Are We Allowed To Judge?

A little boy went over to a pastor’s house, where the pastor was doing some carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for quite a long time. The preacher wondered why this boy was watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, “Son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?” The little boy replied, “No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.”

In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Often, people discover what we are made of by what comes out of our mouth in both good and bad circumstances. What comes out is called “fruit.” Are you producing good fruit? Or is the opposite true? If you are a Christian, then people should be able to look for and find good fruit in your life. But when we make a determination on someone’s fruit, isn’t that the same thing as judging them?

No one likes to be judged. You hear people all the time say, “Don’t judge me!” The Urban Dictionary tells us about this statement, “Don’t judge me first appeared in the year 2000. It is used to avoid dirty or confused looks after expressing ones opinion. Objectioners rarely intervene once this quote is uttered, in fear of offending.”(1) From a pastor’s perspective, I will add that the phrase “Don’t judge me” is used by those who do not want to be confronted about their unbiblical opinions and immoral lifestyle choices.

So, how do we evaluate good fruit from bad fruit? As believers, are we allowed to judge others? I meet Christians all the time who will gladly remind you of how Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). They will adamantly point out that Christians shouldn’t judge people. What they really mean is, “Don’t judge me! If I want to hold unbiblical opinions as a Christian, or do immoral things every now and then, then that’s none of your business!” Well actually, it just might be our business when it comes to our relationship with fellow believers; and that’s what we’re going to look at today.

We Must Judge Ourselves before Others (vv. 37, 41-42)

37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven . . . 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,” when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.

In verse 37, Jesus said “judge not,” and then He went on to explain why we should be careful about judging. He mentioned something about removing a “speck,” which can be translated as splinter; and He spoke about a “plank,” which can be translated as log. According to commentator A. T. Robertson, Jesus was referring to a large log within the ceiling of a house that held up the roof, such as a ceiling joist. He says that Jesus made reference to an old Arabic proverb which says, “How can you see the splinter in your brother’s eye, and not see the cross-beam in your own eye?”(2)

I love the way the Visual Bible movie presents Jesus teaching on the mountain. It depicts Him walking over, reaching for someone’s walking stick, and then holding it up to His eye, while everyone gets in a good laugh. Can you imagine a man with a big long plank, or a huge log, sticking out of his eye while trying to remove a tiny splinter from someone else’s eye? He wouldn’t be able to maneuver close enough to the other person without knocking him upside the head! Jesus was saying we often harm others in our attempt to correct them; when in reality, we are the ones with the massive problem. So, we must first examine ourselves for transgressions.

In James 4:11-12, we read, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” After hearing what James said, we might think to ourselves, “That’s right! I knew it all along! No one is supposed to judge! I can’t judge you, and you can’t judge me! The next time you want to hate on me and judge how I live, I can rightly tell you to stay in your lane!”