I don’t condemn you, either…

The Lord Jesus admonishes, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For as ye judge, so shall ye be judged: and as ye mete, so shall ye be measured” (Matt. 7:1-2).

It is clear from the text that the Lord Jesus forbids His disciples to judge and condemn. The main reason is that this right to rule belongs to God alone in the kingdom of God. Only God knows the circumstances that led a person to sin and can judge them justly. Furthermore, we know that God is full of mercy and has compassion for sinners, so His judgment will never be harsh. Recall the incident when a woman caught in sin was brought to Him. What did he say to her then? “Has no one condemned you? … Neither do I condemn thee!” (Jn. 8:10-11). But he also added harsh words: “Go and sin no more!” (Jn. 8:11).

We know that we humans love to criticize and, of course, to write off and condemn because of the faults of others. After reading the Gospel, we can see our error, which consists in pronouncing severe punishments upon others and overestimating our strength. He who knows his shortcomings will never condemn and damn his neighbor. The Lord Jesus illustrated this with the speck, the splinter, which is something small and wrong in another, but in himself, he does not see his fragment, he does not want to see it, and he cannot be self-critical.
We can also speak of hypocrisy because the hypocrite has double measurements. He always has an excuse for himself, an excuse, he can justify himself, but when it comes to the other, he is ruthless; he can raise his index finger and take a devastating criticism. This is a terrible way from which the Lord Jesus wants to turn His disciples and us away when He warns and admonishes us, “… and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you also” (Mt 7:2).
Yes, the same measure that man has for another, God will put on the man himself. So if we are strict with others, God will apply the same standard to us. If we do not miss any fault in others, we must realize that God will not forget our slightest mark either.

Such an understanding is helpful to us, even when we realize we are afraid. And rightly so, for we are to fear for ourselves, yet we also have responsibility for others.

This Gospel text wants to help us get off the wrong track when we often use words of criticism and judgment of others in our lives. When this is often accompanied by gossip and slander, we need to give up the path we may have been walking on as soon as possible and instead step onto the way of helping our neighbors to get out of their mistakes.
We don’t want to be condemned and therefore don’t want to blame others because we cannot objectively know the circumstances that lead a neighbor to act that way. On the contrary, let us begin to walk the path of tactfulness and sensitivity towards others. By speaking kindly, acting sensitively, and bearing patiently with others’ faults, we can help them get over them. After all, it is a beautiful feeling when we have helped someone, and they are happy that they have succeeded in something.

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