Episode 268: Who Made Me the Judge?
From Write this Down! with Dot Bowen by Dot Bowen
May 6, 2026 · 27 min
About this episode
Dot and Cara discuss the meaning of Matthew 7:1-5, exploring the difference between judging actions and hearts, and the importance of humility.
It is so much easier to spot what someone else is doing wrong than to take a hard look in the mirror. In this episode, Dot and Cara work through one of the most quoted and most misunderstood passages in all of Scripture, Matthew 7:1-5, and push past the casual “judge not” bumper sticker to find what Jesus was really getting at. They talk about the difference between judging someone’s actions and pronouncing judgment on their heart, why humility is the only lens that makes us useful to the people we love, and what it looks like to go to God first before you go to anyone else. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us. Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know ! Episode Recap Intro (00:00) Write this down: Matthew 7:1-5, the speck and the log (00:00) What Jesus is really saying here — it is not that the speck does not exist, but that you cannot help someone if your own vision is clouded (01:24) “If I can see it, I can do it” — Dot on why the thing you notice most in others is often something worth examining in yourself (01:49) Cara asks for a real-life example, and they land on parenting judgment vs…
People in this episode
Host: Dot Bowen
Guest: Cara
Topics covered
- judgment
- humility
- self-reflection
- Christian teachings
- Scripture interpretation
- parenting
- religious confidence
Keywords
- judgment
- humility
- Matthew 7:1-5
- self-examination
- Christianity
- parenting
- Pharisees
- Scripture
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Matthew 7:1-5
More episodes of Write this Down! with Dot Bowen
- Episode 273: We Don't Heal Our Hearts. God Does. · June 10, 2026 · 30 min
- Episode 272: When Someone Means Well But Tells You Wrong · June 3, 2026 · 32 min
- Episode 271: Living in the Present: Anxiety, Control, and God’s Daily Grace · May 27, 2026 · 29 min
- Episode 270: Letting Go of the Life I Planned · May 20, 2026 · 36 min
- Episode 269: You Don’t Build a House in a Storm · May 13, 2026 · 27 min
- Episode 267: Ask, Knock, and Trust the One Who Answers · April 29, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Write this Down! with Dot Bowen podcast page.