The Slap of Judgment

There are a handful of Bible verses that have slipped into the common vernacular of Americans, but without a doubt, the most used and abused is Matthew 7:1 - "Do not judge." Even people who have never cracked open a Bible will slap that verse across the ears of a verbal opponent, especially if that opponent claims to be a Christian.

But when Jesus "punched" His audience in the face with those bewildering words, was He really saying we should never make a judgment about another person?

How to Judge

As we continue in our Punch in the Face blog series, looking at some of the shocking teachings of Jesus, we jump to Matthew 7, which starts out...

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2, ESV)

As with any Scripture, we not only need to put it in context with the surrounding text, but also within the context of the entire book and the entire Bible, where we are told to judge...

• whether a prophet or leader is of God by looking at their "fruit" (Matthew 7:15-20)
• whether a person is a fool (multiple places in Proverbs)
• by testing everything (like teaching, prophecies, etc.) (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
• and more.

Clearly, wise discernment is necessary and even commanded. So what does Jesus mean then, when He instructs us to "judge not?"

Notice what He says immediately after His shocking oft-quoted phrase: "for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged." In other words, He was setting up the Golden Rule (which He shares in verse 12): "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them."

Do you want someone to judge you unfairly, hypocritically, condescendingly, or superficially? Of course not! Then don't judge others in those ways. Just as you don't want to be judged solely upon your fashion sense, musical taste, hometown, skin color, or a simple mistake, don't judge others in the same manner.

So please exercise discernment of what others say and promote, but do not judge them as though you are God or somehow better than them. Because Jesus died as much for them as He did for you!