Judge Not becomes much easier to understand when we see how quickly people demand standards from others that they are unwilling to follow themselves.

Imagine a father correcting his teenage son for looking at a phone during dinner. The son puts his phone away. A minute later, the father’s phone lights up, and he begins answering a message while someone else is speaking.

The father’s rule was reasonable. People should give one another their attention. The problem was that he demanded a behavior he was not practicing.

That everyday moment captures the lesson Jesus taught with the speck and the plank.

Jesus was not saying we should become blind to harmful choices. He was showing us that pride and hypocrisy distort our vision. We may identify a real problem and still address it in a harmful way because we have refused to examine ourselves.

Self-examination does not remove authority. It makes authority more credible.

The father could put down his phone and say, “I just did the same thing I corrected you for. This rule needs to apply to both of us.” He has not surrendered the standard. He has demonstrated the humility required to teach it honestly.

The same truth applies at home, at work, in leadership, in friendship, and online. Before criticizing someone for not listening, ask whether you have listened. Before demanding honesty, examine what you have hidden. Before correcting pride, make sure your correction is not being driven by your own pride.

Jesus did not require us to become flawless before helping another person. He required us to stop pretending that correction is only something other people need.

The central message is clear: recognize what is wrong, begin with your own heart, and then speak with enough humility to help rather than condemn.

Your friend,
Douglas Vandergraph

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