Judge Not, You Swine! - THE POKING STICK

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” — Matthew 7:1–5 (NKJV)

An Introduction

Matthew 7:1 is a favorite verse among modern Christians and their respective opponents. The verse is often complimented with the pious statement “who am I to judge?” The words “Judge not” have unfortunately solidified themselves as the rallying cry of passive Christians. On the other end of the spectrum, these words are proclaimed with confidence by practical atheists who quote Scripture when it’s convenient. It would appear that there are two prominent conclusions when it comes to judgment: first, nobody has the right to judge, and second, nobody deserves to be judged. The existence of these two perspectives has drastically muddied the waters. The malpractice of judgment (or the lack thereof) has tainted the church’s perspective on what biblical judgment really is. The result of this has been the cultivation of a church culture that discourages Christians from confronting each other. Yet it would seem that the church would rather scream at the world around them, and to this the world says “Judge not!” But who am I to judge? What if I told you that the idea that the words “Judge not” means to not judge is incorrect. Matthew 7:1 wasn’t a command against judging others, but rather it is the beginning of how you should judge others.

“Isn’t there a verse somewhere in the Bible?”

Let’s take some time to address the elephant in the room. Yes, the words “Judge not” are in the Bible, but a good rule of thumb for your biblical interpretation is to avoid using segments of verses to make conclusions. Surrounding these two words, there is some context to consider. Many would love for Matthew 7 to end at verse 4, but this portion of Scripture actually ends at verse 5 with you, the reader, removing specks out of your brother’s eye. Judging others is the end of the matter. This fits perfectly in Matthew 7 because the chapter is littered with instructions to exercise judgment. Jesus instructs his listeners to discern dogs and swine from their brother (v. 6), and identify false prophets (v. 15). These exercises of judgment are far more accepted by Christians. This form of judgment is labeled as discernment (which is just another word for judgment). We make these judgment calls every day. It comes in the form of hanging up on the telemarketer or passing up on the gas station sushi. These could be considered micro-judgments. They do not have spiritual significance, but they are judgments nonetheless. But it seems that very few Christians readily jump at the opportunity to exercise judgment towards their brother or sister (and the ones that do should probably shut up). I’d argue that the lack of judgment among believers stems from the malpractice of judgment becoming what most would associate with the term. When we see judgment practiced in a harmful way, we are tempted to do away with it all. We must keep in mind that the unhealthy exercise of judgment (i.e. Pharisaical judgment) is a misrepresentation of biblical judgment. So yeah, the Bible says “Judge not”, but let’s remember that Jesus is speaking about a hypocritical judgment (the kind that prompts folk to abandon all judgment). With this in mind, it is best to take the idea of judgment (with all of its misconceptions) back to the text; therefore, we are going to see what Jesus describes as proper judgment.

Hypocrite! – Jesus

Before we can understand what good judgment looks like, we have to understand what the poor practice of judgment looks like. The worst practice of judgment is rooted in hypocrisy, and this is what Jesus was speaking against. Matthew 7 begins with the instruction to not judge, but this is qualified with the understanding that the one who judges will also be judged. Jesus follows this up by stating that not only will you be judged, but you also be judged by your own standard (v. 2). The Bible is far more practical than we give it credit. Jesus is not commanding that we abstain from all judgment, but rather he is commanding us to abstain from exercising a judgment that we cannot uphold. This is all within the context of the person judging with a plank in their eye (i.e. a hypocrite). The moment someone who has unchecked sin in their hearts begins to judge a couple of things happen. First, they set themselves up to be judged by a standard that they cannot uphold. Second, they effectively become a hypocrite (v. 5). This is the entire premise of the judge not statement.

An Opened-Toed Thought Experiment

Hypothetically, let’s say I was secretly sinning by wearing opened-toed shoes in the privacy of my home, yet I took every opportunity to point out my brothers and sisters in Birkenstocks. Hypothetically, I believe the strictest form of church discipline should be exercised against the Philistines that would dare reveal their toes. Realistically, you can bet that the moment my brothers and sisters see me in a pair of sandals, two things will happen: First, I will be ousted as a hypocrite, and second, I will receive the discipline that I demanded to be exercised on others. Now just because I was a hypocrite in my judgment does not mean that my brother who wore closed-toed shoes all along should remain silent. Of course, open-toed shoes are not evil, but the point remains. When I begin to look at my brothers and sisters and judge them, I am setting myself up to be judged by my own standard. If I am judging hypocritically, Then it would be better to not judge at all because I cannot uphold the standard that I am imposing on others.

How Then Should We Judge?

With the issue of hypocrisy aside, the question remains, what does good judgment look like? Good, healthy judgment begins with a judgment of self (v. 5). Before any judgment can take place, a thorough examination of my own heart must take place. This is what Jesus means by removing a plank from your own eye. There is a practical purpose in identifying and removing the unchecked sins from your life before judging your brother. The reason we remove the planks from our eyes is so that we can see clearly. Why must we see clearly? To help pull the specks from our brother’s eye. Paul puts it this way, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted (Gal. 6:1).” The prerequisite for restoring your brother here is that you must be spiritual. If you are going to approach your brother who has a speck in his eye with any carnal motivation, then you should not judge. Once our motive for confronting a fellow believer is void of any carnality, then we can approach them. If this is done right, then there should be no worry about being a hypocrite. The one who has checked themselves does not have to fear being judged because they know that they can uphold the standard that they impose. Notice though that the purpose of judging others is restoration — not condemnation. The reason we judge our brothers and sisters is to restore them to where they need to be. The malpractice of judgment leads to destruction, but proper judgment leads to restoration. So maybe we shouldn’t be asking who we are to judge, but rather who are we to restore? This is put on display in Matthew 18. The end goal of all confrontation and judgment is to win back a brother or sister.

Things to Consider

What an opportunity we have to restore our brothers and sisters that fall, but our eyes must be clear. The church needs clear eyes. The church needs judgment.

If we are being honest, we make judgments every day, but why is it that we have become so opposed to judging each other? Will we have plenty to say about the world around us, but get quiet when it comes to in-house issues? Will we pass up on opportunities to restore our brothers and sisters to avoid an awkward conversation? Are our eyes so full of planks that we could not withstand any judgment that we dish out? Paul asked “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge (1 Cor. 5:12 ESV).” I would be remiss if I do not acknowledge that Christians have a knack for being mad at the world. If you spend enough time on social media you will find that Christians have plenty to say about the state of our world. This leads me to believe that Christians care enough about the world to call it out on its sin, but not our own people? I encourage you to prioritize a life characterized by the things of the Spirit so that your eyes can be free from planks. What an opportunity we have to restore our brothers and sisters that fall, but our eyes must be clear. The church needs clear eyes. The church needs judgment.

— Cory Woodard

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