Judging - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Matthew 7:1-5
July 10, 2005
Introduction
Have you ever had someone say to you, "Stop being so judgmental"? I have, a number of times, and generally a not-so-pleasant conversation begins.
Jesus commanded his followers to impact the world for him, and that involves telling others what Jesus and the rest of the Bible says about things.
Few issues create as much furor in our society today than the issue of judging. If you want to get someone mad at you real quick, just say that you think they are wrong about something they’ve said or done, or about an opinion or belief they have.
When you do that, you instantly become accused of being judgmental and intolerant.
Steve Martin said, "Never judge a man unless you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. Then you’ll be a mile away and you have his shoes."
Dare to share your opinion about saying, and you’re faced with, "Who are you to judge? Remember, Jesus said, "Don’t judge lest you be judged." And they’re right - Jesus did say that. But they’re also wrong in the insinuation that Jesus was condemning the entire concept of judging.
So today we’re going to look at these words of Jesus, along with what else he said when he spoke them, so we can get an idea of what Jesus was really talking about here.
Our passage is Matthew 7:1-5. I invite you to read along with me in your Bibles. If you don’t have a Bible or weren’t able to bring yours, you can use the Bibles in the seats in front of you. And this passage is found on page 685 of those Bibles.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
What is Jesus addressing, especially in verse 1? Is he saying that we should never judge?
No. He’s addressing the haughty and hypocritical attitude of those who think they’ve got it all together spiritually and who look down on others.
Again, as we read through the Sermon on the Mount, we find that one of the keystones is Jesus’ distaste for hypocrisy.
He rips the religious leaders of his time for saying one thing and doing another, and for displaying their religion for the sake of applause.
He’s not saying, "don’t judge at all." He’s saying, be careful when you judge."
So in trying to sort out what judging is all about and how to avoid looking like the hypocrites Jesus is discussing, I want us to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly about judging.
But before we do that, let’s pray.
The Good: Knowing the facts about judging.
People are real fond of quoting verse 1 -
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
And if that verse meant what most people think it means, ripped from its context like it is, then they would have a point.
But as I mentioned a bit ago, this verse doesn’t stand alone. And it’s not everything there is to consider about judging people.
So let’s look at some facts about judging in the hopes that we can answer those who accuse us of judging unjustly, and also to help us avoid the attitude Jesus is condemning in this passage.
Some facts about judging: First...
1. Not all judging is bad.
This flies in the face of everything our society is trying to tell us about judging. But this is so important to grasp and understand. And to help us do that, I want to direct your attention to the words of Jesus in John 7:24 -
"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
Here Jesus says something that on the surface seems like a contradiction to our passage in Matthew. But is it, really? Nope. In our passage in Matthew, Jesus is addressing the underlying attitude of hypocrisy and a critical spirit. In John, Jesus is discussing the shallowness of people’s judging, based on faulty data.
The Bible tells us all over the place that we are to people of good judgment, based on the principles of Scripture, not the principles of society. I’ll be discussing this a bit later.
But think with me a bit here. Can you imagine someone on trial for murder, and one of the jury members stands up in the middle of the trial and says, "I’m sorry, but I have no right to judge this person. It could be that he was destined by God to murder this person, if he did it at all. And who am I to judge him and his motives? Maybe God made him a murderer. We should just set him and all the other prisoners free, because we are not in a position to judge other people’s actions."
Well, after this person was removed from the courtroom by big guys wearing white coats, the trial could go on.
Folks, part of our job in society is to judge between good and evil. And to abdicate that responsibility is to invite anarchy and ruin.
Most folks, when referring to judging, however, are discussing social issues like drinking, homosexuality, abortion, or whatever.
But the principle is still the same. We’re to make judgments, and we’re to make them using the right measure.
Not all judging is bad. Here’s the second fact about judging we need to look at:
2. People judge all the time.
They really do.
Think about it for a moment. Ask anyone here in this building or in this city if they think that rape is good or bad.
Except for the rare whacko who thinks it’s good, you will find that everyone thinks it’s bad.
But guess what? Each of those people has made a moral judgement. They have judged the act of rape to be bad. Which means they also have some sense of what is good.
Go back to my courtroom example for a moment. It’s absurd, right? But it’s amazing how people are willing to say that it’s okay to judge in some areas but not in others.
I love it when people tell me they are "not judgmental." What they mean is that they try not to condemn people or their actions or opinions or whatever. And on the surface, that’s cool.
But what they really mean is that they think it’s okay to do whatever "that" is. Just pick any of the hot election-year issues of the past year, and that will come up again real soon as the President begins the process of picking Supreme Court justices.
People can look at the same issue and some will judge it to be good while others will judge it to be bad. In either case, both have made judgments.
"Non-judgmental" people are extremely judgmental. They just refuse to recognize and admit it.
And another think I’ve found - they are extremely judgmental and intolerant of any viewpoint that disagrees with their own. And that, folks, is the height of hypocrisy.
People judge all the time, whether or not they realize it. The question is what are they using as their measure of right and wrong. Here’s the third fact about judging I want us to look at today:
3. Judging does not need to be harsh.
Here’s where I think a lot of Christians go wrong, and pastors aren’t exempt.
We think that to pronounce a judgment automatically means that it has to be done with screaming and condemnation without any direction as to what to do about it besides shouting "Repent!" like some weirdo wearing a robe and sandals, and carrying a sign around the town.
Folks, I suggest that you look at the model of Jesus. He rarely, if ever, used harsh words toward those in sin. He never condoned it, and he never brushed it aside. But when he confronted it, he didn’t brow-beat and scream.
He saved his harshness for those who pretended to be religious but in reality were no better than the people they were condemning.
Make no mistake - we need to be firm. But when confronting sin or an unbiblical attitude, we need to spend as much time offering hope and solutions as we do pointing out the error.
When we’re harsh, it comes across as mean and condescending. This was the attitude of the Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jesus. And truth be told, it’s still around in the church today.
Listen to what the apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 -
... the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Did you hear that phrase, "gently instruct?" That’s a long way from, "YOU’RE GOING TO HELL, YOU DISGUSTING SINNER!!!! REPENT, YOU SCUZBALL, BECAUSE JESUS LOVES YOU AND SO DO I!!!"
You see, they may very well be going to hell, but Paul says we’re to help them find their way out of that destination, not just tell them they’re condemned.
When you can talk to people about their sin in a reasoned and reasonable manner, chances are that they will be much more open to the Holy Spirit showing them the truth of your words.
So know the facts about judging and what it entails - because that’s good. Let’s move on now to...
The Bad: Using the wrong measure.
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
As we looked at before, Jesus is not saying we should never judge. And he says in this verse that how you judge others will be the measure of how you are judged in relation to that person.
What Jesus was rightly condemning was the hypocritical judging and blind criticism of the Pharisees.
The point here is that you need to be careful about the measure you use in judging.
And one of the wrong measures is discussed here in Colossians 2:8 -
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
The views of society are not reliable - they shift with the wind. And you know what? Society is wrong many times. And when we base our opinions of right and wrong on what society wants, you’re in for a rude awakening, because what they accept today will be condemned tomorrow.
Truth is not determined by majority opinion. And "acceptedness" in society is not a rule of whether or not something is "right."
The standard for what is acceptable has to be universally true for all, and "outside" the parties involved, because then we don’t have to worry about the personal prejudices of the day.
So what should be the standard? Jesus.
John 1:1, 14 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Here’s something that has helped me when I’m accused of being judgmental: I simply tell them that I’m not the one being judgmental - God is. He’s spoken about something and he’s judged it to be right or wrong. If they don’t like it, then their disagreement is with God, not me, and they can take it up with him.
My job is to communicate what God has said, and to do it in a reasoned and reasonable manner.
And here’s why this is so important: if Jesus is right, then the world is in a world of hurt, both now and when the end comes.
Because the Bible is the standard God will use to judge us. If we believe in Christ as the Bible says, then we are saved. If we disregard what the Bible says about how to get to heaven, then we’re lost.
God created heaven and he created you and me. He has the right to set the rules and the standards. We don’t have the right to tell God he’s wrong.
Don’t use the wrong measure - because that’s bad. Let’s head down the backstretch and move from the good and the bad, to...
The Ugly: Blindness to your own issues.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Here’s where we’re going to get a little personal. Not naming names or anything, but talking about stuff that’s probably gonna hit close to home for some people.
Now would be a good time to pull your feet back because they might get stepped on.
One working definition of hypocrisy is condemning others without dealing with your own sinfulness.
Example: Condemning homosexual behavior without recognizing or doing anything about your sinful gossiping!
Another example: accusing others of being judgmental when they are being judgmental of someone else.
Or they fail to recognize that by criticizing someone else, they are judging them.
Now I’d say that’s being a bit hypocritical.
But there’s something else that needs to be recognized here and I want to mention this before we move on to how to avoid this trap.
Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t help people see their problem. He just says that we need to remove the blinders from our own eyes so we can help that person better. Does that make sense? We’re not ignoring someone else’s faults, we’re simply working on our faults as we help them.
Let’s look at some ways to avoid the hypocrisy Jesus warns about. I’ve printed Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message) in your note-taking guide, because it lays a great groundwork for what I want to share with you today. Please read this aloud with me, okay?
If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Here we go. The first way to avoid that hypocrisy is to...
1. Look in the mirror.
"...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
We’ve just discussed this, so I won’t go into it anymore except to say that you absolutely must recognize that you are not perfect, and that there are areas of your life that the Holy Spirit is not done working on.
When you understand that, you’re much less likely to come across as harsh and condemning.
The second way to avoid the hypocrisy Jesus warns about is to...
2. Confirm that the concern is actually Biblical.
A lot of people, including a lot of Christians, get worked up about lots of stuff that is not a concern from a Biblical standpoint.
For instance, musical styles we listen to. Folks, there is good music and there is bad music, and it has nothing to do with what kinds of instruments are used or not used.
If you come into my office during the week, you’re just as likely to hear southern gospel as you are to hear Christian rock or classical music. Right, Nichole?
Another example would be television. There are plenty of people who feel that Christians should not watch television. And while I’d be the first to agree that there is plenty of garbage on the TV, that does not mean that it is ALL bad, or even MOSTLY bad.
You need to exercise good judgment (gasp!) about what you watch, because Jesus was very clear that what we allow to come into our lives through our eyes has an impact on us.
My point here is that before we go to someone to tell them they are "wrong" or "in sin," or whatever, make sure you have a Biblical basis for your concern. If you don’t, you may just have to gut it up and let it go.
There are plenty of things going on that have clear Scriptural teachings that we need to address.
Here’s the third way to avoid the hypocrisy so often associated with judging, and that is to...
3. Offer help and encouragement.
It’s easy to criticize. I can do that with my eyes closed. Watch this. "You’re too tall. You’re too short. Your hair’s too long. Your hair’s too short. You stink. You drive too fast..."
It’s easy to point out problems. It’s another thing altogether to work to find solutions.
It takes work to come alongside someone and say, "Let me help you with that." Or, "You know, God calls that a sin. But Jesus died for that sin. Let me help you find the freedom Jesus offers you, okay?"
Or when you see a fellow Christian struggling, to come alongside and say, "You know what? I’d love to do all I can to help you with this. Let’s pray together, talk, and look at the Scriptures and let God do his thing."
Offer help and encouragement.
Conclusion
Well folks, there you go. The good, the bad, and the ugly about judging.
All judging isn’t bad, but how we do it and how we communicate make all the difference.
We are commanded by Scripture to make righteous judgments, based on the timeless truths of the Bible, not on the changing whims of society.
And we’re cautioned to examine ourselves as we look at the lives of others.
Folks, how you handle this can make or break you relationship with someone, and can impact them for eternity.
If you are harsh and condemning, you run the risk of that person rejecting Christ for the rest of their lives and paying for it for all eternity.
But if you are firm but understanding, not quarrelsome, and not unaware of your own shortcomings, you have a real chance of helping that person find Christ and enjoying the benefits for all eternity, beginning right away on earth.
The saying, "Look before you leap" applies here. Look at yourself before leaping into quick judgment.
And if you feel the need to judge, then pray that God will help you judge how best to approach it.
Let’s pray.
