Guest post by Linda Lowe Apple
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. 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? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matt 7: 1 – 5
Jesus sends a powerful message to his followers both then and now. When I read these verses, I can visualize Jesus pinching his fingers together when he says “speck,” then standing with a grand gesture, holding his arms out, and raising his voice when he says, “plank.” This vivid imagery helped his audience to grasp the problem of judging others.
The word “judge” in the New Testament is “Krinō,” and in this passage, it means “condemn or criticize. Making a negative evaluation.” You might argue that you’re merely pointing out someone else’s sins according to God’s word. I understand—I sometimes fall into that trap too. But is that how Christ approached people?
No.
Consider his interaction with the woman at the well. He chose agapaō—love that values another—and ignored the religious laws against it. He started a conversation, listened without condemning, and allowed it to unfold naturally. He waited until she was ready to hear the truth, all the while building her trust.
Anne Lamott said, “You don’t always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it, too.” However, before I can use my “sword,” I need to check out the planks in my eye. We kinda ignore those. Things like bitterness, unforgiveness, envy, gossip, pride, worry, fear, hate, and prejudice. The list goes on.
Removing planks helps us to see better—to truly see the whole person individually and not as one of the masses, be curious about their life, find connection points, and develop empathy. Then, like Christ, we depend on God to give us direction on how to help—not fix. Instead of building walls, we become bridges to a loving Father.
So, before I pass judgment—especially on social media, where it is easy to hide behind screens—I need to look at the woman in the mirror and take care of my own lumber problem first.
Linda Lowe Apple is an award-winning author. She has authored five children’s books. She is currently working on a ‘how-to’ book on inspirational/memoir pieces. You can find her books on Amazon. For more information, check out her author website at linda@lindaapple.com.