Discernment Versus Condemnation

We have rounded the corner into the final chapter of the sermon on the mount. And in chapter 7, we have a good amount of teaching on our perspective of others. In this chapter we have our text for today, the well-known call to judge not. We have, in verse 12, the golden rule. How we look at others, how we treat others. And then, Jesus gives us a warning about others who are trying to do harm to the kingdom, false teachers.

Jesus’ teaching is all about the Kingdom, as we learned last week. We are to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first. So we could say these are kingdom perspectives. And if we don’t have these perspectives, which we don’t naturally, then these are areas in which we must seek Christ, seek repentance, and seek His Kingdom.

So what is this first Kingdom perspective?

Well, it is the perspective of Discernment versus Condemnation. Or maybe just Discernment. And it has to do with those things as it relates to our human relationships, or specifically, with our brothers and sisters as the passage directly addresses.

The call to “judge not” may just be the most often quoted scripture verse in the world. Now, is it quoted normally in the right sense? In the right context? With a right understanding? Well, hopefully that is something we will be able to understand for ourselves by studying it, so we may know what Christ intended by it and not just take the phrase blindly.

Often when the phrase is quoted, it is quoted as a sort of “out” or an “excuse” to be able to go on living any kind of manner or way that we would like to without fear of repercussion. Whenever Christ’s church makes any sort of statement or has any sort of teaching that conflicts with the common morality of the day, the first reaction is “didn’t Jesus teach you to not judge?” And in those cases, we should be able to give an answer. And we don’t want to give an answer that is hostile, we don’t want to give an answer that is sarcastic, and we also don’t want to give an answer that would provide false confidence.

One major obstacle to the common understanding of this passage is that the majority of people simply haven’t even read the rest of Jesus’ words in this paragraph, let alone the rest of the sermon on the mount, let alone the rest of the Gospels, let alone what the whole of scripture teaches. And I don’t want to simply point a finger outside of the church and say “they’re taking scripture out of context,” because those within the church are often guilty of not putting in the effort it takes to read the rest of the words, look at them as a whole, look at them as a body of teaching, and most importantly, rely on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the truth.

Now, I have to admit, that this is a challenging passage. I don’t think it is challenging to understand, but I do think it is challenging to live well. Because of how well known the call to “judge not” is, we want to apply it well, we want to live it well. We want to apply it and live it in the way that Jesus intended. And, in doing so, we want to avoid going off the other side of the road, into the other ditch. And Jesus’ conveniently gives us a warning against that in verse 6.

There is a way in which we can read and apply this passage that causes us to cower back, to keep to ourselves, and to not love our brothers and sisters well. But we want to have the right perspective about our relationships among one another. We want to have a healthy view, a discerning view, but a helpful view as this passage calls for.

So we need discernment to understand discernment. Does that make sense? This is really a Romans 12:2 endeavor.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Let’s read the verses together.

Matthew 7:1–6 ESV

“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. Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log 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 dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Here is the big idea for today.

As followers of Jesus, we must be honest about our own sin before we can be helpful to our brothers and sisters. May we see clearly so we can be discerning and not merciless.

1. A Statement against Uncharitable Condemnation - Vs. 1

The first and big question that we ask when we come to this passage, is what does it mean to judge? What does it mean to judge? Well, the basic meaning of the word Jesus uses for “judge” is “to form an opinion based on scrutiny.” The issue is that the word is used in so many different ways. It is used in the sense of discernment, it is used in the sense of the law-court, it is used in the sense of criticism, and it is used in the sense of condemnation.

Now, knowing that the word is used in all those ways, we have a challenge right off the bat. Because, in the very same passage, Jesus calls us to use discernment. In verse 5 we need discernment to help pull the speck out of our brother’s eye. In verse 6, we need discernment knowing what is holy and unholy. In verse 15, we need discernment to know who are false prophets.

We will go in depth into all of those things either today or another day, but we have to make the observation that Jesus obviously isn’t calling us to a blind lack of discernment in our lives.

Now, the other uses of “judge” are more fitting. If we think of it as the law-court, well that would fit with Jesus’ teaching back in chapter 5 about not living in an eye-for-an-eye mentality. We don’t get to retaliate when we are hurt. We don’t get to lash out in anger when we are harmed. We are not the judge, jury, and executioner when we are wronged by others. That is God’s job. So that is one sense that we can certainly say “judge not.”

What about the sense of criticism? Well, again, I think that is a proper application of Jesus’ words as well. I think that is how Paul applies them in Romans 14.

Romans 14:4 ESV

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

In this sense of judgment, we have to remember that we are all accountable to our true master, the Lord. A critical eye is usually an eye that is not looking in the right direction. A critical eye is an eye that is focused and intent on finding fault at all cost to the neglect of our own walk with Christ.

And what about condemnation? Well, that is an easy one. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are walking together as those whom God does not condemn. We are walking as those whom God has given mercy and grace.

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If God does not condemn us, then who are we to condemn our brothers and sisters for their faults? Condemn is sort of the “ultimate” judgment. It is the “no turning back” judgment. It is the equivalent of picking up a stone to cast it, to end someone’s life.

So we could say that judgment here is a critical, condemning, unmerciful judgment. It is a judgment that is unfair, a judgment that is out of our pay-grade.

The second half of the verse begins to give us some more clarity as well. We are called to “judge not, that you be not judged.”

Often in Jesus’ teachings, he gives us both sides of a coin so we can understand the whole thing better. And this is one of those cases. Whenever we set in to judge someone in a critical, condemning, or unfit way, we must remember that we are also subject to judgment as well. When we open our mouths to criticize, we must realize that we are accountable to the same scrutiny as well. Verse 2 really expands on that, so lets move to point 2 as well.

2. A Reminder of our Own Condition - Vs. 2

Matthew 7:2 (ESV)

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Here we get that sense of the “law court” or “condemning” judgment. It is a judgment that we “pronounce.” What we really get to here is the idea of a standard, or a scale. If we are willing to judge and condemn based on a certain standard, then we are also subject to the same standard.

Let me give you a small illustration from life, and then a big illustration from scripture.

My tentmaking job, as most of you know, is carpentry. Well, if I were to be working with a younger carpenter, and i look at his work, something he has just done, and I say, “that looks terrible! There are huge gaps in the joins, you’ve left giant dents from your hammer, you haven’t sanded anything. It looks like a preschooler did it!”

Now, that’s pretty harsh. Maybe its a true assessment, but the wording is harsh. But lets take it a step further. Lets say I turn around, after blasting the guy for his workmanship, and I go to my task and I do all the things I’ve just blasted him for. What is he going to think when he sees my work? He’s going to think that I’m a critical, uncharitable person. And that would be true. If I claim to know the high standard well enough to hold him accountable to it, then I am accountable to it as well.

Well, what about a bigger illustration from scripture? In John 8 we find the account of a woman caught in adultery, and the interaction between Jesus’ and the men who brought the charges against her.

John 8:3–7 ESV

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Now what Jesus does here is tremendous. You see, he was in a pickle - or so thought the scribes and pharisees. You see, the roman law prohibited the Jews from executing anyone, but their own law had very strict pronouncements for sexual sin. The whole situation was a sham, because if they were really concerned about the offense, they would be equally as critical about the man who commited adultery with the woman. But where was he?

Nevertheless, they wanted to see what Jesus would say. Well, in his masterful way, he proved to them that they didn’t have him in a “gotcha” moment after all. He stooped down and wrote in the sand. Now what was he writing? We don’t know, some speculate, and I like to imagine, that he was writing a list of their own sins in the sand. But regardless, when they pestered him more, he stood up and said “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Jesus was teaching this same principle. Are you going to be the judge? Are you going to condemn? Then you are also accountable to the same standard. We are accountable in two ways.

We open ourselves up to judgment and criticism from others. When we choose to take a critical and condemning attitude toward others, we must be willing to be examined.

We are all accountable to God’s judgment. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, we must all stand before God’s judgment seat. He alone is the one who can judge in this way and remain righteous. He alone is the one with the authority to condemn. May we never take God’s job.

Now, what happens next also applies directly to our text as well.

John 8:8–11 ESV

And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

When the accusers realized they could not rightly stand in the place of the judge, they walked away. And Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you.”

So there is one application of our passage - he didn’t condemn her based on the testimony of these unworthy, conniving accusers. He showed her mercy, just like he said to us “blessed are the merciful.”

But he also says something else, he says “ go, and from now on sin no more.”

Now that’s where the common interpretation of “judge not” comes up against Jesus’ own life and ministry. You see, the common interpretation of “judge not” says that there is never a time to talk about sin, there is never a time to point out sin, there is never a time to acknowledge or admit that someone has gone against God’s ways. But that is not at all what it means to “judge not.” Here, Jesus acknowledges that the woman had in fact sinned. But he didn’t condemn her, he showed mercy and bid her to go and sin no more.

We must not be harsh, critical, or condemning, but we must be discerning, we must admit that sin is a problem, and that must start with ourselves. Like the accusers of that woman, their own sins were enough to condemn them. They had judged her for the purpose of proving a point. And we do that, don’t we? Don’t we sometimes judge and point out other people’s flaws to bolster our own appearance of righteousness? May it never be.

May we be discerning of sin, starting with and with a great priority of ourselves. And Jesus teaches us that very thing with an illustration. So lets move on.

3. An Image of Hypocrisy Versus Help - Vs. 3-4

This illustration is one of the reasons why I believe Jesus had a sense of humor. Hyperbole is often humorous, but it also gets the point across.

And we get this image. Here is a guy with a 8x8 beam sticking out of his eye, and he’s lumbering around (pun intended) trying to pointing out specks of sawdust in his brothers’ eyes.

Now, what is the illustration teaching? It is teaching that unless we examine ourselves, we have a horribly skewed perspective. How can we pretend to see the sawdust if we don’t even see the beam in our own eye? And How much must that beam skew our own vision?

And in this illustration Jesus’ points out a major human tendency. We look with a magnifying glass, moreso, a microscope to find our brother’s faults, but we avoid a mirror at all cost. We take great joy in finding any fault to point out in our brother, but we couldn’t possibly imagine that we have a fault of our own. Much of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount points out the dangers and the wickedness of the religious elite in Israel at the time. Like other passages, Jesus is speaking out against those who would hold others to such a tight standard that it is impossible to follow, yet themselves are full of wickedness and unrighteousness.

If we jump ahead to Matthew 23 for a minute, we get a big picture of what Jesus is speaking against here.

Matthew 23:23–28 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Do you see how important true righteousness is to Jesus? It is not enough to be religious. It is not enough to be a religious leader. It is not enough to have a religious heritage. There must be an inner reality. That is why we need Christ. That is why we must repent and cast ourselves on Him.

He goes on. “how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is a log in your own?”

Now, a wrong way to apply this passage is to say that we should never be involved in helping others out of their sin. A speck in the eye is a problem. If you’ve ever had a piece of something in your eye, you know it can be debilitating. Helping take the speck out of our brother’s eye is not a bad thing, we just can never hope to do it while we are blinded by our own willful ignorance of our own sin.

Jesus saying to the woman caught in adultery “go and sin no more” was taking the speck out. He didn’t hesitate to admit that she had sinned, and he didn’t hesitate to tell her that she needed to stop, but his vision was clear.

Now, you might say, “well then only Jesus’ can see clearly enough to take the speck our of our eyes. We shouldn’t be involved in that kind of thing.”

Well, Jesus’ has a couple things to say about that as well.

4. A Call for Appropriate Discernment - Vs. 5-6

Verse 5 is very helpful in understanding Jesus’ intention. For he could have said, “focus on getting the log out of your own eye and don’t worry about other people.” But he didn’t. No, in fact, he said the point of getting the log out of our own eye is so that we can see clearly to help our brothers and sisters. This is why I’ve titled the sermon “discernment versus condemnation.”

Condemnation would say, “look at that speck in your eye! There’s no hope for you! I can’t believe you could walk around with that speck!”

Discernment says, “Listen - i’ve been there, i’ve had to take a log out of my own eye. Let me help you.”

Discernment says, “I love you enough to tell you that what you are doing is going to hurt you and others.”

Discernment says “I care about you enough to tell you that you need to come to Christ for forgiveness, and he will forgive you.”

A couple passages come to mind here.

Galatians 6:1 ESV

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

There it is. Some would say, “well its too judgmental to point out someone’s sin.” But in love, rather, we are called as Christ’s followers to be ready to help our brothers in their repentance and walk of faith. And, that passage tells us that we are to keep watch on ourselves, just like Jesus says that we are to first remove the beam from our own eye.

Jude 22–23 ESV

And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

That takes discernment. Some would say, “if someone is doubting their faith, leave them alone. Its none of your business.” But we are, with clarity and grace, to help. We are to show mercy, to reach down and help. If condemnation shoves down and casts a stone, mercy reaches down with a hand of kindness and says, “i want to help you.”

So we are to be discerning, first and foremost of our own sin, of our own failures. We must be honest about sin. The kind of environment where Christ’s followers are constantly examining themselves for sin and running back to Christ in repentance is not an environment of condemnation, but of help. Each person being aware of and removing the beams from their own eyes indicates an environment where agreeing with God about sin and unrighteousness is normal. Jesus’ teaching here doesn’t belittle the seriousness of sin, it puts the call on all of us to take it seriously in our own lives, and then help others as well.

Finally, in verse 6, Jesus gives one last call. And perhaps of all the words in this passage, these are the most “balancing.” But they are also the most difficult.

Matthew 7:6 ESV

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Now, if you were to read those words alone, some would say, “wow. Jesus is really judgmental.” Which is why we have to take verse 6 in the context of verse 1-5, and also verses 1-5 in the context of verse 6.

Is this a disjointed verse? Does it not fit? I think it fits very well. Because I believe Jesus’ knew the tendency of his disciples would be to come out of one ditch and right into another.

We could say, wrongly, that if we are not to judge then nothing that anyone else does really matters. We shouldn’t worry about what people say, or do, or believe, or teach, because we are only accountable for ourselves.

Well, Jesus gives a very clear statement here that we are not to have a blind eye to dangerous things. The beam in our eye is what made us blind, but we are to remove that so we can see and be discerning in the right way.

Dogs in Jesus’ day were unclean, they were not pets, they were scavengers and wild and perhaps rabid if rabies existed. Pigs were the picture of uncleanness in the Jewish mind. Often, the Jewish people would refer to the gentiles as dogs or pigs. Is that what Jesus is doing here?

Is Jesus saying that his disciples shouldn’t give holy things to the gentiles? Well, obviously not because Jesus own ministry and the ministry of his disciples proved otherwise.

Again, this is an instance where knowing both sides of the coin helps understand the whole thing.

Look for a minute what Jesus says we are to avoid. Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls before swine, lets they trample them and turn to attack you.

Jesus is telling us - “these kingdom principles, this Kingdom truth, this Gospel will not be accepted by all. The Holy Things of the Kingdom are not universally recognized.”

Much like Paul told us, that the natural man doesn’t understand the things of God, they are spiritually understood.

Is Jesus saying that the truth, the Gospel, these teachings are for us four and no more? Not at all. he preached the gospel to all who would listen, and he even turned from his own people to the gentiles in doing so. And that is just what he is saying here.

There will be those who are hostile to the truth, hostile to the holy things. The Kingdom principles and Kingdom ethics are not going to be naturally appealing to everyone.

Now, its not just those who reject that we are to watch out for, it is those who attack. Those who turn and lascerate. There were those in Jesus’ day, and there are those in our day, who hearing and knowing the truth, do nothing with it but mock it, attack it, and use it as an excuse to attack Christ’s followers and kingdom. It is to this kind of response that we are to heed Jesus’ warnings and turn to others.

Now, its not whole groups of people, its not specific groups of people. Jesus doesn’t tell us who the dogs and pigs are, he just tells us what their response might be, and calls us to discernment. Not condemnation, but discernment. Don’t waste your time, he says.

Now, does this bear out in scripture? I think it does.

Matthew 7:15–16 (ESV)

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.”

This is a call for this kind of discernment. Another example is when Jesus’ sent out his disciples to preach the gospel.

Matthew 10:14 ESV

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

This is a call for that kind of discernment.

What about others? This bears out in the ministry of the apostles as well.

Acts 18:5–6 ESV

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

This is an example of Paul doing that very thing.

Galatians 1:8–9 ESV

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Those are strong words, but they follow Jesus’ teaching Matthew 7 to use discernment.

Paul uses this kind of discernment within the church as well.

Titus 3:10–11 ESV

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

One ore example, this one from the Apostle John.

2 John 10–11 ESV

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

John, here, was addressing false teaching concerning who Jesus was, the Godhead. And he made that a point of separation. A point of discernment.

So Jesus, Paul, and John all call for this kind of discernment. Both within the church, concerning false teaching, and also with those who oppose and blaspheme the Gospel as well. We must not judge and condemn, but we must not be blind either. It does matter what we believe and think. It does matter what we say and do. That is why we need Christ, that is why we need the Gospel.

So how can we apply all this?

A few questions.

First, about “do not judge.”

- Is there any positive motive to your criticism? Do you criticize because that is who you are? Does your criticism turn often to gossip, to slander? If so, turn from this and heed Christ’s warnings.

If you consistently think of and seek out what is wrong with others, but have a hard time being honest about your own sin, then you are what Jesus is describing here.

Have you examined yourself and dealt honestly with your own life to the same degree?

And what about verse 6,

Do we take seriously mocking and attacks on the truth?

Do we take seriously the truths the Bible teaches, and work to uphold the truth and deny the error?

This teaching is a call to examine ourselves.

This teaching is a call to help others.

This teaching is a call to know that Christ is the one who can always see clearly to remove our speck or our beam.

It is a call to take Christ’s teaching and His Kingdom seriously and to be righteously jealous for the truth.

As followers of Jesus, we must be honest about our own sin before we can be helpful to our brothers and sisters. May we see clearly so we can be discerning and not merciless.