Judging Others

During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about the judging of others and the peril of becoming a hypocrite. He warns against pointing out the flaws of others when we are just as imperfect as they are, if not more so. Jesus says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”(Matthew 7:1) If you see yourself fit to tell others of wrongs that you perceive they hold, then you will be brought to the same standard by which you hold everyone else.

Out of the many lessons that Jesus teaches in his Sermon on the Mount, I favor this one the most. When I see other people, at school and work, they are constantly criticizing their fellows and themselves for not being up to the “norm”. They have developed a tendency for putting themselves into a mindset where they believe it is their duty to point out any perceived flaws that others have. Those people then turn around and become outraged when they see people pointing out their imperfections, failing to comprehend the irony of their situation.

This lesson reveals a flaw inherent in humanity and instead of saying that everyone who judges is corrupt, it merely states that you must better yourself before attempting to better your peers. Do not spend your time judging others who will disregard your opinions anyway. Doing otherwise would be akin to throwing pearls to pigs(Matthew 7:6). Do not waste good things on people who will neglect to appreciate them.