Judging by Gary Rose

Well, here is something new for me to think about. Although I have heard people use “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged” (Matthew 7:1) many times, I have never thought about them using judgment to make the determination (judgment) that I was judging. Along with this, it never entered my mind that THEY were being hypocritical. To be fair, lets consider the passage in its context to avoid any possibility of misusing the Scriptures…

A Misunderstood passage

Matthew 7 ( World English Bible )

 ¹  “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. (emphasis added)  ²  For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.   ³  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?   ⁴  Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye?   ⁵  You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. 

This passage is found in the third chapter of what is commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount”. To even the causal reader, these three chapters of Matthew are to be taken together and considered a teaching for those who wish to follow Jesus and become Christians. Notice 7:1 :it is not the only verse of the chapter; it is part of an eight verse teaching. It is aimed at the person who is judging another’s sin and at the SAME TIME is involved in a far greater one. This makes the person who is judging a HYPOCRITE. Jesus tells this person to FIRST remove the beam (greater sin) out of their eye (life) and then they can correctly help the person who has sin in their life to remove it.

Judge what is right

John 7 (WEB)

 ²¹  Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel because of it.   ²²  Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy.   ²³  If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath?   ²⁴  Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (emphasis added)

Luke 12 (WEB)

  ⁵⁴  He said to the multitudes also, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens.  ⁵⁵  When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens.   ⁵⁶  You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don’t interpret this time?   ⁵⁷  Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?  (emphasis added)

Further, in two other places, Jesus says “..judge with righteous judgment” and “… judge for yourselves what is right”. If Christians are NOT SUPPOSED to judge, why would Jesus say such a thing? Consider the Luke passage, Jesus calls them HYPOCRITES. This is a judgment by Jesus himself, so not all judgment is wrong. Judgment can be correct, if the person is correct; both in the judgment and in his or her own heart.

Listen to who is really speaking

John 12 (WEB)

 ⁴⁴  Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.   ⁴⁵  He who sees me sees him who sent me.  ⁴⁶  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.   ⁴⁷  If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.   ⁴⁸  He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day.   ⁴⁹  For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.   ⁵⁰  I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.” (emphasis added)

In reality, The problem with Matthew 7:1 is that the one who uses this passage does it to avoid facing the sin in their life and is trying to “turn the tables” on the presenter of God’s word. They ignore the fact that God, the father gave Jesus a message and THAT MESSAGE is what ultimately will be the standard of JUDGMENT!!!

May every single person who reads this listen to what God’s has said and do HIS WILL. You will be blessed if you do!!!!