Read Matthew 7:1-5

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Has anyone ever said to you after you gave them some advice or correction, “Stop judging me?” After all, doesn’t Jesus say, “Don’t judge”? Well, yes, but he offers more than that. He gives three reasons to rethink our instincts to “judge” others.

Firstly if judgement on sin is what we seek – for others – then he says judgement on sin is what we’ll get – for ourselves. This form of “natural justice” simply seeks to identify and punish sin wherever we find it. The inverse of Jesus’ ‘golden rule’ (Luke 6:31) is essentially, “Judge others as you would have them judge you.” Secondly, Jesus reminds us that God’s unique perspective on sin means he is privy to see it within us all. His stark reminder is that God can see more sin in us than we can ever find in someone else. Thirdly, the use of the word “brother” gives us a gentle reminder that we all share the same human predisposition to sin as the men and women we judge. We also share the same loving creator, and, in the case of those who also follow Jesus, have been gifted to us as an eternal family.

So, when we sense the urge to judge someone, Jesus encourages us to pause and reconsider how transparently he sees our interactions with others. He will judge as we judge others. He sees our own sin like no one else does. He invites us to value others as members of his family, not inferiors.

Jesus concludes that he will teach those who grapple with their own sin how to “see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”. This doesn’t mean we take the role of judge in everyone’s lives, but that we humbly offer our experience of identifying and removing sins in our life to others. Rather than being a weapon of judgement upon others, this skill becomes a gift of grace and healing to those around us who seek our help.

Notably, Jesus identifies the sin in question as merely a “speck”, which is likely a subtle nudge from Jesus to question if the sin that originally upset us so much is even worth mentioning at all. In light of Jesus, much of what bothers us can simply be overlooked.

Why not take a moment to reflect upon the following question, “How do I want to be judged?”