Abba Moses and the Leaking Jug: Why the Monks Forgave a Brother

What the video says

The speaker tells a story from the Desert Fathers about Abba Moses, a respected monk who had been a robber before he met Christ. When the monks of an Egyptian monastery gathered to judge a brother who had made a mistake, they invited Abba Moses to join them. He came carrying an old jug with a hole in it, filled with water, which leaked out behind him on the whole way.

When the monks asked what this meant, he answered that his own sins were running out behind him where he could not see them, yet he had come to judge someone else's mistakes. The monks said nothing and forgave the brother. The speaker reflects that it is easy to see the mistakes of others at work, in the family, or in church, while our own jug is leaking unnoticed, and asks who is hardest for the listener not to judge.

Key moments

1. The monks of an Egyptian monastery gathered to judge a brother who had made a mistake and invited Abba Moses, a respected monk who had been a robber before meeting Christ.
2. Abba Moses carried an old jug with a hole in it, filled with water, and the water leaked out behind him on the way.
3. When asked what this meant, he said: 'My sins are running out behind me and I don't even see them. And today, I came here to judge someone else's mistakes.'
4. Nobody said a word and the monks forgave the brother.
5. The speaker notes it is easy to see everyone else's mistakes, at work, in the family, or in church, while our own jug is leaking and we do not notice.
6. The speaker advises looking behind you first before judging someone and asks who is hardest for you not to judge.