Quit Judging Me!

There is a dispute in the Rasmussen household, but not to worry, for these disputes never last very long. You see there is a secret weapon that can always be used to silence any opponent. The victory goes to the one who first draws this frightful weapon. This time Harry beat his brother to the draw and spoke the terrible words that shut all mouths. He shouted at his brother, “The Bible says not to judge, quit judging me!” How could his brother Richard respond? He was judging him. The argument was over.

Oh yes, that well-known commandment “Thou shalt not judge!” Everybody knows that the Bible teaches us not to judge others…or does it? Does the Bible tell us not to judge one another? Let’s look at the evidence and you be the judge…I mean…you decide.

Matthew 7:1 says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” There you have it. We are not to judge. It says, “Judge not!” Hold on a minute. Aren’t you making a judgment when you say it’s wrong to judge? When Harry told his brother Richard he was wrong to judge him, he was making a judgment. Harry was actually condemning Richard for judging him! Richard could have replied, “You’re right, quit judging me for judging you!”

Maybe we’ve missed something. So let’s look a little more closely at this passage in order to judge whether this passage tells us not to judge. It may have been taken out of context and twisted to say something it was never intended to say.

Matthew 7:1-2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Now this makes more sense. Jesus is not saying never to judge anyone at anytime, but telling them to make sure they judge rightly, for the standard by which they judge will be the standard by which they are judged. So it is okay to judge as long as you use the right standard and realize that you will be judged by the same standard. Jesus is not condemning all judgment, He is condemning faulty and hypocritical judgment.

Look at the rest of the passage. Matthew 7:3-5 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

There you have it. The very passage used by some to condemn those who judge them is one in which Jesus condemns such hypocritical judgments. Think about the irony of that for a minute. The truth is that judgments are inescapable. We are constantly judging people, ideas, and ways of life. If you disagree with me, then you are judging me. If you agree with me, then you are judging me. It’s not a matter of whether or not we will judge others; it is a question of the standard by which we will judge others. By what standard will you make your judgments?

#judgingothers #judgenot #winningarguments