By: Odain Barrett
You’re having a challenging conversation; the behaviour of a person is the topic of discussion. Someone quotes some of Jesus’s words from His famous Sermon on the Mount, and says, “well, Jesus said, ‘not to judge’(A) so you can’t judge.” Well, that settles it, doesn’t it? Well not exactly. What was Jesus saying to His followers at this point in His sermon? Was He saying that we ought not to judge at all?
Let’s explore this saying in the context of Matthew 7:1-5 together to see Jesus’s words at this point in His sermon concerning judging. Jesus said, 1“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4Or 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? 5You 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.
So we see some interesting and noteworthy things here that I’ll outline this way. We see the Command, the Reason and the Rebuke. In this last portion, that I’ve called the Rebuke, we see Jesus employing hyperbole. He was known to use these deliberate exaggerations in order to bring out moral and spiritual truths.(B) The spiritual truth here isn’t that we ought not to judge at all, but not to judge hypocritically.
The command (verse 1): “Judge not, that you be not judged.” In the larger context this doesn’t appear to be an absolute forbidding of all types of judgements.(C)
The reason (verse 2) for the command:
- “For” you’ll be judged with the same standard you use. Here are some helpful questions to consider. What standard am I using? Am I partial and hypocritical in my judgements?
The rebuke (verse 3-5) for being rash, partial and hypocritical:
- Sometimes we judge with partiality and hypocrisy, painting ourselves in a much better light than what’s true. Jesus regularly rebuked and taught against hypocrisy.(D)
- Perhaps the Apostle Paul’s attitude toward his own sin in 1 Timothy 1:15 can offer us a good pattern to follow as well in not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to and first take the log out of our own eye.
We all make personal judgements in terms of what we approve or don’t approve. We also have ecclesiastical authorities who judge church matters and civil authorities who render judgements on matters of civil justice. Clearly not all judgements are forbidden here because Jesus later says that we may judge a tree (speaking of false teachers) by the kind of fruit it bears(C). How we judge then is of utmost importance here. Also, remembering that the ultimate Judge of all things is God and He is impartial and just in all His judgements. The Bible speaks of God as the judge of all the earth(E), and the one who will bring every deed and secret intentions whether good or evil into final judgement(E). He will do this one day (F)by Jesus Christ who is the ultimate standard for all humanity. If we often fail even our own standards, we surely will not measure up to God’s glorious standard(G). In fact the Bible says that we’ve all already fallen short of God’s glorious standard(G), the consequences are dire (John 3:16-19), and our only hope of rescue is found in Jesus Christ for those who would answer His call to “come follow me.”
If you’ve read this far, please take one more step and read Matthew’s account of Jesus’s life, teachings, death, and resurrection for yourself. I invite you to answer Jesus’s call by repenting (turn away from your sins and turn to God through Jesus), following His example and be ready for God’s Judgement.
References:
A. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Matthew 7:1
B. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Matthew 5:28-29; Matthew 23:24; Luke 14:26
C. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Matthew 7:16, 20
D. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; Matthew 15:7; Matthew 23:13-29
E. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Genesis 18:25; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
F. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Romans 2:16
G. English Standard Version Bible, 2001; Matthew 5:48; Romans 3:23
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