Do Not Judge

Matthew 7: 1-5

Introduction

One of the most famous statements in all of the Bible is, “Judge not lest You Be Judged”. Somebody has said there’s no sentence in the Bible that is more familiar, yet more misunderstood and more misapplied than this verse. Interesting, so what does that statement mean? Does it mean that all judgment is wrong? Some have taken it that way, why is it so misunderstood and how is it misapplied, those are some of the questions that I would like for us to grapple with today.  We’ve come to Matthew Chapter 7 there is a lot of familiar stuff in this passage, and it all begins with

“Judge not, that you be not judged”.

(Matthew 7: 1)

So, I’ll first want us to look at that part of the passage because on the face of it he seems to in essence to say that you should judge people. So, we’re going to look at that aspect of the passage but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up and just look at the fact that Jesus says judge not lest you be judged and understand the context in which he said it. 

Do Not Judge.

The first point he’s making in this section is we should not judge, but what does that mean, does that mean all judging is wrong, is it wrong to judge a talent competition or how student perform against each other. Is it sinful to evaluate a job application or a job interview for someone to be employed? There are some that have concluded that is what it means. Leo Tolstoy, no less, believed that if we followed this teaching then we should get rid of all law courts. According to him judges and juries should not judge what is right and wrong from a legal perspective.  Some have taken this to the absolute ultimate extreme and said this statement means no judging of any kind, whatsoever. Is that what it means? Well, I think most right-minded people would say obviously not. You can only read this passage this way if you take this passage in isolation without considering anything that is said elsewhere in the Bible. A basic scan of the rest of the Bible would quickly reveal that even Jesus in the rest of this passage says that there are things you should judge. As a matter of fact, towards the end of this chapter he commands us to judge false prophets for example. Beyond this passage elsewhere in the scripture we are clearly told that believers are to judge. In First Corinthians chapter 6 the apostle Paul argues that Saints are capable of judging when there is a dispute between two believers and he says in the process we’re going to be called to judge the world and we’re going to even judge angels.

So how on the one hand can Jesus say do not judge, and elsewhere say, including this passage, we should judge. What does he mean when he says judge not. Bible experts who have looked at this passage in some detail say that it means that you should not practice what some call false judgment, or a have a habit of criticism or nagging fault finding, in other words having a condemnatory attitude. Hypocritical judgment or judging the motives of other, or playing God and all of those are phrases that people have used to try to get at what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7 one.

I think this much is very clear, there is in this passage and in other passages as well, such a thing as a false judgment and a true judgment. Just take this Sermon on the Mount as an example, Jesus here is talking about an inner righteousness, a righteousness of motive. One insightful preacher has suggested that this is all placed within the context of the Sermon on the Mount. In chapter six he taught us the Lord’s prayer and how you should forgive other people.  In that sense there may be a contrast here that instead of a forgiving attitude you have a judging attitude that instead you have a critical condemning attitude toward other people, so the conclusion is that judging here is acting with a spirit of condemnation toward other people. You may have a spirit of harsh criticism a spirit that puts people down. Simply put, when Jesus says, judge not he’s talking about constantly finding faults in other people.

Do you know anybody like that, are you inclined to be like that sometimes? They say everybody knows some people like that and you just see them coming you just know there’s going to be some critical comment coming, they’re going to find fault with someone or something. As a matter of fact, I would suggest to you that we are all inclined to find fault in other people. Sometimes just by using a back handed compliment to be passively aggressive towards someone. We are often inclined jump to conclusions about people, we questioned motives, we express opinions that are not based on facts, we make hasty and harsh judgments, we simply have a critical attitude.

I heard of a story of a lady who got upset with her new neighbor because she inadvertently found out that that neighbor was having a party on the Saturday night, and she had not been invited. So, she went around all day stewing it over. How could she, thought, after all that I’ve done for her. I was the one who welcomed her to the neighborhood and introduced her to everyone else. She rehearsed all day long in her mind all those kind things she had done for that neighbour and now that neighbour had snubbed her. How could she do such a thing? She came to the conclusion that she was thoughtless and ungrateful, and she would not have anything more to do with her. She had invited the neighborhood but not invited her. One Friday evening her husband got home, and as he came in he picked a card up off the mat and said, wow our neighbor is having a party tomorrow night in our honor and to celebrate our anniversary. It turns out the neighbor had told all the other neighbors first because she had wanted it to be a surprise.  

We jump to conclusions; we question people’s motives we make harsh and even sometimes cruel judgments without getting all the facts. That is what I believe Jesus is primarily talking about here when he says judge not.

Look at the next step, “Judge not, lest you be judged”.

Some that try to explain this message struggle with exactly who’s going to judge you. Some have suggested that this means if you judge people, they’re going to judge you right back. Now at a level that may be true, that may indeed be the repercussion of such thinking very often. But I believe he is primarily saying that if you judge other people, God is going to judge you to a similar standard. Matter of fact look at the next verse Jesus says.

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

(Matthew 7: 3)

The little expression “the measure you use”. I think he’s saying that you should not judge because the way you judge others is the way God might choose to judge you. That’s scary isn’t it, I think that’s the explanation of this passage implied here but it is it is explicitly taught in another passage of scripture in the book of James. In James chapter 2, James is talking about judging people by their outward appearance or judging people because one is wealthy, and one is poor or at least one appears to be wealthy and the other appears to be poor. He goes on and on and on about how we should not do that. Rather we should show mercy instead, look at what he says at the end of that discussion verse 12 James says 

12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

(James 2: 12-13)

Notice what he says for judgment is without mercy so the one who shown no mercy should be judges the same way, but then adding that because of the gospel mercy triumphs over judgment. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we’re going to be judged by the law of love, if we live the loving life then God will be merciful toward us in that judgement.

However, if we have not lived a loving and merciful life well, we’ll outside of Gods mercy we too would be judged. In short, always remember the position of grace we sit under remembering to judge not lets we be judged. It’s the last phrase in this passage is verse 13, where it says that mercy triumphs over judgment that seals the matter for us. If you’ve lived a life of grace mercy and love that trump’s the judgment of God. 

OK let me pause here for a moment, the principle is you’re going to be judged the way you judge. But how then he adds, the same measure with which you measure going to come back to you. I think this is primarily God judging us at the judgment seat of Christ. However I’m going to illustrate the real world application of this by using something that happens in real life.

In bygone days the pastor of the Moody church in Chicago told the story of a man, a Elder in the church called Porter. This man was sailing across the Atlantic on an ocean liner. When Porter got on board he went to his cabin to meet and greet the stranger the other passenger who was to share the cabin with him.  After meeting him he went to the Purser’s desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and his other valuables in the ship safe, explaining that he didn’t ordinarily do that but had met the man that was to occupy the same cabin with him and judging from his appearance he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The Purser took his valuables and remarked, that’s fine Mr Porter, in fact the other man has been up here, and he left his valuables for the same reason.  Judge not because the judgment you use will be the same that will be used against you.

So, the first point Jesus makes in this passage is that we are to not judge other people meaning that finding fault without evidence is wrong and will sometimes come back to bite us. There is a legitimate place for judging, But First Corinthians chapter six tells us you got to make sure you have all the facts, and you have the authority, the right to judge and only if it’s your place to do it then you can use the objective standard of the Word of God to judge that situation. But again you are only to judge the situations or the actions and how the level up against the word of God, not the individual themselves, only God can judge the person. But what Jesus is primarily talking about here is judging others, fault finding and criticism as the sort of thing we should not do.

Judging Yourself. Verse 3

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? .  5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

(Matthew 7: 3-5)

The second point Jesus makes in this passage is we ought to begin by judging yourself, we ought to judge ourselves first. Now he is obviously using hyperbole here but it’s vivid and it’s a deliberate exaggeration. What he’s talking about is very real and he does it by using hyperbole to highlight it and ask two questions. Look at verse three again, why do you look at the spec in your brother’s eye second question verse four and how can you say to your brother, why do you do this and how can you do this. 

The point of these two verses is you want to begin judging, judge your own conduct. Notice he says your brother's not your fellow man. It seems this example is one of two believers who are judging each other. In other words, this is the kind of stuff that goes on in churches all the time. This isn’t primarily addressing the kind of stuff that goes on in the world, though it goes on there too. It’s the kind of stuff that goes on in probably every church that’s ever existed. It’s more of an issue in some churches than others but it’s happens all the time. 

The word speck for example could be translated twig it was a piece of straw or wood, sometimes called a splinter or a speck of dust. It’s being used of something that’s minute and contrast to the word plank which means a beam of timber.The point is that we are often guilty of the very thing we condemn in others, only we often have got more of it than they do, and yet we still judge them. 

This is a true story there was a well-known businessman who made everyone give an account of every penny they took out of the petty cash and later he was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the company. It seems to me is that we’re guilty of the same sort of thing when thing we condemn other people, yet we excuse ourselves.

 Someone has written have you ever noticed that when the other fellow acts irritable he’s nasty and when you do it you are just tired. When others are set in their ways, they’re obstinate and when you do it it’s just being firm. When your neighbor doesn’t like your friend, he’s prejudiced and when you don’t like his you’re simply showing that you are a good judge of human nature. When the other fella takes time to do something, he’s slow or lazy, and when you do the same you are deliberate and careful. When the man next door doesn’t buy a round, he is a spin thrift and when you do it you are careful with your money. When somebody finds flaws in the things, he’s over-critical and when you do it you are discerning. When a brother in Christ is mild mannered you consider him weak and when you exhibit the same characteristics you say you’re just being gracious. We not only judge other people, we accuse them and then excuse the same thing in our own life. You offer to help someone remove the speck in their eye when you have a piece of 2 by 4 in yours 

The passage now gets to and interesting point, this is sort of the transition into the next point he's going to make. But I want to pause here and well come back to that next time.