Verify Podcast

Happy, happy, happy New Year, 2024, my dear listener! May this year be one of tremendous growth, in every good way!

Has someone ever quoted Matthew 7:1 to you where Jesus says “Do not judge”? Some say that this means we are never to make moral discernments or hold fellow Christians accountable to God’s word. But is that really what Jesus is saying in Mat 7:1?

I did some study on this and found that after Jesus said not to judge in Mat 7:1, He goes down to Mat 7:5 and tells us how to judge. Further along, from verse 15 downwards, He teaches us to identify false prophets. That involves making a judgement. So was judging condemned or recommended by Jesus? Is there a contradiction here? Are we to judge or not to judge? Which should it be?

The answer to this question is this: Never ever read any scripture in isolation! Never take any scripture out of its context. At the very least, we must always read a few verses before and after any verse, if we want to know its true meaning. The moment we rip a text out of its original context and make it stand alone, the meaning can change in so many different dramatic ways!

James 5: 19-20 and Gal 6:1 show us that it is the responsibility of godly people to look out for each other, so we know that it isn’t out of place to make judgements in order to help those who are straying from the truth of God’s word. However, when we do make judgements, scripture gives pointers on how to go about it, for example, John 7:24 talks about judging correctly and fairly. Luke 18: 9-14 cautions against self-righteous judgement and Mat 7:5 warns against hypocritical judgement. So, Jesus does teach about making fair, correct and sincere judgements.

Now, let’s zoom in for a moment on Mat 7: 3-5. Not long after saying “Do not judge”, Jesus says this “why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye, when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Now, being human, we make mistakes; we all have logs in our eyes, so to speak. How then can we ever be qualified to make moral judgements? Is Jesus saying you must be perfect before you are able to correct another person? No. He’s saying that we should first examine ourselves before examining another. He’s saying we should not hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. This gives context to Mat 7:1 and shows us that Jesus did not contradict himself. “Do not judge” was not a prohibition of all judgement, but of hypocritical judgement. Jesus’s instruction on judgement in Mathew 7:1-5 was not a blanket teaching to turn a blind eye to all that happens around us, but rather, a call to be concerned about our own shortcomings before anybody else’s, because it is hypocrisy to be more concerned about the sins of others than our own.

Acknowledging and addressing our own weaknesses first, helps us see that we need God’s grace ourselves, and so when we need to confront people, we are more inclined to do so in a gentler and humbler way as Galatians 6:1 instructs, knowing we are also human and working on our own faults as well.

I must admit that I am sometimes guilty of hyping the sins of others while belittling mine; examining others harshly and myself lightly. And the truth is if we continue to turn a blind eye to our own shortcomings, we will come at people without grace and love.

I pray for myself and everyone listening, that God will help us discern when to and how to approach others concerning their issues. That we will speak truth to others, but we will learn to judge ourselves first, so we don’t come at them with condemnation or a judgemental attitude, but with humility and love; in Jesus name I pray, Amen.