How often do we find ourselves looking down our noses at others, thinking critically of them, without realizing that we are being or doing the exact same thing? The word for that is “hypocrisy” and among the things that Jesus condemns quite often is that of judging others when we are guilty of the same thing.
In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to be careful how we judge. Let’s study Matthew 7:1-6.
DO NOT JUDGE / YOU WILL BE JUDGED – 7:1-2:
The first command, “Do not judge,” is a present, negative imperative, carrying the idea: “Do not start judging,” or “Do not get into the habit of judging…”
As Jesus continues His discussion of the need for His disciples to have a righteousness which exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes (cf. 5:20). He warns them to be careful how they judge. This very paragraph requires judgement, discerning who are “dogs” and “pigs” as well as what is “holy” and “pearls.” Jesus is not condemning all judging. He is condemning hypocritical judgment (ver. 5). He does not want His disciples to judge harshly or without consideration or without love.
As Jesus had said in 6:14-15 that men must forgive if they desire forgiveness from God, here He tells His disciples they must judge by the same standard by which they wish to be judged. Ultimately, God’s word will be man’s judge (John 12:48).
THE ILLUSTRATION – 7:3-5:
“Speck” (ver. 3) can mean a splinter, straw, or piece of sawdust. It is used 6 times, only in this context and its parallel in Luke 6:41-42. “Beam” is also found 6 times, here and in Luke 6:41-42.
Here, Jesus is talking about holding other’s to a standard to which we will not hold ourselves. We see, perhaps, Jesus’ background in the carpentry shop as He refers to specks of wood versus beams (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). One brother has a “speck” in his eye but the other has a “beam.” Jesus warns His disciples to make sure they have their own “beam” out of the eye before they can see clearly to treat their brother’s speck. Notice that Jesus does presume that one brother will help the other to get the speck out of the eye. He simply must get the beam out of his own eye first.
A FINAL WORD – 7:6:
“Dogs” (ver. 6) were not domesticated in biblical times as they are now; these were wild dogs.
Verse 6 continues the discussion about judgment. “What is holy” is what comes from God, everything related to the Gospel, its blessings, promises, commands, and hopes. Jesus might have had in mind the food or meat that was sacrificed according to the Law. In other words, while we should not judge (verses 1-5), we should not randomly and capriciously give holy things to those (dogs and pigs) who do not respect them. The pigs will trample pearls under their feet, because they do not respect them and the wild dogs will tear one to pieces, because they do not respect them. How can you discern whether to “not judge” or to “not cast pearls before pigs?” In the next paragraph, Jesus returns to the theme of prayer…
APPLICATION:
Jesus warns the Jews to judge “righteously” in John 7:24.
Hypocritical judgment is condemned by Paul in Romans 2:1; 1 Cor. 4:5; 5:12 and by James (4:11-12; 5:9).
Jesus will talk further, when He sends out His apostles, about not wasting one’s time and resources on those who will not listen and obey the Gospel (Matt. 10:11-15; see also Matt. 18:15-17).
If we see that teaching someone the gospel is annoying them, it might be a good idea to discontinue the presentation lest we burn the bridge of communication. Pray for a more opportune time.
Paul encourages Christians to teach those in error with humility and patience (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:20-22). We should not criticize in others what we, ourselves, are practicing.
In our journey of faith, let’s prioritize personal growth and extend grace to those around us.
Paul Holland
