We now come to a section of the Sermon on the Mount that has often been greatly misunderstood and misapplied. The purpose of this lesson is to try and come to some understanding of what Jesus actually meant when He said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
I. A CONDEMNING SPIRIT REBUKED
A. The Meaning v. 1
1. Some have taken the Lord’s admonition concerning judging to mean that we are not to engage in any form of analysis or evaluation of others. In other words, this line of thinking says that we cannot conclude that a person’s behavior or lifestyle is wrong, and that they are wrong for engaging in it.
2. The emphasis today seems to be on tolerance and acceptance. We are told that to be tolerant and accepting is to accept any lifestyle and any act without any critical evaluation.
3. Those who would like to justify all manner of evil use this commandment to chasten anyone who would take a stand for righteousness.
4. The word "judge" has a variety of meanings in the Scriptures which makes a right interpretation of the Lord’s words more difficult. The word "judge" can mean:
a. To weigh carefully and form an opinion - 1 Corinthians 10:15, 11:13
b. To assume or draw a conclusion - Luke 7:43
c. To regard or account as so - Acts 16:15
d. To try before a court - John 18:31
e. To condemn - John 7:51
5. By comparing Scripture with Scripture it becomes obvious that the Lord’s words in verse 1 are not to be taken as an endorsement of moral tolerance and politically correct speech.
a. Matthew 7:6 - How are we to discern what kind of person can be considered a "dog" if we don’t exercise some sort of judgement?
b. Matthew 7:15 - How can we be aware of false prophets if we are not allowed to make any kind of assessment concerning their teaching?
c. Ephesians 5:11 - Doesn’t this call for some sort of judgement on our part?
d. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 - In order to decide who is "walking disorderly" we are going to have to make a judgement.
e. Romans 16:17 - How do we determine which brethren are guilty of these things?
6. Jesus rebuked a group of people for not exercising judgement (Luke 12:57).
7. The Jews were encouraged to "judge righteous judgement" in John 7:24.
8. Hebrews 5:14 - The word "discern" literally means "judicial estimation."
9. Clearly, we are to exercise a degree of discernment and we are called upon from time to time to "judge righteous judgement."
10. What the Lord is rebuking in these verses is judgement which is:
a. Intrusive
(1) Intruding into the affairs of others and making judgements in matters that do not pertain to us is strictly forbidden in the Scriptures.
(2) 1 Thessalonians 4:11
(3) 1 Peter 4:15
b. Presumptuous
(1) Judging presumptuously occurs when we treat mere suspicions or unconfirmed rumors as though they were fact.
(2) We judge presumptuously when we assume to know the motives of another.
(3) We infringe upon the office of God when we pass such judgement.
c. Hypocritical
(1) Romans 2:1
(2) It is this self-righteous, condemning, holier-than-thou kind of judgement that the Lord had foremost in mind in this passage.
(3) Regardless of what our standing may be in the world or in the church, to censor that in others, which we allow in ourselves, is reprehensible.
d. Rash
(1) Before passing judgement on anyone, we would do well to fully investigate the matter and make sure our judgement is based on well established fact.
(2) Genesis 11:5
(3) Genesis 18:21
(4) Proverbs 18:13
e. Unmerciful
(1) While we are not to wink at sin or excuse wrongdoing, at the same time, we are not to go about looking for some evil to condemn in others.
(2) Many times the tendency on our part is to ignore any good that may exist in a person and to look for the slightest hint of something that may be less than perfect. And when we see a sign of any imperfection, we are ready to call down fire on them (Luke 9:54).
B. The Measure v. 2
1. There are those who believe this verse to mean that we are to refrain from judging other people, if we ourselves do not wish to be judged. If we do not want others to be critical of us, we should resist the temptation to be critical ourselves.
2. But to limit the meaning to this alone is to fall short. This interpretation weakens the full impact of what Christ would have us to know about being overly judgmental.
3. There is a far worse judgement with which we are to be judged than that of man. There is the judgement which will issue forth from the "judgement seat of Christ."
4. Romans 14:10-12
5. 2 Corinthians 5:10
6. We will be judged by the same standards with which we judge others. If we hold others to an exceptionally high standard of morality, yet we ourselves live by a lower standard, we will be judged, not by the standard we live by, but by the standard we expect others to live by.
C. The Mote vs. 3-5
1. A "mote" is a "dry twig" while a "beam" is a "stick of timber." The point is easily enough understood. We are so quick to catch even the smallest fault in our brother, while at the same time, we overlook a much greater fault in ourselves.
2. Notice the word "beholdest." It indicates that the person who is judging is definitely on the lookout for something to criticize. A speck in the eye of another could only be seen by one who is engaged in very close and strict scrutiny.
3. In these verses, the Lord is telling us in so many words that in reality, we are unable to rightly judge another person because we cannot even rightly judge ourselves. If we could rightly judge ourselves, why do we have a "stick of timber" protruding from our eye?
4. This "beam" has blinded us to our own faults and failures.
5. Most of the time, when unlawful judgement takes place, it is not based on principles as much as it is based on personalities. If there is bias and prejudice on our part, we are not fit to be a judge.
6. Even a court of law recognizes this fact. No one can participate in a trial as a juror who is biased or prejudiced against the one being tried. They are dismissed as an unfit juror.
II. A DISCERNING SPIRIT RECOMMENDED v. 6
At first glance, this verse seems to be a totally unconnected and separate thought from those just considered. However, that is not the case. It appears that the Lord included this verse to demonstrate the need for balance in our life as a child of His.
If the Lord had finished His teaching with verse 5, it would undoubtedly have led to a false position. Men and women would be so afraid of judging wrongly that they would not have exercised any whatsoever. Without the teaching of verse 6, people would be afraid to expose and judge heresy, and therefore the church would be full of doctrinal error.
It is because they forget the this addition to our Lord’s teaching on judging that so many people show a lack of discrimination and are ready to praise and recommend anything that is put before them which vaguely claims the name Christian.
The truth is, while the Lord does not want us to be condemning, He does want us to be discerning. In other words, we are to recognize error, but not with a vindictive, vitriolic spirit.
By using the phrase "that which is holy", and the word "pearls", Jesus is referring to the truth of the gospel. The "dogs" of Palestine were not the same as the domesticated dogs of our day. They were wild dogs. They were very fierce and dangerous animals. The word "swine", in the Jewish mind, conjured up thoughts of that which was unclean and unholy.
What the Lord is teaching us here is that while we are not to be condemning toward others, we are to be discerning in our presentation of the gospel and in the sharing of Biblical truth.
A. Biblical Illustrations
1. The Word of God provides us with some illustrations of the principle taught in verse 6.
2. Jesus dealt differently with different people. He dealt with the self-righteous Pharisees differently than He dealt with publicans and sinners. Those who had some knowledge of spiritual things were dealt with on a different level than those who had absolutely no knowledge.
3. The truth never varied, but the presentation of that truth varied from person to person.
4. Two radical applications of this truth can be seen in Acts 13:44-46 and Acts 18:5-6.
B. Personal Application
1. Not everyone is going to respond the same way to the presentation of spiritual truth.
2. We are called upon to recognize the differences in people, and to adjust our presentation of the truth accordingly, if we present it at all.
3. For those who have no genuine interest in spiritual things and whose desire is only to mock and ridicule, we are wasting our "casting our pearls before swine" and "giving that which is holy to dogs" when we share with them the truths of the Word of God.
4. We waste valuable time and effort trying to convince people of doctrinal truth, who have no intention of changing regardless of how obvious the truth may be.
