Many would like to jump to conclusions and condemn or judge people. “Why this waste?” Disciples asked the woman who anointed the feet of Lord Jesus with an expensive ointment. (Matthew 26:6-13) From the disciples’ perspective, it was a waste, while from the Lord’s it was precious good work that would be always remembered. The disciples made a rash, harsh, unjust judgment. Like disciples, it is possible for disciples today to make such judgments.
Others are worse: Many have a proud attitude that they are good, and others are the worst. They compare the best aspects of their life with the worst of others, which is unfair.
Speak about faults: It is easy to speak about others’ faults but be silent regarding their own faults. For them, others’ faults are either good for gossip or apt for public discourse. But hide theirs vehemently.
Partial view: A person is judged for just one word or an action or an event, or a behavior. In that, the rest of his/her righteous life is ignored or sidelined.
Hidden motives: A word or an event that could have happened in the normal course of life. Imposing inner motives or hidden motives is not just. Humans can’t know the motives of others, only guess or infer their actions.
Without self-evaluation: It is good to self-evaluate. It is done by placing them in the same circumstance as others who are targets. Lord Jesus taught to remove the logs from own eye, before trying to remove minute specs from others’ eyes. (Luke 6:41-42)
Liable to Self-condemnation: With the standards a person judges others, so will s/he be judged. “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” (Romans 14:22)
Benefit of doubt: In the courts, judges give the benefit of doubt to the accused, when there is no clinching evidence. The reason is that an innocent should not be condemned, without proper evidence. If the judicial system has that intention, how much more a believer should be?
Am I harsh on people?