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Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 7 - Judging

by Paul George  
4/03/2008 / Bible Studies

Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus told the disciples, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1). This is one of the most quoted sayings on Jesus and one of the most misunderstood and misapplied. For this reason, we must begin by dealing with what our Lord did not mean by this warning.

Jesus did not mean that it is wrong to have law enforcement and courts. In his letter to the Christians in Rome the apostle Paul told them, that government is a divinely appointed instrument to mete out punishment (Romans 13:1-7). In his second letter to the first century Christian the apostle Peter wrote, "Submit yourselves to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right" (1 Peter 2:13-14). Jesus did not dispute Pilate's authority to execute capital punishment. Indeed, He stated that this authority came from God (John 19:10-11).

There are Christians who would have us believe that godliness is closely similar to gullibility. They claim we should accept every statement of men on its face value, and in no way should we ponder or weigh it as to its truthfulness. That is not the teaching of Scripture. Luke tells us there were "more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica" in Berea, who "received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11), they were comparing what they were taught with what was written in the Scriptures. The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, "examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

So often whenever a Christian takes what might be regarded as a negative position, the response is, "Judge not." However, the context of Matthew 7:1-12 indicate that we must make decisions and take a stand. Paul took a public stand on the issue of immorality within the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 5:4-5). Timothy was instructed to take a stand in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3-7). We are to refuse to invite false teachers into our homes (2 John 8-11). We are instructed to "contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3).

It is not wrong to correct those in error. In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus said, "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, (take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed Deuteronomy 19:15). If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

In Galatians 6:1, the apostle Paul told the Galatians they were to restore a sinning brother. Paul corrected Peter face to face (Galatians 2:11). Even the elders of a church are not above correction (1 Timothy 5:19-20).

What, then, did Jesus intend for us to understand by these words, "Judge not"? Since the Lord Jesus has all along been dealing more with attitudes and motives in the Sermon on the Mount, we are safe in concluding that the problem here has to do primarily with a critical, condemning spirit. The criticism of which Jesus is speaking of is that which seeks to put others down, while elevating ourselves, a smug disdain of those who feel superior to others.

The contempt of the scribes and Pharisees was more than just the smugness of superiority it was based upon legalism. The Jews had a neatly packaged system of rules and regulations that prescribed an external kind of righteousness. Those who judged, condemned the people and did so on the basis that those who were righteous kept their rules, but the rest failed to do so, and indeed, were ignorant of those rules and regulations (John 7:49). These self-appointed judges set themselves up as those who were qualified to pronounce upon a person's spirituality by the standards of his own system of rules. They supposed that men would conform to these rules by the external pressure of those religious leaders who judged their performance by their man made laws.

Here was the problem within Judaism in the days of the Savior. Here is the problem within Christianity today. Men are directing their efforts toward producing righteousness through external acts. Worse yet, they are attempting to force this error on others by pressuring men to be righteous by keeping man made rules and regulations and rituals. These efforts are futile and doomed to failure because they do not change a man's heart. No man can be made righteous until God radically changes his heart. Religion today is trying to reform men, but only Christ can transform men by giving them a new heart. Religion and reform will never save sinful man; only a renewal of heart can do that (Titus 3:5-7).

Jesus told the disciples why they should not judge others, "so that you will not be judged." Judging is a divine prerogative. We take too much upon ourselves if we set ourselves over others to judge them. It is not the privilege or the position of a servant to judge other servants. That is the responsibility of their master. We make ourselves masters and not servants when we judge others.

The judging that Jesus condemns is wrong because it is criticism arising from impure motives. It attempts to emphasize one's own righteousness at the expense of a brother's reputation. The only criticism or correction that is praiseworthy is that which is prompted by genuine love. Love does not seek a brother's downfall, but his edification (Romans 14:13, 19). Love is reluctant to believe the worse and hopeful of the best, "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). "Love seeks to conceal unrighteousness, not to expose it" (1 Peter 4:8).

It was the legalistic rules and regulations by which men judged others, rather than by God's law (James 4:11-12). The tendency to go beyond the requirements of scripture is clearly implied by Jesus when He warned that the standard by which we judge men is the standard by which we will be judged ourselves (Matthew 7:2). If we wish to be overly demanding on others, we must accept this same standard for our own conduct (Romans 2:1-2).

It is easy for Christians to confuse biblical principles and personal preferences, convictions and commandments. We then try to impose these upon others, and we judge men's spirituality by how well they live up to our preconceived ideas of righteousness.

Personal convictions are to be kept to ourselves, not crammed down the throats of others (Romans 14:22). The entire focus of criticism is upon the lives and conduct of others, but this is none of our business, for each man must give account of himself before God (Romans 14:10). Here we are trying to correct the flaws in others, rather than concentrating upon ourselves. Criticism is minding other people's business. We listen to a sermon and remark how we wished that Sister Monday were here to hear it. How we deceive ourselves.

The scribes and Pharisees looked upon themselves as the leadership of Judaism. They felt that as such they were obligated to judge those under their authority, and to impose upon their inferiors the full requirements of Jewish traditionalism, which they called "the Law". Jesus clearly implied in Matthew 7:3-5 that those with the greatest problems were the leaders themselves. How often we project our own failures upon others, while neglecting our own responsibilities.

Judging others is a profitless practice. It fails to edify and build up our brother; it increases our own pride and sets the standard for our own condemnation. Worst of all, it does not produce righteousness in us or in others. However, there is an opposite and equal error. We know from the Scriptures that Jesus Christ virtually divided the nation by His teaching and claims (John 7:40-44; 9:16; 10:19-21). No doubt, one member of a family would tirelessly work to convince the rest of his family that Jesus was the Christ, but often to no avail. Today there are Christians who are saved and yet have spent their lives in apostate churches. They often attempt to stay in the church and to bring about its revival and reform. These words of Jesus have direct bearing on such efforts.

In verse 6, Jesus said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine." If we are not to "give what is holy to dogs", then we must decide who are dogs. If we are not to throw our pearls before swine, we must decide who swine are.

We are not told what that which is holy is, or what pearls signify, but it is not difficult to figure out. Surely that which is holy pertains to spiritual things, matters which Christians would consider of great value and sacred. We would conclude that foremost in our Lord's mind is the Gospel of salvation. Other spiritual truths could surely be included. Who are the dogs and swine? Judaism considered both dogs and hogs unclean. Consequently, they were expressions which could be employed with reference to the Gentiles (Matthew 15:27; Mark 7:28). Within Israel, the term dog was an expression of disdain (2 Samuel 9:8; Proverbs 26:11). In Hebrew symbolism, the word "dog" is an epithet for a male prostitute or sodomite (Deuteronomy, 23:18). The apostle Peter wrote of those who were apostates and rejecters of the truth, "But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'A dog returns to its own vomit,' and 'A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire'" (2 Peter 2:12, 21-22).

Dogs and swine are not merely unbelievers, but rather are those who have ample information concerning the way of righteousness and who have stubbornly rejected it. They are hardened in their rebellion and unbelief. To persist in witnessing to such people is wasted energy.

The dogs of Jesus' day were not well-mannered lap dogs, but wild dogs that lived on the streets, eating that which was discarded and unclean. At times, this included dead bodies (1 Kings 14:11; 21:19-24). In offering meat to an unclean dog, one might be bitten in the process. Were one to cast pearls before swine, they might at first think them to be food, and then, not valuing pearls, might trample them under foot and even turn on the one who offered them. Therefore, although one dare not be overly critical of others (verses 1-5), neither is he to be so naive as to not distinguish between those who are open to the truth and those who oppose it. Jesus followed His own counsel when He ceased speaking openly to those who accused Him of using demonic power (Mark 3:22). When Jesus sent out His disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God He instructed them, "And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet" (Matthew 10:14). Likewise, this was the practice of the apostle Paul (Acts 13:44-51; 18:5, 6; 28:17-28).

While we must initially proclaim the gospel universally and indiscriminately, there comes a time when we must mark those who are hardened to the truth and cease our efforts to convert them and press on. This does not necessarily mean that such persons may not be saved in the future. This is why persistent prayer is profitable.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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