Be careful: the measure you use for others is the measure used for you!

Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus said: “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use will be the measure used to you. 3 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? 4 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? 5 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.

Food for thought!

Let's pay attention to the words of Jesus: the measure you use on others is the measure that will be used on you! Jesus is saying in other words that the way we treat others is the way we are treated; that the amount (of love, of hate, etc) we use for others is the same amount (of love, of hate, etc) that is used for us; that the bias we hold for others is the bias we suffer ourselves.

If we are rough with others, we must expect roughness ourselves; if we are good, kind and loving to others, God will be good, kind and loving towards us. For that reason, Jesus advices us, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce on other is the same judgement that is pronounced on us. 

Whether we admit it or not, we all engage in judging from time to time.  Some people have even made it their lifestyle to judge others by their standards. The word “judge” means “to criticize, condemn, judge, censor.” It is a fault-finding attitude; it is being picky; it is the habit of carping criticism; it is a mean, critical spirit that sees only the bad in others. 

Jesus is talking about looking at people and judge their motives based on what we see in their lives. The idea here is that the judge presumes to know the condition of another person’s heart.  He sets himself up as judge and jury and proclaims the guilt and innocence of all those around him.  This is the attitude that Jesus condemns because only God knows all the facts about us all.

Don’t criticize because you don’t know all the facts surrounding the other person's action. I read about an owner of a manufacturing plant who decided to make a surprise tour of the shop. Walking through the warehouse he noticed a young man just lazily leaning up against some packing crates with his hands in his pocket doing nothing.  The boss walked up to him and angrily said, “Just how much are you paid a week?”  Well, the young man’s eyes got rather big, and he said, “Three hundred bucks.” 

The boss pulled out his wallet, pealed off three one hundred bills, gave it to him, and said, “Here’s a week’s pay.  Now get out of here and don’t ever come back!” Well, without a word the young man stuffed the money into his pocket and took off.  The warehouse manager was standing nearby staring in amazement.  The boss walked over to him and said, “Tell me, how long has that guy been working for us?” The manager said, “He didn’t work here, he was just delivering a package.

Another one. There was a lady in an airport who bought a book to read and a package of cookies to eat while she waited for her plane.  Well, after she had taken her seat in the terminal and began to read this book, she noticed that the man sitting one seat away from her was fumbling to open up the package of cookies on the seat between them.  Well, she could hardly believe her eyes that a stranger would just open her bag of cookies and eat them.  He took one and ate it.  She was so hot and steamed.  She reached into the bag and took one and ate it.  Well, the man didn’t say anything.  He just reached over and took another cookie.  This woman thought to herself that she wasn’t going to let him eat all of her cookies, so she took another cookie.  When they finally got down to one cookie, the man reached into the bottom of the bag, broke the cookie in half, ate it, glared at the woman, got up and left.  This lady couldn’t believe this man’s nerve.  She was thinking to herself how fresh and arrogant he was.  Soon the announcement came to board the plane. This lady got on the plane, still hot and bothered at the audacity of this man, sat down, buckled her seat belt, reached into her purse for a tissue, and there was her bag of cookies. She got mad at the man for nothing; she was wrong and the man right.

I think you got the point. Have a nice week!

Luke 6:37

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven...!