Perspective:
TO JUDGE OR NOT TO…...
"Judge not, that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:1
Nelson Thomas
This is one of the most misinterpreted, misused, and misapplied sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers and unbelievers misquote this verse to reject any kind of admonition and justify themselves. As a result, one of the most important exhortations from the Sermon on the Mount is not only misunderstood by many but even taken for granted.
The root cause of this misinterpretation is neglecting the background. In Matthew chapters 5-7, we see the Lord Jesus Christ presents the perfect and holy standard expected of His followers, unlike the unholy and self-righteous standard of the scribes and Pharisees.
A Higher Standard
Matthew 5:20 summarizes Jesus' theme well: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
In the following verses, the Lord Jesus expounds true godliness, which is internal and divine, in contrast to false spirituality, which is external and evil, followed by the scribes and Pharisees.
ighlighting the sin of anger in par with murder, lust with adultery, etc., the Lord Jesus underscored the importance of a higher level of purity, not only in our actions and appearances but also in our attitude. Christ proved beyond doubt that the effort of the Pharisees and scribes to be obedient and pious was only a show.
Judgment demanded
The Lord is not prohibiting all forms of judgment in this passage (cf. John 7:24). In fact, in Matthew 7 itself Christ exhorts His people to exercise discernment. For example, notice 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.” To faithfully follow this exhortation, we have to judge what is holy and what is unholy; what is valuable like a pearl and what is not.
Further, He also exhorts His followers to be aware of the proliferating false prophets from vs. 15–20. Here also a believer will have to judge to know who speaks for God and who does not. Plenty of similar scripture portions we have in the New Testament where a believer is exhorted to discern and be cautious. (Refer to ‘’The Right Form of Judgment)
Judgmental attitude
Then what did the Lord mean by saying, “Judge not” in Matt. 7:1? A careful study of the context as well as the entire gospels makes it very clear that He was talking against the unrighteous, evil practices of the scribes and Pharisees.
Notice, throughout His ministry the Lord repeatedly revealed and rebuked their hypocritical way of life (Matt. 23:2–29). Two things are worth mentioning in this context:
a. They justified themselves before men. (Luke 16:15a)
The Pharisees thought they were perfect and true godly men. They made every effort to display themselves as holy and obedient than anybody else. With that goal, they used to wear special dresses, make long prayers, show charity in public, etc. (Matt. 6:1, 5).
The Lord pronounced woes against them, for it was only a show without any substance. They made their own rules and rituals apart from the scripture, and hence it was not divine standard but human (Matt. 6:5, 16; 23:27; Luke 10:29; 11:39; 20:47).
b. They condemned others. (Luke 18:11; 6:37)
In their pursuit of elevating themselves, they also condemned and put down others mercilessly. They judged and censured anyone whom they thought was not up to their standard.
It is this judgmental attitude the Lord Jesus is exposing here. It is a self-righteous, haughty and prejudiced outlook. Such ones criticise and discredit others without any concern or compassion for their fellow-beings. Their only goal is to project themselves as superior, never to help or restore a weaker person. It is this harsh, inhuman, egotistical and hypercritical mindset the Lord Jesus is rebuking in Matthew 7:1.
Seriousness of judgmentalism
Our Lord reveals the evil of a judgmental attitude clearly and unmistakably in Matthew 7:1–5. Notice three reasons why such fault-finding and condemnation of our fellow-beings is sinful and unacceptable to God.
1. It’s usurping the role of God Almighty.
When we criticise and condemn someone for their differences from us, we assume the place of God in three ways:
a. Claiming omniscience as God.
Natural justice and even common sense demand a fair trial before judgment. The scripture also commands to first listen and get all the facts before pronouncing judgment (Deut. 13:14; John 7:24, 51; Pro. 18:13). Notice, before judging Babel and Sodom, we see the Lord coming down to see their real state (Gen. 11:5; 18:21).
But we don’t know all the facts behind someone’s appearance, words and actions. None of us can ever read the minds, motives or circumstances of another person, and hence it is foolishness and even sinful to pass judgment without knowing the whole truth.
b. Claiming ownership as God.
We are not superior to our fellow-brethren. God alone is their Master. We cannot grab God’s place over another person. Apostle Paul’s question is significant, “Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4).
A self-righteous judgmental attitude indirectly claims superiority over another person. When we judge one another unrighteously, not only do we violate several biblical injunctions but also act as if God their Master does not have the capability to deal with His people.
Yes, we have no business to judge and condemn a fellow-being, for we are not in the place of God. He is their Master and Judge (James 4:12b).
c. Claiming the judgeship of God.
This is another aspect of taking over God’s role. As the Master who knows every secret of man, God alone has the prerogative to judge man. He will bring out entire secrets and judge everyone in truth and righteousness.
Paul writes, “He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God” (1Cor. 4:4c, 5).
Notice the words of Christ in this connection, “I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47b cf. 8:15; 5:22).
When God Himself defers judgment and prefers mercy and grace, and if we judge deliberately, not only do we rebel but also blaspheme for we are robbing His role.
2. It’s hypocrisy.
With the analogy of the ‘speck’ and ‘plank’ the Lord Jesus convincingly illustrates the dishonesty of the critics (Matt. 7:3–5). A person with a judgmental attitude has a ‘wooden beam’ in his eyes; yet paying no attention to that, he tries to remove the ‘piece of sawdust’ from his brother’s eye. The Lord calls such a person, “You hypocrite” (Matt. 7:5a).
Paradoxically, often those who criticise and discredit others are already guilty of similar or more serious issues, yet they are least bothered about it. We see it as a universal trait among mankind. David’s reaction to Nathan well illustrates this approach (2 Samuel 12:5); even Adam instead of admitting failure, blamed God and Eve (Gen. 3:12, 13).
Yes, we all do the same, instead of humbly accepting our failure, we find it convenient to blame others and pull down others to promote ourselves. But never forget, more than anything else the Lord hates self-righteousness and hypocrisy (Matt. 23).
3. It’s counter-productive.
Not only judgmentalism is hypocritical, but it’s also destructive as well. While others are hurt and demoralized by our reckless criticism, the Lord says, we too shall be hurt dearly. “With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matt. 7:2). The self-righteous hypocrite will be judged with the same measure he uses to judge others (cf. Rom. 14:10; James 2:13; Mark 4:24).
We see the same principle active in the story of Haman and Mordecai in the book of Esther. Haman’s strategy backfired (Esther 7:10); similarly in the judgement on the accusers of Daniel (Dan. 6:24).
How serious and evil is our judgemental attitude! Let us be very careful when tempted to find fault in others while neglecting our own.
Judge right
In Matthew 7:5 our Lord refers to the right way to correct our fellow-beings. “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye” (Matt. 7:5).
Yes, there will be occasions when it is our responsibility to point out the faults of one another. We cannot maintain stoic silence at injustice and corruption. But before we can do it right, we ought to examine and judge ourselves first.
How to do that? Paul says, “I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord” (1Cor. 4:3c, 4).
God has to help us see and remove the plank from our eyes (Psa. 139:23, 24); being convicted by the Holy Spirit, confessing sins, finding forgiveness and cleansing based on the blood of Christ (1John 1:9, 7). It’s only then our spiritual eyes will be clear enough to see our brethren as we ought to.
Then we will realize that all of us are sinners saved by grace. Everyone is in the same condition and in need of divine compassion and grace. Such humility and thoughtfulness will not cause us to put down and hurt another believer; on the contrary, we will uphold and strengthen them.
Seek His Pleasure
Finally, if you are hurt by the heartless censure of a dear one, apostle Paul’s reaction to unjust and selfish human judgment is worth emulating. He says, “With me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, … He who judges me is the Lord.” (1Cor. 4:3, 4)
Our words and life should be worthy of the Lord; nevertheless, our primary concern should not be what man would say about us, but what would be our Lord’s response to us. He who knows every secret of our heart will judge and commend us at the right time (1Cor. 4:5). G&P
