# "Judge not"



## Der Pilger (Mar 1, 2010)

I tried searching for an in-depth discussion of this passage from Matthew 7 here on PB, but I could find only passing comments about it. I'm posting this here in the Exegetical forum because I'm hoping that the text might be unpacked and examined in detail. Here's the passage from the ESV:

_1 "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. 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.

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._

This has become something of a mantra that people roll out, seemingly without even thinking about it. All you have to do is say that something or someone is wrong, and this will be quoted to you as if you are committing some sin, particularly failing to love the person you're criticizing. I've heard people even say this false dichotomy: I don't want to judge others; I just want to live as Jesus lived. One young girl I was talking with once about the gospel made the comment, "Jesus was a hippie; he chilled with the prostitutes." Although she didn't mention "Judge not," her thinking was essentially the same as others who do misuse that phrase.

My question is: How would you respond to someone who tried to use this verse against you in response to a disagreement or criticism you made? 

I have three different responses that I generally make: 


Point out that if I did *not* speak up about the issue (whatever it might be), I would not be loving the individual but rather would be allowing them to continue in their error, which could be dangerous or harmful for them. It would be as if I had a suspicion that the bridge down the road was impassable and dangerous but did not warn a motorist who I knew for sure intended to cross it.

Ask them, "Aren't you judging me by insinuating that I am being unloving? How do you know that my comments are not motivated by genuine love?"

Point out the context of Jesus' statement. He was not actually prohibiting judgment per se but rather hypocritical judgment, a prideful judgment of others whereby one accuses others of the very same things one is guilty of--essentially "the pot calling the kettle black." He makes this clear when he says, "*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.*"


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## Jimmy the Greek (Mar 1, 2010)

> Matthew 7:1-5 includes Jesus' warning about trying to take a speck out of a neighbor's eye while ignoring the log in your own eye. In verse five, Jesus makes clear the audience he is addressing: "You hypocrite!" When Jesus says "Do not judge," he is warning people against heaping criticism and condemnation on others without being willing to examine one's own behavior. Clearly the context is one in which some religious leaders were harshly condemning other people while attempting to justify their own sinfulness.
> 
> Furthermore, many people are unaware of balancing texts about judging in the rest of the New Testament. These include Jesus' command "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment" (John 7:24, NRSV), and Paul's rhetorical question "Is it not those who are inside [the church] that you are to judge?" (1 Cor. 5:12). Clearly not all judging is forbidden. If that were the case, the church could have no boundaries; the body of Christ would not be a body but a gaseous vapor!



-- Taken from this article in Christianity Today.


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## BobVigneault (Mar 1, 2010)

Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged" is a verse so often torn from context and used by folks to try and shame or humiliate believers for drawing a line between right and wrong behavior or good and bad morals. This sentiment actually attacks our Lords teaching to be discerning.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 "2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!"

John 7:24 24 "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Philippians 1:9-10 "9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ..."

Proverbs 3:21 "My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight"

Jeremiah 22:3 "This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right.

We are called on daily and even hourly to make judgments about good and bad, right and wrong, healthy and destructive behavior. We would be lousy parents if we did not judge behavior by what God values and not teach our children to do the same.

Jesus taught us in Matthew 7 that we cannot know who will and who will not have eternal life in Him and he clearly taught us that none of us are without sin. I quickly admit that I am chief of sinners and apart from Christ I am deservedly lost and that God would be perfectly just in sending me to Hell for eternity. I fall on His mercy and trust that Christ took my sins upon himself and 'clothed' me in His own righteousness.

Now, as a believer and a father, I have a duty to be discerning; I have the right and authority, based on God's Word, and in order that I might honor God's Word, to judge wrong, bad and destructive behavior.


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## Contra_Mundum (Mar 1, 2010)

Who are "dogs"?
Who are "pigs"?

What is "holy"?
What are "pearls"?

Is everything a pearl? Is everyone a pig? If not, then Jesus has just taught us to make a proper judgment.

The *standard* of our judgment is that by which we want (or had better want) to be judged by. If we are arbitrary, then we have no right to complain when we are judged by an arbitrary standard. Believers are pleased to be judged by God's revealed Word.

Jesus is warning people in his words, not prohibiting all judgment or discrimination (as is obvious from the distinctions he makes immediately). He "hung out" with prostitutes and other sinners because they needed the gospel, that they might stop their evil, not because they were "fine". "Go and sin no more," Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery.


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## Der Pilger (Mar 1, 2010)

Contra_Mundum said:


> Who are "dogs"?
> Who are "pigs"?
> 
> What is "holy"?
> What are "pearls"?



Indeed. I deliberately included v. 6 in my quotation to bring attention to that fact, namely, the Lord was not speaking against all judgment per se. His blunt, direct language in v. 6 does not allow for that possibility, in my opinion. 

The ironic thing is that if Jesus walked among us today and spoke the same way that is recorded in Scripture, he himself would be labeled as judgmental, unloving and condemning. Those who would thus label him would probably even say, "You're not the real Jesus."


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## nyjbarnes (Mar 1, 2010)

I like where you're going. I've struggled with this myself. But at some point, just like others have commented, at some point you must judge. And that is not a bad thing. Will the world hate it, you betcha. Will believers think your'e holier than thou, definitely. When you speak truth, the darkness flees. Jesus spoke the truth and they killed him for it...I don't suppose (I need to be reminded of this so much) we should expect them to lay down palm leaves and receive us with joy. Men love darkness.


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## O'GodHowGreatThouArt (Mar 1, 2010)

The common use for Matthew 7:1 shows quite clearly how well someone knows their Bible.

Hypothetical situation: Say I happened to see Joshua (sorry brother, first name I saw  ) curse someone out because that person ran a stop sign and crashed into him. Now, let's assume that I were to go up to Joshua, pull him aside, and point out his error. He then blurts out "You can't judge me, it says in the Bible 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'!". What he doesn't realize when he says this is that he's guilty of the same offense he's accusing me of committing. Judging me for judging him (biblically I might add).

Also, most people that use this verse often profess Christ by mouth, and not by life, and they do not want anyone questioning that profession's genuineness. Basically, it's used as a justification to sin all they want.

Besides, one visit to 1 John 2 trashes this modern interpretation.

Sorry if I got off on a little bit of a tangent with this post.


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## nyjbarnes (Mar 1, 2010)

Totally agreed. Especially the genuine aspect. People want to judge you by your actions and themselves by their intentions.


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## MW (Mar 1, 2010)

The Bible nowhere says, "Judge not." It says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," i.e., do not judge with the type of judgment you yourself are not willing to be judged by.


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## Edward (Mar 1, 2010)

> My question is: How would you respond to someone who tried to use this verse against you in response to a disagreement or criticism you made?



When someone throws these verses at me, I generally toss back I Cor. 6:2-3.


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## EricP (Mar 1, 2010)

I've always figured that even though my sins are bad, yours are always worse; and boy do I want to dig up the dirt on you to find out how bad! I think our fallen nature, both as hypocrites and viewers of Sally, Montel and the like, make all of us this way (though of course you are worse!). Maybe part of a response to a "judge not lest..." comment is to confirm sinfulness (without having to compare notes), muse Socratically if it is REALLY better to permit any and all bad behavior, and then use the whole thing as a segue into proper church discipline (and go 11 chapters or so further in Matt.).


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## Der Pilger (Mar 2, 2010)

O'GodHowGreatThouArt said:


> Hypothetical situation: Say I happened to see Joshua (sorry brother, first name I saw  ) curse someone out because that person ran a stop sign and crashed into him. Now, let's assume that I were to go up to Joshua, pull him aside, and point out his error. He then blurts out "You can't judge me, it says in the Bible 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'!". *What he doesn't realize when he says this is that he's guilty of the same offense he's accusing me of committing. Judging me for judging him (biblically I might add).*



The boldfaced part above corresponds to my #2 response in the OP. It took me a while to realize that that is what is really going on when people play the "Judge not" game: They themselves are judging your motives because in almost every case, if not every case, they are judging you as being unloving and condemning. They don't actually say that, but in my experience that has seemed to be the case.


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