Daily Devotional For Monday, January 8, 2024

Well, good morning or good day, whichever it is for you. I am continuing my devotionals looking at some of the most misused and misunderstood Bible verses. The one I want to focus on now is Jesus' words found in Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you be not judged. (2) For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (ESV). We live in a culture where over the last 40 years, values and morals have shifted greatly. When I was growing up, having premarital sex or living together and not being married were considered sins — just about by everyone — even by non-Christians. Today, our culture no longer considers such acts as sinful.

The Greek New Testament word used for “judge and judged” here is [κρίνω, krino]. In the Greek language, it is both a technical and legal word. Our misunderstanding of what Jesus means here leads us to misuse this word. This is why even some Christians, when confronted about their sin will say, “Only God can judge me.” Or, “Who died and left you in control.” This is not Christ’s theology, but cultural theology. This is not Christian biblical theology, but cultural theology. But we are left with a predicament because of something else Jesus said. Look at these words of Jesus later in Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (16) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? (17) So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (ESV).

Do you see the predicament between Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-2 and Mathew 7:15-20? When you go to the store to buy fruit, you pick it up, feel it, and look at to see how fresh it is. You don’t want to buy fruit that is going to rot in a day or two. What have you done? Judged the fruit. Jesus says we will know who false prophets and false preachers are by their fruit. The only way to do that is to make a “judgment call” based on what you see, hear, and observe.

Therefore, the context given here by Jesus is about Christian preachers and teachers who teach a false doctrine or who encourage us to follow standards that are not biblical. So, how do we judge?

1. First, this means we do not judge them by our standards, nor by our culture’s standard, but by the Word of God — the Bible. This is James’ point in James 4:11-12, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (12) There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (ESV). 
2. Second, this means we do not cross the line by condemning the person without giving them mercy. We see Jesus giving mercy to the woman caught in adultery when all the religious leaders were condemning her, but they were also condemning Jesus in John 8:4-5, “Teacher,” they said to Jesus,“this woman was caught in the act of adultery. (5) The law of Moses says to stone her. What do You say?” (ESV). Were the religious leaders accurate in judging this woman as an adulterer? Yes! But they crossed the line and condemned her. Here was Jesus’ reaction in John 4:7-8, 10-11, They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” . . . (10) Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” (11) “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (ESV). Did Jesus know this woman was an adulterer? Yes! Did He condemn her for it? NO, but He also did not condone her sin either. He told her to go and no longer continue in the sin of adultery. Meaning — Jesus called her adultery sin to her face, but He showed her mercy as He did this.
3. Third, this means we do not always have all the information we need to make a judgment call. Only God really knows a person’s heart, motives, thoughts and feelings. When we condemn, we are assuming God’s role, which we do not have that right. We can judge their fruit and call it sin, but never are we to condemn the person for it. Even when calling it sin, we give them mercy.
4. Fourth, it is almost impossible for anyone to be completely impartial in their judgment of another. We tend to see what we want to see. This is why in ancient Greece, when someone went on trial, the Greeks held court and trail completely in the dark so that judge and jury would not even see the person.

So, let’s go back to our passage. Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you be not judged. (2) For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (ESV). The Greek New Testament word used for “judge and judged” here is [κρίνω, krino] and it means “to condemn without mercy.” 

An unknown poet of past days wrote, "Judge not the workings of his brain, And of his heart thou cannot see. What looks to thy dim eyes a stain, In God’s pure light may only be a scar brought from some well-won field, Where thou wouldst only faint and yield."

As Christian pastor and author John MacArthur says, “Whenever we assign people to condemnation without mercy because they do not do something the way we think it ought to be done or because we believe their motives are wrong, we pass judgment that only God is qualified to make” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Complete, p. 433). This verse is not a warning against speaking out against certain actions or behaviors. In fact, in other places of Scripture, we’re told “we’ll know them by their fruit.” We’re also commanded in the Great Commission to “make disciples,” which includes helping others wage war against sin. However, Matthew 7 is a warning against self-righteousness and hypocrisy.

5. Fifth, if we’re going to correct someone, then we must expect to be held to the same standard. If we judge with aggression (I.e., without mercy), then we can expect to be judged with aggression (i.e., without mercy). Even though we remove the log in our eye, Jesus still says we must remove the speck in our brother’s. This is Jesus’ point in Matthew 7:3-5, '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? (4) 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? (5) 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” (ESV).

Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 6:37-38, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (38)  “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven" (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: "Dear Jesus, I can be very judgmental at times. I can get the big head, thinking my sins are not as bad as someone else's sins. Jesus, I am not qualified to be judge, jury and execution of someone's character. Only You can do that. I ask first that you forgive me when I judge and condemn without mercy. I see and hear what I want to see and hear, and I acknowledge, that I can not be impartial because I do not always have all the facts. Only You do. I accept Your judgment against me that if and when I condemn without mercy, You will agressively have the same done to me. I want to treat people the same way Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery. Jesus, help me to be like You. In Jesus' name, Amen!"