Many of us have felt judged. At church, at work, in our own family. It hurts, and it can leave us feeling alone and ashamed. And if we are honest, we have all judged someone else too. It comes easily.
Jesus talked about it on a hillside, to a big crowd, and he used a picture that must have made them smile.
Judge not
Jesus was teaching the crowd about how to live. He had just told them not to worry, and to trust God with tomorrow. Then he turned to how they treated each other.
He said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." He explained that the way you measure other people is the way you will be measured.
The speck and the beam
Then he gave them a picture. Many of the people listening worked with their hands, and some knew carpentry, the work Jesus had learned growing up. They knew what a beam was: a heavy piece of wood that holds up a roof.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Matthew 7:3 · King James VersionThe original Greek
τί δὲ βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, τὴν δὲ ἐν τῷ σῷ ὀφθαλμῷ δοκὸν οὐ κατανοεῖς;
Found in Codex Vaticanus (about AD 325), Codex Sinaiticus (about AD 350).
A mote is a tiny speck of dust. It is a picture of a man leaning in close to help his friend get a speck out of his eye, while a huge wooden beam sticks out of his own face. The crowd would have laughed. It is a silly picture.
But it is true. We see the small things in other people so clearly. We miss the big things in ourselves.
What it means for us
Jesus was not saying that nothing is ever wrong. He said take the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to help your friend.
That is the order. Help, not condemn. Look at yourself first, and then be gentle.
If you have been judged by Christians, we are sorry. That is not what Jesus taught. And if you have caught yourself judging, you are in good company. All of us are carrying a beam or two. The good news is that the same God who sees it is kind about it.