“Do Not Judge by Appearances – A Homily on John 7:24 with Real-Life Meaning”
Praise be to Jesus Christ
There was once a man who walked into a small village chapel, dressed in torn clothes, dusty from head to toe, and looking tired after days on the road. He sat quietly in the last pew, joining the Mass. Some people turned to look. A few whispered. No one greeted him afterward. The next day, the same man returned, but this time, he came clean-shaven and well-dressed, his shoes shining and his shirt neatly tucked in. Everyone smiled at him, shook his hand, and invited him for tea. What changed? Only what they saw outside.
Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “Do not judge by appearances but judge with right judgment.” That one line has the power to change how we live and how we see others.
The people in the Gospel were confused about Jesus. He didn’t look like someone learned. He didn’t speak like the rabbis they knew. He hadn’t studied under the great teachers of Jerusalem. So they said, “How does this man have such learning when he has never studied?” In their eyes, Jesus didn’t fit into the box. But they forgot — truth is not always dressed in titles. God’s wisdom is not written only in scrolls. It lives in the heart of those who listen to the Father.
Let us take a moment to look at our own lives. How often do we treat people based on what they wear, how they speak, or where they come from? We listen more to someone in a suit than someone in slippers. We respect people with degrees and ignore those with experience. Even in the Church, we sometimes give more importance to the loud voices and overlook the quiet, faithful ones who serve without being seen.
But the Gospel challenges us today. It invites us to go deeper — to look at the heart, not the face. To judge not with eyes, but with love. In the Book of Samuel, when the prophet was sent to anoint a new king, he thought the tall and strong sons of Jesse would be the ones. But God said, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” That is how David, a shepherd boy, was chosen.
The saints lived this truth. One of them walked through cities in rags, another lived in silence, and yet another served lepers with wounded hands. None of them were perfect in the world’s eyes. But their hearts burned with the love of God. They did not speak to please people. They acted from a deep union with the will of the Father.
In the Gospel, Jesus says, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” This reminds us — if we are truly rooted in God, we do not need to show off or pretend. Truth has its own light. It doesn’t need decoration. And when we live truthfully, people will see something different in us — not noise, but depth; not performance, but peace.
In our families, this message also applies. Don’t judge your children or your spouse by the mistakes they made. Don’t carry a label in your heart for others — “He is lazy,” “She is careless,” “They never change.” God is still at work in them. And in you. There may be wounds we hide, stories others don’t know, struggles we carry silently. All the more reason to look with compassion, not conclusion.
If we stop judging by appearances, we will begin to see Christ in those we used to avoid. We will hear God speaking through voices we used to ignore. And slowly, this world will begin to look more like the Kingdom of God — where the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
So today, let us ask the Lord for a heart that sees as He sees, listens as He listens, and loves as He loves.
Lord, give me eyes to see beyond the surface and a heart to love beyond the labels.
