7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 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.
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? 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? 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.
I said on Day 1 of this blog on ‘The Blessed Life’, that the Sermon on the Mount is arguably the most influential ethical discourse in Western history. And today’s passage is a classic example of this influence The teaching of Matthew 7:1-5 entered our culture as a thorn in the side of the human tendency to self-righteousness. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (v.1). Or as the old English version has it: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” These words have entered Western culture as idioms – and you find them everywhere, in Western literature or casual conversation or TikTok.
At one level, it’s wonderful to know how influential Jesus has been. But there’s a downside to this cultural relic of the teachings of Jesus, because we can become so accustomed to them that we miss the vitality that was there originally. That’s the problem about a proverb.
Once it becomes a proverb, it’s extracted from the original setting, and we can sometimes use the proverb in a way the original speaker never intended.
And this, in my opinion, is what has happened to “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” The meaning has been distorted. And that’s a problem because these words and indeed the whole passage we’re looking at this week are essential to understand if we are to have healthy relationships with each other and grow in character individually and become the community Jesus wants us to be.
So first we need to know what Jesus means by “Don’t judge.”
The word “judge” in these verses is the Greek word krino, and like our English word ‘judge’ it has a wide spectrum of meanings.
At one end of the spectrum, it just means to discern, to reckon, to evaluate. For instance, ‘I didn’t judge the distance very well, and so I missed the hoop.’ That’s a neutral use of the term in that context. But we start to have problems when we move into realm of beliefs and behaviour and we start evaluating a belief as right or wrong, and particularly critiquing a behaviour as bad, as we move along the semantic spectrum.
This is where our culture becomes uncomfortable. But is this what Jesus is saying? Don’t evaluate anyone’s beliefs? Don’t say to anyone that they are wrong? Is that what Jesus means by ‘Don’t judge?’ Today that is what a lot of people in our culture think it means.
But Jesus can’t mean that. We just need to look at what else he says in the Sermon on the Mount. Later in this chapter, for example, he warns:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” (vv.15-16).
Recognizing people by the fruit of their lives requires critical discernment.
And in today’s passage, Jesus wants us to see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. That surely involves a proper form of moral discernment and critique, but it’s one that doesn’t flip into ‘judgementalism’ – this is the meaning at other end of the spectrum.
Here to ‘judge’ means to condemn, to overthrow, to count someone’s sins against them. And this is what Jesus does means here by ‘judge’. So Jesus is saying that we can discern and we can critique but we shouldn’t condemn.
What’s the difference? It’s mainly one of attitude and purpose. So Paul says this in his letter to the Romans:
“You, then, why do you judge [krivo] your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” (14:10)
Here Paul is pairing judgment in the negative sense with contempt.
So let me ask you, when you criticise, what are you trying to do? Are you wanting what is best for that person, to get them back on track? Do you want to maintain or strengthen your relationship with them. Or are you criticising to punish them, to cause pain, and make them feel bad? Are you criticising them to justify yourself and make you feel good? And are you criticising them to right them off, to get them out of your life?
It’s this that Jesus is forbidding: judging in the sense of condemning, with a sense of haughtiness and condescension. Jesus says so must never treat people like that. Never.
But we should still judge in the sense of evaluate and critique, but with a completely different attitude, as we shall see tomorrow.
Heavenly Father, help us to approach others with grace, discernment, and humility, seeking to build up and restore rather than to condemn. Guide our hearts to reflect your love in our words and actions, and may we always be mindful of our own shortcomings. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
