The Sermon on the Mount – Judge Not?

This week’s passage: Matthew 7:1-6

Doesn’t the Bible Say We Should Not Judge Others?

Just like the generations before us, we can see things happening which were once seen as immoral in our society that are quickly becoming acceptable. Parents are losing the right to choose how their children are raised, sexual promiscuity, including child pornography, are being extoled as “rights” and there is a push for laws to be removed or softened. Christians and other religious groups are beginning to speak up (as they should), spurring those pushing the agenda to proclaim that there is supposed to be a “separation of church and state” or accusing Christians of going against the Bible by “judging” them or their behavior as wrong.

Without going too far down that rabbit hole (separation of church and state was intended to keep the government out of the churches, not the churches out of the government) let’s focus on what Jesus really meant when He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged”.(Matthew 7:1 ESV)

You can see that, when taken out of context, this verse might conjure up visions of everyone simply going along to get along – being careful not to make anyone around them feel as though their actions are wrong in any way – regardless of the harm those actions may be causing to themselves or to those around them. This was not Jesus’s intent however, as we can see when we read verses 1 and 2 together.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2 ESV)

Jesus is saying that if we judge someone without first examining our own motive, or if we have the same trait within us that we are judging in someone else, then we should expect people to turn the same criticism in our direction. If we are going to call out the moral failings of fellow believers, we should always be sure we are not ignoring that same failure in our own life.

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5 ESV)

Jesus is calling out those who would look down on others piously, condemning the failures of others while extoling their own “righteousness”. If I am one who covets the belongings of others, then who am I to tell another believer that she is sinning against God by stealing? I should first deal with my own covetousness, then I can (and should) lovingly call her out for her actions. If the Holy Spirit has led me to overcome certain sin, I am to use that experience to encourage and support others who are also being led by the Spirit to overcome that sin. If we are not ready to help a brother or sister in Christ to climb out of a desperate situation, then it is best to keep our opinions to ourselves!

Righteous Judgment

Later, when Jesus is accused by the Pharisees of breaking the law because He healed someone on the Sabbath, part of His response is a command to judge with a righteous judgement and not by someone’s outward appearance.

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24)

Judging by “right judgment” means when we judge another, we need to be sure that we are not using our own standards to do so. Our personal standards are based on our worldly experiences and not on God’s moral rules, therefore they fall short of right judgement. We also should remember that outward appearances do not tell the whole story of how a person manages their lifestyle – so until we have a better understanding of where a person is coming from our judgement will likely be incorrect.

When dealing with those who have no relationship with Christ, we can approach our judgment in the same humble manner, understanding that anything they have done, we have likely done the same or worse and we are certainly not more worthy to receive salvation. However, there is a need to apply our judgement to be effective when sharing “what is holy” (the Word of God).

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matthew 7:6 ESV)

Judgment allows us to recognize those who will not be open to the gospel. When we are in prayer, and studying the Word it allows the Holy Spirit to provide guidance and the discernment to see who might be receptive to our sharing of the gospel. When we share with unbelievers, we must not waste what is precious on those that only wish to engage in argument. We judge those we encounter not for condemnation, but for identifying those who are hungering for the gospel.

We must use judgement and observation to recognize false prophets as well. We will get into that in more detail as we move through the rest of chapter 7. As we have discussed before, it is important to live out our faith. Blindly accepting any belief as good will quickly blur the lines between right and wrong. As the world continues to see evil as good and good as evil, we must not fall into the trap of a “tolerance” mindset. Stand up for what is right in the eyes of your Creator!

How can we apply this passage to the growth of our “salt and light”?

• Spend some time considering your testimony about your salvation so you will be ready to share it when given the opportunity.
• Ask God to expose any area of your heart that is not truly humble so that you might judge others the way you wish to be judged.
• Put yourself in the shoes of those you judge – be honest about how you might act in the same situation.

If you see other ways to apply this Word in your life, feel free to share in the comments.