People today still quote John 3:16 and Psalm 23 from the Bible. Matthew 7:1 also ranks in the top 5 of the most quoted and memorized verses in the Bible. Matthew 7:1-5 contains the famous text, “Do not judge.” This passage is, however, also one of the most twisted out of context. In this post, we will try to unpack the meaning of this teaching of Christ.
We will start with the meaning of the word “judge.” In the Greek, this word means to pronounce judgment; give an opinion concerning right or wrong; passing judgment on words and actions of others universally and without cause; or judging unfairly, severely or finding fault in others. It can also mean presiding over to rule and giving judicial decisions or bringing a lawsuit against another person.
Essentially, Jesus is saying that we are not to judge the words and actions of others without cause, severely or unfairly. James 4:11-12, Romans 2:1, 14:10-13, 14:3-4 Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus calls on the church to administer discipline of those who do wrong. Matthew 18:15-17 Paul instructs us to be cautious about wolves who will try to lead the church astray. We are obviously expected to be careful about those with whom we associate, listen to, or allow into leadership in the church. This does require some amount of judgment and discernment. Acts 20:29-31, 1 Corinthians 10:15, 5:12-13, Hebrews 5:14, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, John 7:24
In Luke 8:9-14, Jesus gives a parable which is an application of Matthew 7:1-5. The publican in humility acknowledges his sin and hopes to find acceptance with God on the merits of God’s grace. The Pharisee, on the other hand, attempts to find acceptance by distinguishing himself from the publican. In so doing, the Pharisee pronounces judgment on the publican unfairly and attempts to exonerate himself. The Pharisee’s judgment is unfair because it does not acknowledge the publican’s humility or confession of sin. The Pharisee’s judgment actually implicates himself because he confesses no sin and demonstrates his pride which in itself is sin. In other words, the Pharisee was actually sinning while condemning the publican, but the Pharisee excused his own sin as if it were an embodiment of righteousness.
The Pharisee in Luke 8 is an example of the very sin Jesus warns against in Matthew 7. Likewise, in John 8:3-11, Jesus permits the Pharisee who is without sin to stone the woman caught in adultery. When all is said and done, no one is left to accuse her because they all acknowledge their guilt in having committed sin at one time or another.
This helps us better understand the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5. Primarily, He is cautioning against issuing judgment when we ourselves are committing the same sin … or worse. We are in no position to judge someone else when we are doing the same thing. We are also in no position to judge others when we are excusing our own sin. This is the speck in the eye contrasted against the log.
It is human nature to excuse our own actions but deal harshly with others who commit lesser sin. Thus, the lesson we must draw from the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5 is that He is really talking to anyone who would excuse their own sin when condemning someone else. This does mean that, if we are consciously following this rule, there would not be much judgment going around. If we first acknowledge and confess our own sin before casting judgment on someone else, we may end up saying nothing.
It is right to judge someone who has done wrong and to discern between right and wrong spiritual teaching. Without either of these, we lose our moral compass and spiritual rudder. However, it is not right to cast judgment while hiding or excusing your own sin. This is the very essence of a double standard and a sleight of hand. We should instead be like the publican and confess our own sin and leave it at that. The whole point of Matthew 7:1-5 is actually having a pure heart and being wholly sanctified before God. Only those with a pure heart can rightly judge others who have committed sin, and even then, we must do so with great humility.
Our motive must be pure, and our motives can only be pure when we are entirely yielded to Christ. In this way, we will first acknowledge our own sin and act in great humility at the feet of Christ before considering what others are doing wrong. Then, there is little risk that our judgment is clouded by ill intentions.
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