Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV) says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Several years ago I was in Dallas for the North American Christian Convention. That year they had invited Josh McDowell to come and speak. Josh McDowell is a key leader in Campus Crusade for Christ International ministries. He has written dozens of books and produced dozens of videos for church leaders. You could tell from the moment that he walked into the room that he had a message burning in his heart. And he got right down to business.
The first thing he told us was that today Matthew 7:1 (NIV) is among the most quoted verses in all of scripture. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Students quote it. Politicians quote it. Children, teachers, parents, criminals, religious leaders, businessmen, the media, professors, and gay and lesbian groups all quote it. It used to be that people would hold up John 3:16 signs at ball games, but not any more! Today people of all ages and from every walk of life are preaching a message of tolerance. They hold up Matthew 7:1 signs. Today, tolerance is the only acceptable moral absolute.
Josh McDowell contrasted the traditional definition of tolerance with the newly emerging tolerance that is surfacing throughout our society. Traditionally, tolerating meant bearing with or putting up with someone or something that you didn't especially like. To tolerate someone was to recognize and respect her beliefs or moral choices without necessarily sharing in or embracing those beliefs. Pertaining to the traditional notion of tolerance, people would say, "Love the sinner, but hate the sin." Or, "I love you and accept you but I don't agree with your lifestyle."
But the new tolerance accepts no such distinctions. The sin and the sinner are one and the same. In order to love me and accept me you have to like everything about me. In order to accept me you have to do more than just put up with my behavior. You must praise it, endorse it, support it, validate it, and defend it. The new tolerance teaches us that all individual beliefs, values, lifestyles, and truth claims must be treated equally in value. The new tolerance attempts to erase all moral absolutes except itself. It says that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong, good and evil, better and worse. The new tolerance teaches that morality is a highly personal and private matter and that no human should ever stand in judgment on another human being's moral behavior or lifestyle choices. The new tolerance teaches that morality is highly subjective and that it's a matter of opinion or that it is person-dependent.
As one author observed, "When Americans want to answer a question of right and wrong, we ask ourselves. We are the law unto ourselves. We have made ourselves the authority over church and God. We have made ourselves the clear authority over the government. We have made ourselves the authority over laws and the police."
The new tolerance says, "Forget about this transcendent God talk, this universal moral law, the ten commandments, and all that stuff." It says, "Islamic = Christian = Buddhist = Mormon = Judaism" and "heterosexuality = homosexuality = bisexuality = two consenting adults" and "pro-life = pro-choice = pro-abortion = euthanasia." Everything is just your personal preference.
In today's culture, "Do not judge" means to mind your own business.
And so in the context of our culture, Jesus' words in Matthew 7:1,"Do not judge" , have become a kind of a battle cry of this movement. And this is how people interpret this passage. To judge is to pretend you can step outside of the box of your own humanity. To judge is to arrogantly deceive yourself into thinking that your culturally conditioned beliefs, values, lifestyle, and truth claims are superior to mine. To judge is bigotry and it's prejudice and discrimination in its most vile form. It implies that some people are right and some people are wrong. To judge is to wrongly conclude that what is true and right for you should be true and right for me. Therefore, who are you to judge me? Didn't Jesus say, "Do not judge"? Mind your own business. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
So is the new tolerance sinking In? Are people buying it? In his book Tolerance Is No Virtue S.D. Gaede says, "These days it is a scary thing to stand face-to-face with another person and suggest that his ideas may be wrong. We don't want to violate one of our culture's deepest values, which is tolerance."
The truth of his assertion is evident in many ways. How many churches are exercising church discipline these days? How many times have we cared enough about someone to confront them? How many of us shop for churches that agree with everything we already believe instead of finding one that regularly challenges us with the word of God? Do many of us tell people that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life? Or do we say, "Jesus is a way, a truth, and he's my personal choice for life." How often do we stand around and silently refuse to speak up for what is right?
Today parents cringe at the thought of rebuking their children when they sin. Church leaders and leaders in general are afraid to confront wrong-doing in church. Children are growing up valuing tolerance while devaluing truth and morality. Teachers continually refrain from teaching right and wrong in the classroom, lest they be accused of being intolerant. Counselors scold families for their child's low self esteem, exhorting them to tolerate the child's behavior and totally accept everything about the child, bad behavior and all.
What did Jesus really mean when he said, "Do not judge"?
Was Jesus prescribing tolerance when he said, "Do not judge" in Matthew 7:1? Was he telling us to just turn and look the other way when sin is rampant? Was he telling us to repress our critical faculties or to silence our discerning spirit? Was he telling us to stop speaking up for truth and righteousness and civility? Of course not!
You will find a consensus among Bible scholars as to the meaning of Jesus' words. James 5:20 (NIV) says, "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." In Matthew 7:15-16 (NIV) Jesus tells us "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them."
In Matthew 18:15 (NIV)Jesus says "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you." In Ezekiel 3:18 (NIV) God says, "When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sins, and I will hold you accountable for his blood."
There are hundreds of passages that instruct us to speak the truth in love, to use discernment and to use our best judgments to steer our brothers and sisters from evil. We are to guard them against the attack of the evil one and to refute errors and false teachings.
What Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7:1 when he says, "Do not judge" is altogether different. He is warning us against having a critical, judgmental spirit. It is easy for us to go overboard with our judgments and become unduly harsh. It is all too easy for us to focus on the negative and destructive instead of on the positive and redeemable characteristics of others. John 3:17 (NIV) says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Jesus is warning us against having a judgmental, watchdog ministry of condemnation and finger-pointing. He does not want a ministry where we demonize and shackle people with guilt instead of pointing them toward God's grace and give them some elbow room to grow. Jesus is talking about judging someone in the ultimate sense, of condemning them to hell for whatever sins they are engaged in. His words are a call to be generous toward others, to have understanding, and to have a level of patience and kindness and respect. Jesus wants us to be fair and to suspend making an assessment of someone for as long as possible.
Jesus offers several points of instruction toward this end.
Judgmentalism is absolutely forbidden.
In Matthew 7:1 (NIV) Jesus says "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." The Pharisees of Jesus' day used to love playing God. They weren't shy about casting their judgments. They would position themselves in the synagogues and on street corners and they would let their opinions be known. They presumed to know who had the blessing of heaven and who did not. Not only were they frequently wrong, but they missed an important point. They too would one day stand before God.
In Romans 14:10-12 (NIV) Paul asks, "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live', says the LORD, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."
None of us are competent to play God. Judgment day will be a serious matter for all. God is more loving, fair, and just than any of us could ever be. He alone is fit to judge, and it's a good thing! It is not our place to play judge, jury, and hangman. We always leave ourselves and others in the hands of God and know that he gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. He will do what is right, always. Judgmentalism, or a condemning spirit, is absolutely forbidden.
Judgmentalism is a self-indictment.
In Matthew 7:2 (NIV)Jesus says "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
I'm sure many of you have heard the quip, "Be careful not to point at others because there are always three fingers pointing back at yourself." In Romans 2:1 (NIV) Paul says, "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Often times, not always, a judgmental spirit is a signal of a person's guilt. A well known speaker used to travel all over the United States railing against sexual immorality, pornography, adultery, and a whole host of sins. He would visit colleges and deliver very direct, stirring messages calling upon men and women to come clean and live in obedience to God. His tone was a tad condescending, but no one thought anything of it. Sure enough, a few years later his name was in the papers. He'd been engaged in many of the same sins he had condemned. His stinging judgmentalism came back to haunt him. He had indicted himself long before people had found him out.
Hobby horses, reoccurring themes, excessive dwelling on certain faults, overreacting judgmental spirit that over-amplifies specific sins...beware! Familiarity with some sins breeds contempt, and undue harshness.
Judgmentalism shifts the focus away from self.
In Matthew 7:3 (NIV)Jesus asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
The answer to Jesus' question is that it is easier to focus on other's sins than it is to take responsibility and change our own lives. It's easier to monitor our neighbor than it is to let God search our Spirit. It's easier to acknowledge other people's guilt than to acknowledge our own. It's easier to compare ourselves to others than it is to compare ourselves to God.
Max Lucado in his book In the Grip of Grace says, "Judging others is the quick and easy way to feel good about ourselves. A convenience store ego-boost. Standing next to all the Mussolinis and Hitlers and Dahmers of the world, we boast, 'Look, God, compared to them, I'm not so bad.' But that's the problem. God doesn't compare us to them. They aren't the standard. God is. And compared to him, there is no one who is righteous. No, not one."
I want everyone here to hold his hand up in front of his face and point at me. So long as I am in focus notice what is not in focus. You! Now focus on your finger for a moment. Notice what is not in focus. Me! Judgmentalism takes the focus off of you and places it on others! And that's too easy. God wants you to look first at yourself andat your own faults. In comparison to Christ, we all have more than enough to keep us busy for a lifetime.
Judgmentalism is damaging behavior.
In Matthew 7:4 (NIV)Jesus says "How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"
Have any of you ever tried walking while looking through binoculars or a telescope? Even though you can see things a mile away, it's impossible to measure your next step. Through the binoculars the smallest step, even the slightest movement of your hand is completely distorted. Things are farther away than they appear. Try writing your name on a piece of paper or try tying your shoe while staring through binoculars. It is extremely difficult. Now imagine removing a speck from someone's eye while staring through binoculars. You are liable to poke his eye out.
Notice that the problem is never failing to see the speck in your brother's eye. It's larger than life! The problem is seeing things in their proper perspective so we can do surgery. The plank of sin in our own eye hinders our ability to restore our brother who is in sin. If we ignore something so big and obvious in our own life, how will we have the credibility to speak to others to help them in their lives? We are never really in a position to do surgery until we first correct our vision. This leads us to one last idea.
Judgmentalism is cured with self-judgment.
In Matthew 7:5 (NIV) Jesus says, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
A lot of people use this verse to sideline themselves. It is easy for us to overreact and retreat into isolation from other Christians while we attempt to work alone on our weaknesses. I was reading a book written by Stephen Strang, publisher of New Man Magazine which is a Promise Keepers' publication. At the beginning of his book Stephen confesses by saying, "one of the struggles I have had the past year is the conflict between giving advice on how to live for God and knowing well the weaknesses in my own life."
Stephen's struggle is a struggle I greatly identify with. Every week I am called to stand before you and preach God's word. How do we cope with the tension of helping our brothers and sisters in Christ with their sins, while at the same time wrestling with our own sins. Should I not preach on things I have not mastered? If so, I wouldn't preach!
In Matthew 7I believe that Jesus is exhorting us to be honest with ourselves about our sin. Parents, even though you struggle with sin you still need to instruct your kids in what is right and wrong and correct them when they sin. Jesus is asking us to be honest about our sins, to be humble, and to be gentle and kind. I try to practice what I preach and often I fail. But with God's help I keep trying. And I try to be honest about that struggle. And I do so while trying to guide others toward a deeper obedience to God.
I believe that Jesus wants us to see one another not as spiritual conquerors, but as fellow strugglers. We are all on a journey together. Tolerance shortchanges everything we can offer one another on this journey. Judgmentalism pretends to have arrived and short-circuits spiritual growth. But judging, judging with a small "j", judging with much generosity, with humility, patience, understanding, and mutual respect, draws us closer to God.