Judge Not That You Be Not Judged

Mayor Gerardo Balmori

The Salvation Army

Introduction:

As Jesus looked at the religious situation of his day, he saw that judging others had become a

great religious problem. The Pharisees and scribes sat

in the place of the critic. They were quick to pass judgment on those who didn’t live up to their

expectations.

I. Don’t Judge (Matthew 7:1-2)

When Jesus was in the house of Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman anointed his feet,

Simon said, "This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is

who is touching him, for she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39). The Pharisees, in their self-righteous

arrogance, had created a special class of people called "sinners," as if they themselves were not

such.

Whenever we make a judgment, we do so based on what we have seen and sometimes that’s not

enough to provide the whole picture. Human judgment is limited to the information which we

put into it and sometimes that isn’t enough to make an accurate judgment.

The Indians had their way of saying this: "Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his

moccasins."

But that goes to show the limits of what we sometimes see in other people. God once made the

point that "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Samuel

16:7). That’s why I don’t have the right to sit in judgment on someone else’s motives, because I

don’t know what they are. Only the Lord knows all.

II. Searching for Specks (Matthew 7:3-5)

There’s another problem with “Pharisee righteousness”. Not only was it overly critical, but it was

also hypocritical. It was two-faced. We like to look at people with bifocals. We use the bottom

part to see ourselves, and it has kind of a rosy tint to it. We tend to look past any shortcomings.

But the top part we use to look at others. And that’s the hypocrisy Jesus was denouncing.

It’s like the parable in Luke 18 where a goes to the temple to pray. The Pharisee looks through

the top part of his bifocals and says, "Oh my! I’m glad I’m not like that scumbag out there." And

then he looks through the bottom part and says to God, "You are just so blessed to have me on

your side." That’s the kind of judging Jesus condemned.

We’re not qualified to sit in judgment on others because it’s impossible to

be impartial -- we’re influenced by our own imperfections. Jesus here uses the graphic example

of a plank of wood and a speck of dust.

Even though we are unqualified, we still judge. And we often do so for selfish reasons; it makes

us feel better. If we have a problem with sin in our own lives, it takes a little pressure off to point

the finger at others for a while. It makes our sin seem not so bad after all. But, Jesus warns us

that we’ve got to clean up our own act before we tamper with the lives of others.

When I spend my time pointing my finger at your sin, my attention is distracted from my own

sins, and that’s the real danger of judging. We’re all sinners, and we’re to work together as a

family to overcome our sins. But ultimately, the only sins over which I have control are my own,

and those are the ones that should command my greatest attention.

But it’s important for us to notice that he didn’t stop there. He didn’t instruct us to stay out of

other people’s business. Rather, he gave us the responsibility of helping our brother: "First

remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of

your brother’s eye." (7:5).

What’s the loving, Christian thing to do when someone comes to you and he’s got a speck in his

eye? Turn and walk away? No! Do you say, "Oh, no. I could never take that speck out of your eye.

I’ve had specks in my eye before"? Of course not! He’s got something in his eye and he needs it

taken out.

Or suppose a child comes to you with a splinter in his finger. He’s crying, "Please take this

splinter out!" What’s the Christian thing to do? Leave the splinter there? No! You take the

splinter out. So Jesus was saying there is a place for some discernment in people’s lives. If you

see brothers or sisters who have specks in their eyes, you need to help them take it out!

But first you take out the two-by-four of self-righteousness out of your own eye. Paul put it this

way, ""Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in