Luke 6:37-42 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 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 this message from Pastor Herk from last Sunday, we learn the seven exhortations that Jesus gave spelled out clearly for us. It is a warning for those who have not yet entered the kingdom of God. Christ’s disciples are to live as citizens in the kingdom of God. A main part is that we are to love our enemies, which rubs just about all of us wrong. We need to spend more time praying for them and less time s criticizing them. The first exhortation is we are not to judge others. Christians ae not to be judgmental. This is the one Bible verse that almost all non-Christians seem to know when confronted with their unbelief and sinful behavior. Nobody like to be judged. Most people normally set their own rules and do not like when other people point out their infractions. Non-believers use this verse as a weapon to detour others, to quit judging them and to leave them alone.
In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus says, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 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 look, 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! “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” You have to inspect and judge to determine who are dogs and pigs.
So, what did Jesus mean when He said ‘judge not”? Does the Lord mean that judgment should never be rendered? When the question is presented that way, most reasonable people back off and state that some judgments that absolutely have to be made. But when and how? We have to acknowledge that there is a legitimate time and place for judging others. Appointed Judges in Civil courts have to give judgments and verdicts in courts of law. Elders and churches sometimes have to make tough choices in disciple cases that are necessary. Even in normal businesses, managers have to make judgments on employee performances for the company. School teachers have to make judgments on their students work and progress for grades. Even Jesus tells His disciples to judge others by their fruit. So, the disciples of Christ are fruit inspectors. In Luke 6:43-45 Jesus said, “For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” So, it is important to know that Jesus is not talking about all forms of judgment.
It is unethical to not make a judgment on a biblically moral or Theological issue or position, especially in roles of authority. Yet, there are times when Christians are called not to judge others. In some circumstances, God alone is in position to judge; and we never want to put ourselves in the position of God. The Lord is really testing the attitude of our hearts. Jesus is opposing “judgmentalism”, where you continuously judge whatever comes before you with a judgmental spirit. Jesus warns against a critical and censorious perspective towards others which holds others down in guilt; not seeking to correct, restore and encourage them. So, what is commanded is an attitude that is hesitant to condemn and quick to forgive. What is prohibited by the Lord is an arrogance that reacts with hostility towards the worldly, immorally and immature lifestyle of unbeliever, as if they are beyond God’s reach. We have to take a look at ourselves, think about if we are quick to judge and be very careful.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on judging in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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