January 14, 2024
OF MOTES AND BEAMS

The Spoken Word, January 14, 2023
By: Lloyd D. Newell

In a court of law, a judge is someone who has been chosen or appointed to pass judgment, based on their qualifications and wisdom. In the court of everyday life, we often decide to become self-appointed judges, even if we aren’t qualified or wise. That may be all right when it comes to personal decisions about what to do and how to live. But it becomes a problem when we start judging other people.

The problem is that we don’t see clearly. Jesus Christ asked this penetrating question: “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3–5).

God is the only perfect judge, the only one who sees both motes and beams. Only He knows each person’s background, intents, actions, and heart. As for the rest of us, if we really want to help others with something as small and superficial as a mote or speck of dust, the best place to start is by removing the beam—the long, thick lumber—blocking our own vision. Unless we get that order right, we do more harm than good. Religious leader Marvin J. Ashton wisely said, “Peace can only come as we resist the damaging pastime of passing judgment.”¹

That peace comes both in this life and the next, for the Lord also said, “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). In other words, the measuring stick we use to judge others will someday be used to measure us. When that day comes, knowing that we haven’t fully measured up, we will all surely hope for mercy. So it’s helpful if mercy hasn’t been a total stranger to us.

In the meantime, we would do well to withhold judgment. And when we have to judge, since limited vision keeps us from judging fairly, we can at least judge mercifully.


References
1. Marvin J. Ashton, “Straightway,” Ensign, May 1983, 32.