fail to see our own errors. Let us break free from our human nature and instead, let us look honestly at who we are now so that we can leave it behind and seek out our true nature; our spiritual nature.

There are many encouraging passages in the Bible, talking of God’s love and redemption, but the path to redemption involves what can sometimes be very challenging and disturbing introspection. But our Father would not want us to go through any struggle if he didn’t know that the reward at the end would be far greater than any of the suffering we may have endured along the way.

And finally:

“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.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

By Sara Atteby

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