E5 | Did Jesus Teach That We Shouldn’t Judge Others? (Matthew 7:1-6)

"Judge not, lest you be judged." It's one of Jesus's most quoted teachings—and most misquoted. Many believe Jesus commanded His followers to abandon all judgment. But He didn't. Not even close.

In Matthew 7:1–6, Jesus isn’t forbidding wise judgment. He condemns hypocrisy—the arrogance of criticizing others while ignoring your own failures. His vivid image of a speck and a log isn't about staying silent; it’s about self-awareness before offering correction.

When we approach others, Jesus calls us to three key principles: humility (acknowledge your own flaws first), mercy (judge with the same grace you've received), and discernment (correct lovingly, never with condemnation).

The main point? Jesus didn't say "never judge." He said, "Judge yourself first, then extend grace."

Join Jason, and learn how to honestly judge yourself and others as Jesus intended us to do.

Transcript

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Judge not least you be judged. This popular but often misquoted teaching is thought to mean Jesus told followers to avoid all judgment. But does that reflect his true message? Join me as we examine Matthew 7 to understand what Jesus really taught about judging others. Well, hello my friends. I'm your Bible teacher, Jason Jimenez, and I'm so glad you joined me on this episode of Curious Verses, where confusing passages finally make sense. Today we're going to learn what Jesus actually taught about judgment. Perhaps you've been told by someone in your church not to judge others, least you be judged. It can definitely carry a weight of, well, let's just say judgment to it. And I'd like to start there because the very idea of telling someone what they can or cannot do is itself a form of judgment. So when someone says you shouldn't judge, they are not applying the same standard to themselves. That becomes a kind of hypocritical judgment, which is precisely the issue Jesus is addressing in Matthew 7. Judgment in some sense is a basic part of living. We do it all the time. Every decision requires evaluation. The culture we live in often promotes what it calls tolerance. While that sounds affirming and even virtuous, it often means something different in practice. Tolerance today can function less like patience with others and more like enforcing a social order that says you must accept and affirm my choices, my lifestyle, even my sexuality. And if you do not, you may quickly be labeled a religious bigot, homophobic, or whatever category someone thinks you belong in. Because of this tension, we need to slow down and look closely at the context of what Jesus is actually teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew chapter seven. So let's read Matthew seven, one through six together and see what truth Jesus is giving in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, 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. Why do you seek 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 a log in your own eye? You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will seek clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, least they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. So the virtues that Jesus consistently embodied and called his followers to practice were humility, compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. So when it comes to speaking truth or correcting someone who is in the wrong, the issue is not whether correction should happen. The issue is how it happens in what spirit motivates it. If you look at what we just read, nowhere in this passage or in any of Jesus' teachings about judgment does he say that people should never make judgments about others. That would be impossible. What he addresses is a particular kind of judgment. It comes down to self-righteous judgment. We are not to treat people like projects or tear them down by highlighting their flaws while ignoring our own. To understand this better, it helps to look at the word Jesus uses. The Greek word translated judge is krino, and it appears in several different situations in the New Testament. In Luke chapter 7, after Jesus tells a parable about a money lender who cancels both small and large debts, he asks Simon which debtor would love the money lender more. Simon replies, the one whose larger debt he canceled. Jesus responds, You have judged rightly. In that moment, Simon's judgment simply means he evaluated the situation correctly. But Crano can also refer to rendering a verdict or condemning someone. In John 7.51, Jesus asks the religious leaders, Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? In John 5.22, he says the Father has given all judgment to the Son. And in Matthew 19, 28, the word is used of the twelve disciples sitting in judgment in the future. Lexically, the word carries several related senses to make a judgment about someone, to pass a negative judgment, or to condemn someone, or to decide a case or render a verdict. In Matthew 7, the context that we're discussing in this episode, the verb appears as a present active imperative with a negative. Grammatically, that often carries the idea of stopping an ongoing action. In other words, it's like saying this do not continue judging harshly or stop making condemning judgments on others. So when examining Matthew 7, the use of crano aligns more closely with the sense of condemning someone as guilty before God. Jesus is warning his disciples not to assume the role of ultimate judge over others. Interestingly, Jesus himself says in John 7 24, do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. That's precisely what Jesus is pointing out here in Matthew 7, 1 through 6. That alone shows he is not forbidding discernment. He is correcting the spirit in the posture behind judgment. Dr. Craig Keener in the IVP Bible Background Commentary explains that Jesus' teaching reflects a common Jewish principle. God judges people according to the standards they apply to others. In that sense, Jesus is targeting condemnation rather than proper moral discernment. Carson similarly notes that Jesus is addressing the attitude of assuming the position of final judge over others with a harsh, condemning, critical spirit. Once we understand that, Jesus' words begin to make more sense. The key is remembering that Jesus is the ultimate judge and arbiter. When you recognize that your life is in his hands and that you live before him, your judgment of others begins to look very different. Even then, some people will not receive your judgment, no matter how constructive or well intentioned it is, but the fact that someone rejects correction does not automatically mean the judgment itself was wrong. At the same time, delivery matters. Imagine judging a friend who is mistreating coworkers and telling lies to cover up laziness. You might be correct in your assessment, but was it delivered in the right spirit? Judgment that is not motivated by love often comes across as legalistic, sterile, or simply rude. It can offend the very person you are trying to help. When correction becomes an attack rather than act of care, it moves from maturity into immaturity and can cause deep hurt in someone's life. This is exactly why Jesus begins the passage the way he does. Judge not that you be not judged. Luke's parallel in Luke 6 37 reads, Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Judgment in this sense means condemning a person as guilty. The Pharisees believed they had the authority to judge anyone at any time. They condemned and criticized openly and freely in a very public and harsh way. Jesus challenges that mindset. His point is that we are not to walk around assuming we are morally superior to everyone else and judging them according to our own imagined righteousness. In fact, there was an ancient Jewish passage, Surich chapter 18, verse 20, which reads this before judgment comes, examine yourself, and at the time of scrutiny you will find forgiveness. This principle aligns perfectly with what Jesus teaches. Self-examination must come before we presume to correct others. That does not mean judgment disappears. As mentioned earlier, Jesus also said, Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. James echoes the same warning in James chapter four, verses eleven and twelve. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. There's only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? Scripture repeatedly calls us to love our neighbor, not slander them. When someone judges others in order to tear them down or elevate themselves, it becomes contempt not only toward the person, but also toward their maker, toward God Himself. Jesus continues in Matthew 7, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. The word pronounce conveys the idea of charging someone with liability or condemning them. The degree to which you judge others will become the measure used against you. If you judge harshly, for example, harsh judgment will fall on you, not necessarily from people, but from God. In the phrase, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. This goes deeper than simple human reciprocity. It is not merely that what you do to others they will do to you. Rather, God Himself judges according to the measure of mercy, forgiveness, and love that you extend. Mercy leads to mercy. Condemnation leads to condemnation, and forgiveness, that's right, leads to forgiveness. This kingdom principle appears throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught his followers to ask forgiveness while also forgiving others. Those who have received God's mercy should naturally extend mercy to others. When a person develops a consistent pattern of harsh, absolute judgment, it may reveal a heart that has begun to take God's role as judge in pride, it may suggest that they have not truly grasped God's mercy. Jesus illustrates this with one of his most vivid images. 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? The speck is something tiny, like a small splinter or dried fragment of wood. Jesus intentionally chooses the eye to make the illustration vivid because the eye is extremely sensitive. Even a tiny splinter can cause irritation and it has to be removed. But Jesus contrasts that speck with a log. The word refers to a large beam or joist used to support a house. His point is sharp and almost humorous. Someone is trying to remove a tiny splinter from another person's eye while walking around with a massive beam sticking out of their own. In other words, we are often quick to condemn a relatively small failure in someone else's life when ignoring the patterns of sin in our own. The Pharisees were a perfect example of this mindset. Jesus highlights it in Luke chapter 18, nine through fourteen, when he tells a story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee congratulates himself before God while despising the other man. Jesus had already taught something similar in Matthew chapter six, twenty two through twenty three, where he said the eye is a lamp of the body. If the eye is healthy, the whole body is full of light, but if the eye is unhealthy, the body is full of darkness. A self-righteous, condemning attitude toward others often reveals a deeper spiritual blindness within. This is what Jesus is pointing out. Jesus points this out even further in his scenario by using the phrase, let me take the speck out of your eye. Notice what he is doing here. The person that Jesus is pointing out is trying to help you with your condition while easily ignoring their own when their sins are far greater, but they won't admit it. Jesus responds bluntly, 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. The order is important here, my friends. First, notice, do not be a hypocrite. Second, deal openly and honestly with your own sin. Thirdly, remove anything that is distorting your spiritual vision. Then you will see clearly enough to help your brothers honestly. If you notice, Jesus does not say to ignore the speck forever. The goal is restoration. Once a person has humbly confronted their own sin, they can help another person with gentleness and clarity. So the passage does not eliminate judgment. It purifies it. It moves judgment from condemnation to humble restoration. And isn't that what we're seeking in our relationships with others? After addressing hypocrisy and judgment, Jesus shifts to another form of discernment. In verse six, Jesus concludes this portion on judgment by saying this, do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs. Dogs in the ancient world were not household pets like they are today. They were scavengers that fed on whatever they could find. The point is simple. You would not take the food meant for your family and toss it to wild dogs. Jesus uses pearls as another picture of something precious. Throwing pearls to pigs would be pointless because pigs couldn't recognize their value. They would simply trample them. The point is that discernment is still required when it comes to judging. There are times when people are not receptive to truth, and they respond with hostility rather than humility. Jesus warns that if you give sacred things to those determined to reject them, they may trample what is holy and even turn to attack you. Two examples illustrate this kind of discernment. Jesus remained silent before Herod in Luke chapter twenty three, verse nine. He knew the moment was not one where words would be received. In Acts chapter thirteen, verses forty four through forty nine. Paul eventually stopped arguing with the crowd that persistently rejected the message and turned his attention elsewhere. Discernment about people, their motives, and certain situations you find yourself in is very necessary. That's the key here. When we judge people, we need to use the proper discernment and to do it rightly without condemning the person by not exposing our own sin. The Believer's Bible commentary highlights several examples throughout the New Testament in which Christians are called to exercise proper judgment and discernment. When disputes arise among believers, they should be settled within the church before wise members who can judge the matter. This is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 1 through 8. The local church is responsible for judging serious sin among its members and taking appropriate action. Matthew 18, verse 17, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 9 through 13. Believers must evaluate the teaching of preachers and teachers according to the Word of God. Matthew chapter 7, verses 15 through 20, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 29, and 1 John 4, verse 1. Christians must discern whether someone shares the faith in order to obey Paul's instructions in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14. The church must also judge which men meet the qualifications to serve as elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, 1 through 13. And believers are called to discern how to care for people who are unruly, faint hearted, or weak, responding to each according to biblical instruction. That is found in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 14. Taken together, these passages make it clear that Jesus did not forbid judgment. He redefined it. Judgment in the kingdom of God is not about condemning people from a position of superiority. It is about discernment shaped by humility, mercy, and truth. It begins with examining our own hearts, and only then, my friends, we can help others with the kind of grace and mercy that we ourselves have received from God. Well, my friends, I hope this episode has been helpful and maybe even encouraging as you wrestle with one of the Bible's most misquoted verses about judgment. Next time on Curious Verses, I will be addressing one of the most disturbing and unsettling passages in the Bible when Lot in Genesis 19 willingly offers his virgin daughters to a wicked mob seeking to violate his guests sexually. How could Abraham's nephew do such a thing? We will get into that in our next episode to make sure you don't miss it. Thanks so much for listening, my friends. If this episode has helped you, please share it on social media and leave me a review so that together we can reach more Christians and help them make sense of confusing Bible passages. See you next time on Curious Verses, where confusing passages finally make sense.