Judge Not

DMLJ: Our Lord proves it in this way.  He first of all points out that we are not concerned about righteousness and true judgement at all, because if we were, we should deal with it in ourselves.

MHA: In light of this judgement, relationships between human beings take on a special quality that allows one to see every other person as a brother and not to judge him, but rather to strive first and foremost to eradicate one’s own shortcomings and vices.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol.2 - The Sermon on the Mount, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev

Matthew 7: 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

“Judge not.”  There is often much confusion regarding this statement.  A simple dictionary understanding won’t help to unpack what Jesus meant.  It cannot mean simply that the Christian should never form or express an opinion about another person. 

In a subsequent passage even in this Sermon, just a few sentences later, Jesus admonishes Christians to avoid giving that which is holy to dogs, and to not cast pearls before swine.  He is not speaking of four-legged animals here.  In order to conclude one is a dog or a swine, we must make a judgement.

There is judgement in all forms of governance – in political governance and in church governance, all approved of in Scripture.  We are to make judgement regarding doctrine: we are told to avoid false prophets.

The Pharisees were to judge; Jesus would often condemn them and their judgements.  He was not, however, questioning the office:

MHA: Jesus was not denying the judicial authority of the Pharisees: he was disputing the criteria according to which the Pharisees carried out their judgment.

In all these manners, some judgement must be made, if we are to use a common understanding of the word “judge.”  So, Jesus cannot mean this superficial understanding.

DMLJ: …how can we put all these injunctions into practice if we are not exercising judgement, if we are not thinking, if we have not a standard, if we are not prepared to make an assessment?

Lloyd-Jones sees this as an admonishment to avoid a judgement that leads to condemning.  This comes from a self-righteous spirit; it comes from one who is hypercritical, where criticism is destructive and not constructive and where there is no satisfaction until fault is found and labeled.

It comes from a spirit that puts personalities and prejudice in the place of principle; it comes to conclusions before fully examining all of the facts and circumstances.

Matthew 7: 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Yes, this does mean to not judge if you don’t like others to judge you, but it means much more.  It is referring to being judged by God – and even Christians will be judged, the judgement of rewards (or however you wish to phrase this). 

We will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and it seems that in some manner the attitudes we use toward others in judgement will be reflected in how we are then judged in front of Christ’s judgement seat.

DMLJ: Our Lord is really declaring that God Himself, in this judgement which I have been describing, will judge us according to our own standards.

This is an interesting concept to me, and one that I am not sure I can fully grasp or unpack.  The best I can do is to consider that it has something to do with hypocrisy and self-righteousness.  In other words, God’s standards aren’t changing based on our behavior; our behavior exposes our hypocrisy and self-righteousness, for which God will judge us in a manner wholly and eternally consistent with His standard.

Matthew 7: 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Such sarcasm and irony.  Yet, the point is made: we are wholly incapable of the judgement that is God’s judgement.  We are blinded by the beam in our eye; just re-read the Beatitudes to see how large this beam is.  If we were really concerned about truth in judgement, we would first and foremost be focused on ourselves.

MHA: …with the help of these images, Jesus draws attention to a widespread phenomenon: a person’s ability to see the shortcomings of others and inability to see his own faults and sins. …very often a person notices insubstantial shortcomings in others, while refusing to see in himself the grievous sins that separate him from God.

Metropolitan Hilarion points out that Jesus expands on this teaching in Luke chapter 6: “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?”  What good can one with a beam in his eye offer to another, who is blind in his own way?

Lloyd-Jones describes this beam as our judging spirit.  In other words, we all commit sins, hence on this basis there is no reason to view one person with a beam and the other with a mote.  Jesus is saying that this judging spirit is the far bigger problem to overcome: more than your brother’s particular sins (his mote), it is your own sin of this judging spirit that is the larger concern (the beam).

Conclusion

DMLJ: There is nothing that so utterly condemns us as the Sermon on the Mount….

Is there anything that condemns us more than this Sermon on the Mount, even only the Beatitudes.  This reveals the beam in our eye, and this makes clear what must be removed.  Until this beam is removed – the beam of failing to live with the attitude and behavior described in this Sermon – for what reason would we spend energy pointing to another’s mote?

DMLJ: How are we to do all this in practice? Read 1 Corinthians 13 every day….

When you are full of love, sympathy, and compassion, when you have come to getting rid of this judging spirit, only then are we able to properly speak the truth in love with others. 

We know this: we can hear the same truth about ourselves from two different people, and the spirit in which it is said by one as opposed to the spirit in which it is said by the other causes us to accept what is said from the one and not from the other, yet both saying the exact same truth about us.

Epilogue

Justice, but do not judge

Courtesy for others flaws

Kindness, it's not that hard!

Self-restraint of tongue and pen

Inventory, my daily friend

Analysis, let down your guard!

Help me live today

And help to give me grace

To carry out your way

-          The Shattered Fortress, Dream Theater