Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Matthew 7:1 and 2
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The measure you use
This may be the best-known line from the Sermon on the Mount, even among people who otherwise have little to do with the Bible. It is often used to cut short any conversation about right and wrong. But Jesus is getting at something else here: the measure you use.
The image probably comes from the market, where grain was sold by the measure. Judge harshly, and you have chosen the measure that will be used on you. Measure with mercy, and mercy comes back to you.
Question for today
What measure do I use for the people around me?
Prayer
Lord, I often measure others more strictly than I measure myself. Give me a fair and merciful measure: the measure I would want to be measured by. Amen.
One of the 325 words of Jesus on this site, from the temple to Revelation. See all the words in order →