Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

(John 7:24)

A college art student once asked his friend Peter to model for a portrait assignment. After hours of careful work, he submitted the painting, only to receive a grade of C-minus.

Devastated, he confronted his professor. “What’s wrong with it?”  The professor critiqued the proportions. “The head is too big. The shoulders are too wide.  And those feet — way too enormous.”

The next day, the student returned — not with a new painting, but with Peter himself. 

The professor took one look at Peter and said, “Okay, I’ll change your grade to an A-minus.”

How often do we do the same thing?  We see something — or someone — and immediately form conclusions based on incomplete information.

Jesus warned about this in John 7:24: “Do not judge by appearances.”  At the time, people were judging him based on shallow impressions — they couldn’t see past his humble background to recognize the truth of who he was.  

We live in a world that encourages snap judgments based on looks, resumés, social media profiles, or one awkward interaction.  But Jesus calls us to a different standard.  “Right judgment” means slowing down, listening more, and remembering that every person has a story we can’t see on the surface.

This kind of seeing requires something our fast-paced world rarely offers: time. Time to listen, to learn. Time to look beyond the obvious and learn about the human being standing before us.

Consider the people in your life who initially rubbed you the wrong way but later became dear friends.  Remember those times when you felt completely misunderstood — and how healing it was when someone finally saw you clearly.

“Right judgment” is about grace. It refuses to reduce people to their worst moments. It recognizes the possibility that there may be more to their story.

Maybe there’s someone in your life who needs a second look. Or maybe you have been judged unfairly.  Either way, this story reminds us: appearances rarely tell the whole story.  God sees clearly — and he invites us to see others through eyes of grace.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for those times when I’ve judged others by mere appearances. Help me to slow down enough to truly see the people I meet and give me a heart of grace. Transform my quick judgments into patient understanding.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day