Judge not, that ye be not judged

What does Jesus Christ say about the sin of judging? This teaching is set down in the Gospel by the apostle Matthew and the apostle Luke.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matt. 7:1–3).

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:37–42).

What can be said of all this? Let us fulfil it and rejoice, for what is easier than forgiveness and mercy? For the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to pray thus:

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt. 6:9–13); (Luke 11:1–5)

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (end of quotation (Matt. 6:9–15))

As we see, Jesus Christ has plainly shown us the simplest and shortest way of salvation.

It remains for us only to say how all this is to be carried out in daily life.

But here a question arises: if we have judged no one and forgiven everything, will this not bring about a growth of crime and the spread of immorality? How can a person be corrected without being judged?

By what marks are we to tell judging from admonishing? These are the questions that often trouble people.

a. When we wish to correct a person, we must love him, must let him feel that his difficulties concern us and that we wish to give him help. The remark must be made in private, so that the person does not feel insulted. At the same time one should not go beyond the bounds of one's authority, so as not to become one who “saves by force”. How then is this difficult obstacle to be resolved?

Those in authority (superiors, teachers, referees, judges, spiritual fathers) may require of those under them an account of the fulfilling of the work entrusted to them, and for an error or a fault may lay on them a fitting penalty. But no one — I repeat, no one — has the right to insult, not merely a man, but even a beast. A referee may, for example, say to a footballer for unfair play: you played badly, — but he has no right to call him a bad footballer. So too in every work one may say: you did this wrongly (it may not be done so), — but you have no right to say: you are a bad worker.

Those under authority (all who have parents, elders in age or in position, spiritual fathers and so on) may require of their superiors the fulfilling of the duties they have taken upon themselves; but their actions may not be discussed, for we do not know the true causes, and judging arises. It is many times better to be considerate and to help a person, whether he be to us elder or younger.

b. Simply forgive people their mistakes and weaknesses. Forgive them, and the Lord will forgive your mistakes also. Perhaps the man who has sinned will perform such a deed as will outweigh all his mistakes — how do you know? So too in the case of a public crime, let the judge try the offender; but let him too not forget the terms of point “b”.

c. Let the scale of your justice be light. Be noble and magnanimous in forgiving and slothful in judging another. Of others speak good, or nothing. Strive to correct a person, but do not insult him.

d. Change your way of thinking. Do not think:

“What a filthy beggar, what does he look like”,

but:

“This man's outward appearance has been damaged.”

In both cases one truth has been spoken, but in the first you judged, and in the second you did not. And what follows will differ too. In the first case loathing is born; in the second, the desire that the state of things be mended.

The same applies to a beast or to a lifeless thing. Do not think:

“What a wrecked car (what a bad cow)”,

but:

“This car has damaged parts” (the cow looks poorly).

If you act so, you will both be spared judging and have more time left for works of grace. And how do you know: perhaps that faulty car or beast is worth its weight in gold to its owner.

e. Change your attitude to events. If something irritates you (any irritation: noise, light, the slow movement of traffic and so on) and you can change nothing, thank the Lord that people are at least doing something and that nothing worse has happened — that is, say to God: “I thank Thee, O Lord, for all things.”

f. If all that has been said above is hard for you, simply love people...