Matthew 7:1 (ESV)
“Judge not, that you be not judged.”
This is an oft quoted statement by Jesus, but it is almost always used apart
from what follows. Jesus’s point is not that we should never make judgments.
Clearly the Scriptures tell us to make judgments. For example, the Apostle Paul
calls for a judgment to be made in 1 Corinthians 5 regarding immorality in the
church. Even in this passage from Matthew, verse 5 talks about removing the
speck from your brother’s eye. Just make sure your vision is clear first.
What Jesus is saying is that how we judge others is the same measure by
which we will be judged. Therefore, instead of judging others, we must first
judge ourselves. I know a young man who is making judgments about others but
cannot see his own arrogance. I knew a young pastor who accused some in his
church of not being interested in growing in their faith, but he couldn’t see
how he cut people off who disagreed with him in any way. I hesitate to think
through how many judgments I have made of others, even my own family, while
blind to my own failures. “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”
(Mt. 7:5). Let’s take a good, hard look in the mirror before criticizing
others. We might just do a lot less criticizing and complaining.
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