Here Comes the Judge! Matthew 7:1-6

 Judging Others

As we move to chapter 7, the last chapter in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches on the issue of "judging".  Remember the main context of this sermon is not only teaching about what God's kingdom looks like lived out on this earth, but it is also a polemic against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Scribes. 

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 

Jesus has already addressed some more personal issues like praying and doing good things for others, and now he teaches on how we related to each other.  The first verse is a summary verse of all that he will be teaching on this subject.  A lot of "non-believers", or Christians who like to rationalize sinful behavior, will use this verse a lot.  The hope is for a universal acceptance of any lifestyle or behavior even it goes against the clear commandments of the bible. But the main concept within the concept is Jesus teaching that your judgment should begin with yourself before it is applied to anyone else. 

2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Any human standard of judgment is erroneous, because we don't really know God's standards, or we use a much higher standard for others than ourselves.  So Jesus says that if you are going to judge, you better use the same standard for your own life.  In our sinful nature, we can also be a lot more judgmental of others than ourselves, and set our measures accordingly.  Our greatest tendency is to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. 

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 

Often the level of hypocrisy in judging others is shown by the disparity of meansurement used.  Not only do we often use another standard for judging others than ourselves,  but often the scale of our judgment is way off.  We find tiny things to pick out in others, while we have major issues in our own lives we overlook. 

This passage of Jesus' teaching is yet another instance where it would be a mistake to take these verses literally. 

"Though there might be a literal speck in one’s eye, there obviously would not be a literal plank or board in an eye. Jesus used these exaggerated, humorous pictures to make His message easier to understand and more memorable. It is a humorous picture: A man with a board in his eye trying to help a friend remove a speck from the friend’s eye. You can’t think of the picture without smiling and being amused by it." Guzik

4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 

Jesus further elucidates why their judgmental attitude is so unthinkable. You can see Jesus is getting more passionate about this as the passage goes on.  

5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Jesus takes the analogy further to say that if you are considering pointing out someone's minor fault, you better have dealt with your own likely major fault.   Someone who is highly judgmental is rarely helpful to someone stuck in a particular sin.  But the person who is humble and knows their own shortcomings, come into the conversation in a completely different way and spirit.  It is not a spirit of judgment, but of mercy.  

Notice Jesus doesn't dismiss the practice of pointing out someone's sin, but he is more interesed in the process of how it is done and the character of the one doing it.

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

"Jesus also spoke in the context of correcting another brother or sister. Godly correction is a pearl (though it may sting for a moment) that must not be cast before swine (those who are determined not to receive it). "(Guzik)

I think the main sense of this is that Jesus is teaching is that when you know sharing the truth of the gospel is going to be met with disdain, mockery and even the threat of abuse. it is better to move on.  It is certainly a matter of discernment, as Jesus wants his gospel to be preached to all nations.  But there were times, when for instance, Paul was met with such resistance that he shook the dust off his feet and went to the next town as a sign of judgment against them.  I believe this is the spirit of what Jesus is teaching here.

Where do you struggle with having a judgmental attitude?  Is it perhaps something in your life that needs equal examination before you move toward judging someone else for the same thing?  Is there any sensse in which Jesus advocates judging another?  When and when not to?