Matthew 7:1-5 NRSVue

¹“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. ³Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

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Reflection on Matthew 7:1-5

Inspiration from 2026-06-22 Daily Prayer

The message is clear enough. Do not judge, so that you yourself might not be judged. In most cases, we simply don’t have enough knowledge of the other to know exactly how they are coming to their judgement. Because of our own prejudices and flaws, our competence to judge is rather limited. St Ignatius had a wise principle which it might be sensible to follow.  He said, ‘Put the best interpretation on the actions of those you interact with, and you won’t go far wrong.’

Further reflection

Matthew’s list of wisdom sayings: just take the line "Take the log out of your own eye" and concentrate on that. And ask: is this true for me?