Do Not Judge?

Matthew 7:1–6

Series: Follow the King Translation: NIV Main idea: Jesus calls us to face our own sin honestly, help others humbly, and handle his truth with discernment. Anchor: Honest Correction Begins With Honest Repentance.

INTRODUCTION

“Only God can judge me.”

You have probably heard someone say that when another person questions what they are doing.

Sometimes what they mean is, “You don’t know the whole story.” And sometimes that is a fair concern.

We can make quick judgments without understanding what happened.

But sometimes we mean, “You have no right to tell me that I’m wrong.”

Think about the statement itself.

If God is going to judge us, that should make us take our lives seriously. It should make us willing to ask whether we are wrong.

Then we come to Jesus’ words: “Do not judge.”

What does he mean? Should we never say that something is sinful? Should we stay quiet when someone we love is heading in a destructive direction?

Let’s hear the whole passage.

[READ Matthew 7:1–6, NIV.]

Matthew 7:1–6 NIV

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “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? 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? 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. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Here is the question: How should we respond to sin in others while recognizing our own sin?

1. Remember Who Judges You Matthew 7:1–2

The Judgment Jesus Forbids v. 1

Matthew 7:1 NIV

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Look again at the opening command. Jesus says, “Do not judge.”

But in verse 5, he describes helping remove something from your brother’s eye.

In verse 6, he tells us to recognize when something sacred is being treated with contempt.

Both require discernment.

The Greek word translated “judge,” krinō, can be used in different ways.

The context shows that Jesus is confronting hypocritical, self-righteous condemnation.

He is exposing the person who looks down on others while excusing himself.

Self-righteousness treats us as the standard.

We measure others by what we approve of, overlook what we struggle with, and act as though their failures put them beneath us.

MacArthur connects this with the religious pride Jesus has been confronting throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

God has revealed what is right and wrong.

We can evaluate conduct by that truth. But we have not been given God’s complete knowledge of another person’s heart. Recognizing a lie does not mean we know every motive behind it or everything about the person who told it.

MacArthur warns against assuming that place of authority.

And even a correct assessment can be delivered sinfully.

Being right about what someone did does not make pride, humiliation, or gossip right.

Biblical correction brings both people under God’s Word. Self-righteous condemnation places the critic above the person he is addressing.

Think about how we explain our own behavior. When I snap at someone, I want them to understand that I was tired. I was stressed. I had a rough day.

When someone snaps at me, I can decide, “They’re just rude.”

I want my circumstances considered, but I reduce them to their worst moment.

That double standard brings us to the reason Jesus gives for his warning. The person evaluating others must remember that he, too, will be evaluated.

The Judgment We Must Face v. 2

Matthew 7:2 NIV

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Jesus says that the measure we use will be measured to us.

MacArthur explains that this warning points to our accountability before God.

When we recognize a standard well enough to condemn someone else, we cannot pretend it does not apply to us.

God’s holy standard applies to us too.

We cannot appoint ourselves judge and then act as though we are above judgment. This does not mean we can make God overlook sin by lowering our standards for everyone else. It means the person who claims to recognize righteousness must face his own accountability to it.

Paul makes a similar point in Romans 2:

When we condemn someone for what we also practice, our judgment exposes us. We have shown that we know it is wrong. Our knowledge calls us to repentance. It cannot serve as a hiding place from repentance.

KNOWING WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DID WRONG DOES NOT MAKE YOU RIGHT WITH GOD.

Before we think about who needs to hear this sermon, we need to ask: Where am I giving myself excuses that I refuse to give another person?

Jesus now shows us how easily that happens. We can look closely at someone else while refusing to face ourselves.

2. Repent Before You Correct Matthew 7:3–5

The Hypocrisy We Overlook vv. 3–4

Matthew 7:3–4 NIV

“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? 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?

Jesus asks why we notice the speck in our brother’s eye while paying no attention to the plank in our own.

Picture it. Someone has something small caught in their eye. That is a real problem.

If you have ever had something in your eye, you know how badly you want it out.

But here comes someone offering help with a plank sticking out of his own face.

[PAUSE]

He cannot see clearly enough to help, but he is confident that the other person is the one who needs attention.

The picture is ridiculous. The attitude is familiar.

We notice their temper while defending ours.

We notice their gossip while discussing their failure with three other people.

We notice their pride while feeling superior because we noticed it.

MacArthur sees self-righteousness in this plank. That fits the person Jesus describes:

Convinced he can straighten someone else out while refusing to face himself.

Self-righteousness makes our own excuses sound reasonable.

We can convince ourselves that we care deeply about holiness while avoiding the place where obedience would cost us something.

Verse 4 makes the contradiction sharper.

The person actually offers, “Let me take the speck out of your eye.”

He presents himself as a helper while ignoring the obstruction that keeps him from helping.

His confidence has outrun his willingness to examine himself.

Jesus calls that person a hypocrite at the beginning of verse 5.

He claims concern for another person’s condition while refusing to address his own.

But Jesus does more than expose the contradiction. He tells us how that person can become a real help.

The Repentance That Prepares Us to Help v. 5

Matthew 7:5 NIV

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.

Jesus gives us a way forward. Look at verse 5: “First take the plank out of your own eye.”

First. Before you explain what they need to change, face what you have been defending.

That means more than saying, “Well, nobody’s perfect.” We can say that without admitting anything specific.

It may mean saying, “I exaggerated what happened.” Or, “I have been talking about this person instead of talking to them.” Or, “I want to embarrass them because they embarrassed me.”

Bring that before God honestly. Confess it. Turn from it. Where you have harmed someone, be willing to acknowledge it and seek to make it right.

HONEST CORRECTION BEGINS WITH HONEST REPENTANCE.

Jesus is not requiring you to become sinless before you can help anyone.

If that were the requirement, none of us could ever help. He requires us to stop protecting our sin while exposing someone else’s.

Now notice what comes after “first.” Jesus says that then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Why does repentance help us see clearly?

Pride distorts what we see.

It makes us exaggerate another person’s failure, overlook the facts that challenge our verdict, and forget our own need for mercy.

When we confess our sin, we acknowledge God as the judge and ourselves as people who need grace.

We can begin to see our brother as someone who needs the same mercy we have received.

MacArthur emphasizes that repentance changes our view of God, ourselves, and others.

We still need to listen carefully and understand the facts.

Repentance does not make us all-knowing. It removes the self-righteous posture that has kept us from offering humble help.

The brother still needs help. The speck still needs to come out. Jesus intends repentance to prepare us for that work.

Listen to Galatians 6:1:

Galatians 6:1 NIV

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Restore them gently. Watch yourself. That is the posture of someone who understands how much grace they need.

Notice that Jesus calls this person your brother.

You are approaching someone whose good matters to you. You are not simply pointing out what is wrong and leaving them there.

You want to help them turn from it. The same truth that has searched your heart now shapes how you care for theirs.

That changes the conversation.

You may need to acknowledge your part first.

You may need to speak privately because an audience would turn correction into humiliation.

You need to listen as someone seeking their restoration.

And it changes what counts as success.

Winning the argument is not the same as helping your friend.

You want them restored, even if that takes patience and does not make you look impressive.

If the situation involves serious harm, seek help from a trusted adult; you do not have to manage it alone.

And if you are the person receiving correction, do not automatically answer, “Don’t judge me.”

Sometimes a friend cares enough to say what you need to hear. Be willing to ask whether their concern is true.

Before you leave this point thinking about someone you should confront, consider this:

Repentance changes how we bring the truth. Jesus also tells us to pay attention to how people receive it.

3. Discern When to Step Back Matthew 7:6

Matthew 7:6 NIV

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Verse 6 can sound surprising after the warning against judgment.

Jesus speaks of dogs and pigs trampling something valuable and turning against the giver.

To obey that command, we have to distinguish between different responses to the truth.

That is why verse 6 belongs here: humility does not remove the need for discernment.

The dogs pictured here should not bring to mind a cherished household pet.

The background is scavenging animals, and pigs were unclean in Jewish life.

The emphasis is on giving something sacred and valuable to creatures that do not appreciate it.

MacArthur understands the sacred things and pearls as God’s precious truth, including the gospel.

Think about the value of what we are sharing: the message of God’s kingdom and the mercy offered to sinners.

Notice what happens: the gift is trampled, and the giver is attacked.

The problem is more serious than someone hurting our feelings.

God’s truth is being treated with contempt.

Continuing to offer it indiscriminately can become participation in its public ridicule.

So the question is not simply, “Am I tired of this person?”

We must ask what their response actually shows.

Impatience centers on our frustration.

Discernment considers the value of the message and how it is being received.

A sincere question is different from contempt. Someone may disagree, misunderstand, or need time. A difficult conversation does not automatically mean we should walk away.

But there are conversations where every answer becomes another opportunity for ridicule.

Imagine someone asking about your faith in a group chat.

You answer sincerely. They twist your words into a joke. You clarify, and the next reply is another attempt to get everyone laughing.

As the ridicule continues, you can recognize that this exchange is not helping anyone understand.

In Acts 18, Paul encountered opposition and abuse as he testified about Jesus.

He moved on to bring the message to others. MacArthur uses that passage to illustrate the discernment Jesus requires here.

You do not have to keep supplying material for ridicule.

You can say, “If you want to talk seriously, I’m willing,” and step away.

You are recognizing what is happening in this conversation, not deciding that they can never change.

Their contempt does not diminish the worth of God’s truth.

MacArthur emphasizes that we move on with sorrow and dependence on God.

There is no place for satisfaction that we have written someone off.

Do not leave here calling classmates dogs or pigs.

That would turn this passage into another excuse for the contempt Jesus has been confronting in us.

YOU CAN STEP AWAY FROM THE ARGUMENT AND STILL CARE ABOUT THE PERSON.

Remain kind. Be willing to listen when the question is sincere. Trust God with the response you cannot control.

Jesus brings our own hearts under his authority even as he teaches us how to respond to others.

Conclusion: Bring Your Own Heart Before God

We began with the words, “Only God can judge me.”

Accountability before God should make us willing to examine ourselves.

It should make us careful about condemning someone else while defending our own sin.

Jesus once described two men praying (Luke 18:9-14)

Luke 18:9–14 NIV

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

One thanked God that he was better than other people.

The other recognized his sin and asked God for mercy.

Jesus said the man seeking mercy went home justified before God.

That reaches the heart of our problem.

We can spend our lives finding someone worse than us and never face our own need for grace.

Someone else’s failure cannot save you. Becoming less critical cannot erase your sin.

Our hope is Jesus, who died for sinners and rose again.

We come to him in repentance and faith, admitting that we need the mercy we could never earn.

That means turning from sin and giving up the attempt to establish our goodness by comparison.

We entrust ourselves to Jesus for forgiveness.

We are depending on what he has done for us, and we begin following him as people who have received grace.

That grace changes how we approach others.

If you have been relying on being better than somebody else, bring that before him. Stop using comparison to avoid confession.

And if you belong to Jesus, consider one relationship where this passage needs to change your response.

Maybe you need to apologize for what you said. Maybe you need to receive correction you have resisted. Maybe you need to help someone with gentleness. Maybe you need to stop feeding a mocking argument and entrust that person to God.

[PAUSE]

What do you need to face in your own heart before you address what is wrong in someone else?

Honest correction begins with honest repentance.

We need our Father’s wisdom to live this way. As we pray, bring your own heart before him.

[PRAYER]