By Dave Eden, Eden Political Cartoons
In Matthew chapter 7, verses 1 through 5, Jesus emphasized the necessity of self-reflection and humility before passing judgment on others. Contrary to what many think, Jesus was not prohibiting judging others. Without the ability to make moral judgments about people, there would be no way to discern between Joseph Stalin and Mother Teresa. Jesus was actually addressing our proclivity for applying a certain standard to others that we don’t apply to ourselves. It’s impossible to safely navigate life without being able to make moral judgments about people, but when we do, we must judge ourselves by the same moral mandates. Christ’s teaching about judging others was meant to underscore the principle of fairness and integrity in evaluating others. The pot shouldn’t be speaking negatively about the kettle being black, if it’s black, too.
-Rev. Mark Creech
