The first verse of scripture we read today at the beginning of this passage is undoubtedly the most famously known verse in the Bible among those who are not believers. Yet unfortunately, though they know the verse well enough, they do not understand very well what it means. For the unsaved, or even for the so called carnal Christian, it is the proof text that they hope gives accommodation to whatever lifestyle they chose to live.
However, just a few verses further in this chapter, in vs 15-16, Jesus says that we shall know them by their fruits. And so it is evident that some sort of judgment is necessary and even commended for Christians. So a careful analysis of what Jesus said, as well as what the scriptures say elsewhere is obviously needed. And we hope to do that this morning.
As you are all probably aware, today’s text is a part of the greater Sermon on the Mount, which we have been studying for several months now. And in our study we have emphasized repeatedly the importance of considering the minutiae of individual verses in the greater context of the sermon.
In chapter 6, we especially noted the principle which is that the Father is always looking at us. He sees the heart, the motivation behind what we appear to be on the outside. And so it is in this section, we are to remember that we are always walking under the watchful eye of our Father in heaven. Even though Jesus’s instruction appears to be mainly concerned with our relationship to others, yet still the important thing is our relationship to God. What man thinks of us is not as important as what God thinks of us. We must remember that in this new life we have in Christ, that it is but a moment, a transitory span of time, and that we are all headed towards a final destination, and to a final judgment, and an ultimate assessment before the Lord.
The Christian would always remember that he is walking in the presence of God, that he is going on to meet God, and that reality should be the basis for all that he does in life. And if we truly are God’s children, then we are undergoing a process of refinement, a process of judgment and discipline, because we are being prepared for the final judgment. As the scriptures tell us; we shall all have to give an account for the things which we do and say while on the earth.
So our Lord begins this section dealing with how we are to walk in this world under the eye of God by saying “Do not judge…” Simply looking up the word judge in the dictionary is not going to answer our questions as to what the Lord meant in such a saying. As I said at the beginning, the world loves to quote this verse back to us as a means of excusing their lifestyle. It’s also used by spineless, liberal churches to promote an easy believism style of Christianity that is opposed to nothing, stands for nothing, and consequently, amounts to nothing.
So it is vital that we understand correctly what it is that the Lord is teaching here. As I mentioned, vs 15 of this same chapter indicates that we are to judge in regards to false teachers. Futhermore, any student of the Bible knows that the State or government is given the responsibility to judge in certain judicial matters. God uses the government to restrain evil and punish evildoers. So the government is supposed to judge in certain situations.
And not only the State, but also the Church is supposed to judge. How do we determine if someone is a false teacher or not unless we exercise judgment? Titus says, “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning.” (Titus 3:10) How do you know if a man is disagreeable towards the gospel unless you are able to judge his actions? Jesus said in John 7:24, “Judge with righteous judgment.” He says in Matthew 18 that if a man is in sin, go to him privately. And if he doesn’t listen to you, go again with one or two more. And if he denies you again, then take him to the church. And if he neglects the church, then let him be to you as a heathen. And there are many more instances in scripture where we are told as a church to exercise judgment.
So what does the Lord mean when He says, “do not judge?” I think the problem is illustrated in the attitude of the Pharisees. Remember the Pharisee and the sinner who went to the temple to pray and the Pharisee thumped his chest and said, “Lord, I thank you that I am not like that man.” It was the comparative, condemning attitude that was so wrong. It’s a self righteousness that finds it’s validation in comparing themselves to others and then condemning those who they think are less righteous than they are.
But the Bible makes it clear it’s not just Pharisees that have this problem. After all, this sermon was addressed to Christians, to those who were believers. This attitude of condemnation is something that affects us all. It’s a self righteous spirit. A critical spirit. He is talking about a self righteousness or superiority that expresses itself in a derogatory manner, and ultimately ends up in contempt for others and puts a stumbling block in front of others.
A good commentary on this principle is found in Romans 14 where Paul says to avoid judging one another in respect to food or drink or a Sabbath day. They had been exalting those matters to a primary position in the church, and judging and condemning others who did not share their views. And Paul says such was wrong. Rom. 14:10, 12 “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ... 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Now then, Jesus has given the principle, “Do not judge.” And so He then does as He has when presenting other principles, which is to give the reasons we should obey it. The first reason is “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.” The common understanding of this would be summed up in the adage, “those that live in glass houses should not throw rocks.” In other words, those that criticize others can’t stand it when they receive criticism.
And while there is truth in that, that is not really what Jesus is saying here. He is not speaking of being judged by others, but do not judge, lest you be judged by God. God is the judge. As the verses we just read in Romans 14 say, “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ... 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Now this is not a popular doctrine among a lot of evangelicals today. They point out that John 5:24 says that if we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have passed out of judgment into life. Or they add Romans 8:1, which says, “There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” And so they think that we have escaped all judgment if we are a Christian.
But remember, this passage we are looking at today, as well as the one in Romans 14, is addressed to the Christian as well. Those who have been made a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. So it behooves us to be reminded that there are three types of judgment. Lack of understanding of the three types of judgment causes many Christians to be overly glib in regards to what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord.
First of all, there is the judgment which is the final judgment. Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” There is a judgment which determines the Christian from the non Christian, the sheep from the goats, those destined for heaven and those destined for hell. This is the great judgment which decides those who are a part of the Kingdom of God and those who are not.
Then there is a second judgment to which we are subject to as God’s children. Paul speaks of this judgment in regards to communion, in 1 Corinthians 11. He warns against eating the supper unworthily, because you eat damnation unto yourself. In vs. 29 Paul says, “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.(are dead) But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
The point is clear that God judges HIs children when they are guilty of sin or living in sin. Paul says the punishment may result in sickness and even death. Paul speaks of another incident involving punishment and discipline of a believer in 1Cor. 5:5 “[I have decided] to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” In other words, the sinning person may be allowed to die in order that His spirit may be saved at the judgment. But as Paul said in chapter 11, if we examined ourselves, and judged ourselves rightly, then we would not be judged. So it is quite incorrect for a Christian to assume that there is no accountability in regards to his actions once he has been saved.
That’s why Hebrews 12:6 tells us that “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” If you are truly a child of God, then He promises to discipline you, even to scourge, that is to whip those that He loves. And conversely, if you do not receive discipline, then you are not a son, but an illegitimate child. Once again, the principle is that we are all under the watchful eye of our Heavenly Father, and God is watching our lives and judging our sinfulness, all for our benefit.
There is a third kind of judgment taught in scripture, the judgment which is often referred to as the judgment of rewards, or the Bema seat judgment. Romans 14 again states, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 1 Cor. 3 says that “everyman’s work shall be made manifest,” and the “day shall declare it.” Whatever a man builds upon the foundation, whether gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble, it will all be judged by fire. So there is a judgement of our work since we became a Christian.
2Cor. 5:10-11 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.” That is addressed not to unbelievers, but to Christians. We are judged in this judgment not to determine our eternal destiny, but it is a judgment that will affect our eternal destiny, deciding what will happen to us in the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven. As indicated in Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Notice their deeds follow with them. Our works follow us into heaven.
So the chief reason then, why we are not to judge, is so that we are not judged ourselves by the Lord. We must be careful to obey His word, as we live now in this world. If we judge, then He says we shall be judged in terms of that very judgment we rendered.
So the second reason for not judging is because the Lord says, ““For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” In other words, when we judge, we end up producing judgment upon ourselves. We even set the standard of judgment. (by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you). The world calls this principle karma, that you get back what you give out. But that falls short of what Jesus is talking about.
The Lord is saying that God Himself will judge us according to our own standard. Consider other references to this, such as in Luke 12 where Jesus talks about the servant being beaten with few stripes or with many stripes. Jesus says in Luke 12:48 “but the one who did not know [it,] and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Another text in support of this is Romans 2:1, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.”
We have to be careful if we set ourselves up as an authority, as a judge. We are going to be judged with that same standard. And though our judgment we mete out is from men, we will be judged by God, according to the standard we set.
The last reason Jesus gives is found in vs 3 to 5 of our text. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
This last reason is really an illustration, which is dripping with sarcasm and irony. What the Lord is saying here is that we should not be judges, because we are incapable of it. We can’t do it. We have all heard of the blind leading the blind. But this is worse than that. This is a blind eye doctor trying to do surgery on a man who has something in his eye. That would almost be humorous if it wasn’t so terrifying to think about.
What Jesus is getting at in this illustration is that if we are really as concerned about righteousness as we try to appear to be, then we would have addressed the issues in ourselves first. We would judge ourselves if we really cared about righteousness. But the truth is you are more concerned about people rather than principles. You are concerned about showing your self righteousness, and condemning the other person, all the while affecting to care about their spiritual condition.
Notice He says, "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?” If you want to be able to see clearly to take the speck out of another person’s eye, first make certain that your own eye is clear. And notice that the implication is that the fault in your own character is actually greater than the fault in the other person.
And because of that glaring fault in ourselves, while appearing to be righteous in regards to another’s faults, Jesus calls us hypocrites, It’s interesting that in all the other cases in which He called someone hypocrites, it was usually someone outside of the church. But now He calls those who are supposed to be Christians hypocrites. We pretend we have this great interest in the other person’s well being. But in fact, He indicates that we are glad to expose it. We get some kind of satisfaction about exposing someone else’s weakness. And to some extent, Jesus puts the heavier burden of sin upon us than those whom we are attempting to judge.
So what is involved in getting the log out of your own eye? The eye is a most delicate and sensitive organ. If you even try to touch it it closes up. And so it is with the soul. It is the most sensitive thing spiritually there is in a man. To be able to deal with it requires patience, humility, sympathy, and compassion. Furthermore, you cannot help another unless you have first been cleansed yourself. When we have rightly judged ourselves and taken care of the sin in our own life, then and only then can we speak the truth in love to those who are taken in some fault.
The final statement in the passage we are looking at today at first glance may look like it’s unrelated to the previous verses. But actually it is the final statement in regards to this principle regarding judging. Up to now the Lord has told us that we should not judge in the sense of condemning, or as a means of comparison to make ourselves look better. But now He let’s us know that is not the total statement in regards to this matter. What follows should help us to find the proper balance.
The Lord is not saying in “do not judge,” that we should not have any discernment or judgment whatsoever. There could be no discipline in the church without discernment. There would be no such thing as exposing false teachers without discernment. So while the Lord tells us not to have a critical spirit, He never the less tells us to be discerning. We are supposed to discriminate between truth and error. We are supposed to test the spirits to see if these things are so. We are supposed to beware of false prophets. So we are to discriminate, but not just so we can condemn them, but that we might help them. So here we learn how we are to help the brother who has a speck in his eye. We must be able to recognize the speck and the log and discriminate from person to person accordingly.
First of all, Jesus says, ““Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” What does He mean by that? Well, He is referring to the truth, that which is holy, and which He likens to pearls. He is talking about the truth of the gospel, the message of the Kingdom.
Secondly, in referring to dogs and swine, He cannot be saying that we should avoid giving the truth to the unbeliever, otherwise we could never be able to be a witness for the gospel. So what then? Well, if you recall the four gospels, Jesus never approached people in a cookie cutter fashion. He never approached two people the same way. He clearly differentiated between people and different types of people. He confronted the Pharisees differently than the publicans and sinners. He handled Nicodemus differently than the woman of Samaria. He had another approach for the woman caught in adultery, and another for her accusers. He answered Pilate in his court, but He had nothing to say to Herod in his. So it’s obvious if you study the gospels that Jesus handled people differently, yet the truth remained the same. But He varied the way it was presented dependent upon the situation of the person.
And we must remember that this principle is intended for us as well. So first we must recognize that we must learn to discriminate between different types of people. We should not approach people in a mechanical, prescribed way of evangelism, for instance. You must consider the person, and what his situation is. Otherwise, we may be guilty of doing something similar to trying to take the speck out of someone’s eye. We may achieve a certain feeling of self righteousness in our evangelism, but end up accomplishing very little for the kingdom.
Paul said that he became all things to all men, that he might by all means save some. To the Jew he became a Jew, to the Gentile he became a Gentile. That is the first principle, to distinguish the person and the situation and properly accommodate the message to them. We have to know what each situation needs and each person requires. You do not handle Pilate and Herod the same way.
And then we must be careful in the way we present the truth. We have to approach people correctly. The gospel is offensive enough on it’s own. We should not add offense to it unnecessarily. We should not be a cause for blaspheming and cursing, as it was said of the Jews. People may indeed blaspheme and curse us, but let it not be on our heads because of the way we presented the truth.
Finally, we need to have studied the scriptures so that we know which doctrines of the truth are necessary for this particular person. For instance, to the unsaved person, to go beyond the basic doctrines the depravity of man, the judgment of God against sin, and justification by faith is not helpful, and in fact can be disadvantageous to our purpose. People will often try to get off the subject of repentance from sin and faith in Christ and want to talk about predestination, for instance. To go beyond the basic tenets of the gospel with an unbeliever is akin to giving a baby a T bone steak. It’s beyond their understanding.
What this reveals to us is that we are unable to save someone. It’s a supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit that causes a person to come to a point of repentance and faith. We are to so shine our light before men that they might see, but only God can give sight to the blind. Only God can save. Only God can forgive sin. And only God can give new life. He uses us, not to judge, but to shine the light of truth.
When we are dealing with someone we need to realize their true condition. We need to understand that they are under the dominion of sin and they are deceived and blind to the truth. In that sense they are like dogs and swine, they might either bite the hand that feeds them, or they cannot appreciate the pearls of the gospel. They don’t appreciate the things which are holy. And so we have to have a great compassion on such people. Nothing but the illumination and rebirth from God can enable them to appreciate the truth, and understand the truth. So we have to recognize that God has to do that which we cannot do. We show them compassion and we share with them the truth of the gospel according to what they can understand at this point, and then we trust God for the growth and increase of that seed which we plant.
Only when we have compassion on sinners the way Christ loved sinners can we hope to break through to them and help them become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to have the discernment given through the Holy Spirit that we might be able to help those who are still dead in their sin, and are destined for judgment. The amazing thing is that God has chosen to use broken vessels like us to distribute the words of life to a world that is dying. Let us have compassion for the lost, and be careful not to have a critical, hypocritical spirit as we endeavor to bring others into a saving knowledge of the truth.
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