Judge Not …

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

It seems whenever you judge something that people don’t like, they quote this verse of scripture. If I don’t sometimes judge, then everything is potentially fine. Somebody can rob me and I can’t judge what they do as bad? I don’t quite understand why I shouldn’t judge some things.

First, we judge a lot in life. We judge the food we eat. Is it nutritional? Is it good for our bodies? We judge who is the best skater or contestant in a beauty pageant. We judge many, many things?

But is it right to judge people?

If it isn’t, then we have to agree to see only the good in a great many villains in history. There will be some who will argue, for example, that we don’t understand the circumstances that terrorists face. If we did, we would be more sympathetic to their situation.

I remember reading a story of how the Irish Republican Army went into a man’s home and gave him a choice. He would either ram a car full of explosives he was to drive into a British outpost or they would kill his wife and children. I don’t think I want to even try to understand the type of mind that would do such a thing. I don’t care if you think if I am wrong in judging these people to be bad. Tough! Doing what they did was wrong.

Of course we have to judge people. We do it all the time. Somebody enters a room. As soon as they do, you make a decision or two. You think he looks handsome, well dressed, smart, etc. Now, I don’t think this type of judging is fair, but people still do it.

And the fact you judge people is often good. If you didn’t judge people, you would fall for every scam that’s out there. You would never choose somebody to buy a car from, represent you in a court of law or go out on a date with. You would simply let life flow over you without any care of what was best for your development as a human being. You would believe everything you are told.

However, when I am in doubt, I often ask others. One person I go to is Ron, a friend of mine. He is able to read the Bible in Greek and Hebrew. I trust his opinion a lot. I asked him about this particular passage of scripture. Here is his reply.

What is funny about this quote is not the quote itself, but the fact that those who cite it usually demonstrate by the way they do so that they do not understand it. They use this 'killer blow' in order to rebuke anyone who expresses a negative judgment about someone else. Of course, their rebuke rebounds against them. Their point is, "You are wrong to criticize others." But this statement is in itself a criticism of the individual to whom it is addressed, so it applies equally to the rebuker.

Those who cite these words usually divorce them from the illumination provided by their literary context. Many Biblical words have a wide range of meanings that is controlled by their individual contexts. In this passage, as in many others, Jesus uses hyperbole to make a point dramatically. In the context of this quote in Mt 7:1-6, it is clear that what Jesus is speaking about is not, strictly speaking, judgment per se, but harsh or unfair judgment. One contextual indicator invites this understanding of His meaning, and another absolutely requires it.

The first of these is His remark (in verses 2f) that the standard of judgment that we use will be applied to us. Clearly we will be judged, but none of us wants to be judged harshly or unfairly.

The second contextual indicator that absolutely requires this interpretation is his parallel command in verse 6 to not cast our pearls before swine. We must obey this instruction, but in order to be able to obey it one must first judge certain individuals to be swine, spiritually speaking. You cannot do this if you entirely rule out the propriety of judging or negatively assessing others.

Thus, the meaning of verses one and six is clarified by their being placed alongside one another. A similar crucial pair of verses is found in Proverbs 26:4 & 5. Taken literally, these two verses seem to contradict each other, until you realize that each of them expresses a worthwhile principle. The insightful reader appreciates that the key is in knowing which of them to apply in a given situation. The same is true of this pair of commands from our Lord.

Ron, you said it well. Thank you.