Matthew 7:1-6
HAVE YOU EVER TOLD SOMEONE THEY WERE GOING TO HELL? HOW DID THEY RESPOND?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CHURCH TODAY?
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 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? 4 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? 5 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. 6 “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.”
BACKGROUND
Judging has both positive and negative connotations. Especially in the New Testament. On one hand we are instructed not to judge others. But on the other hand we must judge between right and wrong. “Approve what is excellent” (Philippians 1:10). “The spiritual person judges all things” (I Corinthians 2:15). These things would seem to be contradictory to today’s passage, but everything must be taken in context. Judging is not wrong. Judging wrongly is wrong.
Judgment is necessary if a person is to come into a right relationship with God. We recognize that sin is wrong and when we repent of it we are coming into judgment of ourselves, recognizing that we are condemned without Christ. This is a right kind of judgment—judging to save.
“The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:11-12).
Notice, only one can judge others and that’s not us. We may warn of judgment, but all judgment is in the hands of God. Only Jesus can judge to condemn or even to save.
In I Corinthians 5:12 Paul told us that we are only to judge those in the church, not outside the church. This is not a judgment of condemnation, but a way of encouraging holiness in the body of Christ.
There’s a little known passage that warns us about condemning others in I Corinthians 4:5. It says, “Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”
God is not eager to judge. In II Peter 3:9 Peter says God wants all to come to repentance. So God holds back judgment for mercy’s sake, that more might be saved.
Beginning with our passage in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus begins focusing on relationships in the kingdom and he starts with judging.
IS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN ITS APPROPRIATE TO JUDGE OR CONDEMN SOMEONE?
EXAMINATION
(V.1) “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
The Greek word for judge in this passage is krino, which means to judge, condemn, and discern. Here the emphasis decided by the context is to condemn.
In the Old Testament judging also had the connotation of ruling over someone. To judge someone was to exercise authority over them. So, to judge someone assumes that you have authority to condemn. Do you have authority to condemn?
Paul asked, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother?” (Romans 14:10). Notice the connection between judging to condemn and despising someone.
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer” (Roman’s 14:13).
Jesus said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47).
(V.2) “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
This is a warning about the attitude we take toward others. The attitude by which we judge others will be applied to us. Do we evaluate others with mercy and love, or do we look down upon others who sin differently than we do?
(V.3) “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?”
What makes this passage so interesting is that Jesus, before launching his ministry, was familiar with carpentry. He knew the problem of getting sawdust in the eyes. So, the speck is a real issue. We’ve all experienced getting something in our eye. What happens? Everything stops until we get rid of the speck. But in a spiritual sense we just keep going, we keep sinning. We need someone to remove the speck. Jesus removes the speck for us through the cross—a log.
Notice the size difference between a speck and a log. We may judge someone for a small fault while we have a large fault to deal with.
(V.4) “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?”
One cannot see clearly with a log in the eye. But once it is out you can see clearly. This is true of our sin. When we see things through a sin problem we do not see others rightly.
When King David was confronted by Nathan the prophet in II Samuel 12 about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah he was told the story of a man who slaughtered his neighbor’s cherished lamb. David responded by ordering that man to pay back fourfold and then be put to death. This was not a just punishment. It was not a capital offense. But David was judging through his own unrepentant sin of adultery and murder. So too, if we have unrepentant sin (a log), we will wrongly judge other’s condition (the speck).
DAVID WAS A HYPOCRITE. WHAT IS A HYPOCRITE? WHAT DOES A HYPOCRITE DO?
(V.5) “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.”
This is like the oxygen masks on a passenger plane. The stewardess tells us to fasten on our mask before helping others. If not, you could pass out from lack of oxygen and the person you might help would also be in the same danger.
Do not judge others without first judging yourself.
“Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment” (I Corinthians 11:31). We must see ourselves for what we really are, sinners. When we properly judge ourselves there is no more need for further judgment.
Some think this passage means that we are to leave others to their own devices and move on. But that is not what Jesus is saying. He is saying first we remove our problem before we attend to the problem of someone else. In other words, we must attend to their problem, we must help them. But we can’t do that if we’re suffering from the same thing or something greater. Jesus wants us to help the other person as he helped us.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUDGING AND DISCERNING?
(V.6) “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.”
It would seem that this verse is not really connected to what Jesus is teaching about judging. But nor does it fit what is to come. In reality, the relation to judging is nuanced. There’s a difference between judgment and discernment. Right after saying not to judge Jesus calls some people dogs and pigs. That doesn’t sound very nonjudgmental, does it? But what Jesus is doing is painting a picture between judging and discerning. We have to know who we are preaching to. How will they handle the pearls of the gospel?
Though we don’t want to judge someone wrongly, nor do we want to give out the pearls of the gospel to someone who will criticize the gospel or attack us in return. Everyone needs to hear the gospel, but the gospel must also be shared strategically.
Calling people dogs and pigs doesn’t seem very loving. But Jesus often referred to some people in this way. Jesus called “Herod Antipas ‘that fox’ and hypocritical scribes and Pharisees ‘whitewashed tombs’ and a ‘brood of vipers’.” (1) He reveals their true character with his comparisons.
Dogs in this passage refers to unclean wild dogs that would scavenge around garbage dumps. Pigs were also unclean and could be known to attack. Jesus uses these to refer to people who strongly oppose the gospel, maybe even violently.
There were people who Paul would not share the gospel with. In at least one incident he shook off the dust from his feet while leaving town. He also told some Jews that they rejected the gospel so he was going to the gentiles.
Jesus also did this. When confronted by Herod he refused to speak to him (Luke 23:9).
INTERPRETATION
What is Jesus’ big idea? Do not judge to condemn, judge to save.
Remember, the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. The religious leaders brought her before Jesus with an attitude of judging to condemn. They were ready at the moment to stone her. But Jesus pronounced her forgiven—he judged to save.
Notice Paul’s attitude regarding passing judgment by a church. It’s subtle, but this is also an example of judging to save.
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (I Corinthians 5:1-5).
Notice the proper attitude, to mourn over someone’s sin. Then Paul says he’s already judged the brother who is unrepentant. In the Law such a person was to be put to death. So, Paul is simply following the law. But the purpose is not to condemn, but to save the erring brother.
APPLICATION
We must:
- Let our judgments begin with ourselves (Romans 2:1, “You have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”)
- Not judge by appearances (John 7:24, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 8:15, “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.”)
- Respect the liberty of our brother’s conscience (Romans 14:4, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own masterthat he stands or falls.”)
- Not seek to usurp the office of the final Judge (Romans 14:10, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”)
- Beware of the censorious (critical) spirit (James 4:11, “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.”) (2)
Ultimately, if we are to judge our attitude should be to judge to save.
(1) Stott, John R. W., and John R. W. Stott. 1985. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture. The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
(2) Hastings, James, John A. Selbie, John C. Lambert, and Shailer Mathews. 1909. In Dictionary of the Bible, 507. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
