Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12
There seems to be within us all a misinterpretation of the judgement’s of life. All too often, we want those who have done us wrong to be ‘brought to justice’, yet, when it is we who have done the wrong, we want forgiveness or, at a minimum, a more lenient judgement than we would have sought for others.
When we perpetually get to the stage of Matthew 7:12, that is, judging others as we ourselves would like to be judged; showing mercy by letting them off in situations from which we ourselves would like to be let off, and praying for them with the same gusto as we pray for ourselves, we will be getting somewhere with humility.
This verse is not about judgement so much as humility, and humility underpins everything we do with and for Christ, and especially when making judgements.
This verse challenges our christian pride and arrogance. It brings the reality of Christ’s love, the love demanded from us if we are to follow in his footsteps, the love which can forgive and overlook the myriad of things done to us in this long walk of life but still bow our own heads in shame without excuses when we do wrong.
It also shows us that God’s law is a law of love and not brutality, as some proffer; and the prophets were not prophets of doom, but walking verses of scripture trying to dissuade others from making mistakes. God is so good.
Let us today praise God for this simple but deep verse…
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