We should never make harsh or cruel judgements of our neighbors.
Unlike you and me, Jesus is able to clearly see all facets of a situation.… Even knowing our weaknesses as He does Christ doesn’t judge us harshly.
One of the most striking principles taught by the Savior during His earthly ministry was treating others with compassion.
The Gospel of Luke relates that a certain woman, considered a sinner, entered {Simon the Pharisee’s} home while Jesus was there. In humble contrition, the woman approached Jesus, washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and then kissed and anointed them with a special ointment. The proud host, who considered himself morally superior to the woman, thought to himself with reproach and arrogance, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.”
The Pharisee’s holier-than-thou attitude led him to judge unjustly both Jesus and the woman.
In this case the attitude of the pharisee was as described and such attitudes drive people away from the gospel where all should feel welcome. The reality is that people are often driven away when they feel as if someone thinks like a pharisee toward them even if the supposed pharisee has no intention of being judgemental.
As do many other events during Jesus’s earthly ministry, this account demonstrates once more that the Savior acted compassionately toward all who would come unto Him—without distinction—and most especially toward those who most needed His help.
Simon’s superiority complex, coupled with his hardened heart, prevented him from showing empathy for that repentant soul, and he referred even to the Savior of the world with indifference and contempt.
The key element of the pharisee’s attitude is the divisive and haughty judgement of those around him.
The compassionate and personalized ministering of Jesus in this account demonstrates a perfect model of how we should interact with our neighbor. The scriptures have countless examples of how the Savior, moved by His deep and abiding compassion, interacted with people of His day and helped those who were suffering and those who had “fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” He extended His merciful hand to those who needed relief from their burdens, both physically and spiritually.
The compassionate attitude of Jesus is rooted in charity, namely, in His pure and perfect love, which is the essence of His atoning sacrifice. Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of those who strive for sanctification, and this divine quality intertwines with other Christian traits such as mourning with those who mourn and having empathy, mercy, and kindness. The expression of compassion for others is, in fact, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a marked evidence of our spiritual and emotional closeness to the Savior. Furthermore, it shows the level of influence He has on our way of life and demonstrates the magnitude of our spirits.
Just like the sinful woman and the widow of Nain, many people within our circle of influence are seeking comfort, attention, inclusion, and any help that we can offer them. We all can be instruments in the Lord’s hands and act compassionately toward those in need, just as Jesus did.
If we are looking to draw closer to Christ then we should be looking to notice and assist those we encounter who need help.
My dear friends, as we intentionally strive to incorporate a compassionate attitude into our way of life, as exemplified by the Savior, we will become more sensitive to people’s needs. With that increased sensitivity, feelings of genuine interest and love will permeate our every action. The Lord will recognize our efforts, and we will surely be blessed with opportunities to be instruments in His hands in softening hearts and in bringing relief to those whose “hands … hang down.”
Jesus’s admonition to Simon the Pharisee also made it clear that we should never make harsh and cruel judgment of our neighbor, because we are all in need of understanding and mercy for our imperfections from our loving Heavenly Father. Wasn’t this exactly what the Savior taught on another occasion when He said, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
We need to consider that it is not easy to understand all the circumstances that contribute to someone’s attitude or reaction. Appearances can be deceptive and oftentimes do not represent an accurate measurement of someone’s behavior. Unlike you and me, Christ is capable of clearly seeing all facets of a given situation. Even knowing all our weaknesses as He does, the Savior does not rashly condemn us but continues to work with us compassionately over time, helping us to remove the beam from our eye. Jesus always looks on the heart and not on the appearance. He Himself declared, “Judge not according to the appearance.”
If Christ is compassionate while He sees perfectly then we should even more extend compassion based on the truth that we don’t see perfectly. We should prefer to err on the side of compassion.
The Lord fixes judgment upon those who take it upon themselves to judge the supposed shortcomings of others unrighteously. In order to qualify ourselves to make righteous judgments, we must strive to become like the Savior and look at the imperfections of individuals compassionately, even through His eyes.
If we make judgements of others we open ourselves up to further scrutiny.
My dear friends, I testify that as we strive to incorporate the Savior’s compassionate example into our lives, our capacity to compliment the virtues of our neighbors will increase and our natural instinct to judge their imperfections will decrease. Our communion with God will grow, and certainly our lives will become sweeter, our feelings more tender, and we will find a never-ending source of happiness. We will be known as peacemakers, whose words are as gentle as the dew of a spring morning.
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