Red Letters 31 -- “Judge Not, That You Be Not Judged"
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Isaiah 2:1-5 English Standard Version (ESV)
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Romans 14:10-19 English Standard Version (ESV)
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written: “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Matthew 7:1-6 English Standard Version (ESV)
1 “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.
3 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.
6 “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.
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As a Christian we often face the temptation of pride and self-righteousness. This is one of the things that the Bible preaches against time and time again. Pride is this attitude that blinds us from our sin and from our need of a saviour. And as we have been going through the different teachings of Jesus there were times we would have had the unhealthy response of feeling the temptation to feel ashamed and been riddled with guilt with how we have been unable to live up the Jesus’ standards. (Which no one apart from Christ could anyway) However when the message of Christ is received in its healthiest place, by the grace and power of the Spirit of God, then we are driven to a response of joyful, humble repentance, and grateful worship and brought into a place of transformative conviction.
The power of the Word of God and the Gospel is that it continues to move and shape us.
And it it through this that Jesus, though He saves us by His blood shed on the Cross for us does not leave us as we are, but leads us into a life that honours Him. Though we have been justified when we come to faith the Holy Spirit is the gift given to us to further sanctify and transform us until we become like Christ… either in this life or when He calls home. And so the Word’s of Jesus will convict us to surrender to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit and turn us from our hardened hearts to live as Christ shows us.
But either in conjunction with this response or separately altogether there is the temptation to respond to Jesus’ teachings with pride and self-righteousness. In other words, if we are not careful, we can very easily twist the words of Jesus and use them to lift ourselves up above another. As powerful, and as life giving as the Word of God is for us we know very well that they can be taken and distorted for the use of the selfish and proud. Even Satan, when Jesus was in the wilderness quoted Scripture to Him.
And so when we look to the Word of God we must do so carefully, diligently and in humble submission to the moving Spirit alive in the words that we read. We must do so without our own agenda but rather desiring for God to speak to us. We must read to the Bible in its entirety. We must examine it as best as we can within its context. For our reformed tradition we believe, according to the doctrine of Sola Scripture (Or Scripture Alone) that the Bible is the sole rule and norm for faith and life. And that Scripture is not subject to our own wimsical interpretations, but that Scripture interprets Scripture. And so when we read Scripture… we must not nitpick and only listen to or apply the words that fit with our own ideologies and feelings, but allow it to challenge us and too even pierce our hearts.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
If we do not do this, then we run the risk of manipulating Scriptures for our own purposes. And today I believe that this is what Jesus is warning us against.
He says:
Matthew 7:1-6 English Standard Version
1 “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. 3 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.
6 “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.
Jesus says this after telling us a load of teachings that address our hearts. He tells us that it is what is at the core of our hearts and natures that really truly matter. That is the mark of a person who is a follower, a disciple and a slave of God. And then He says… Judge not, that you be not judged.
What does this mean?
He is addressing the tendencies we carry as people where we can outwardly fool others, and even fool ourselves, that we are living faithfully to the Lord. And in doing we easily point a finger at another and say, out loud or in our hearts, that I am better than them. And with the divisiveness we see in our communities and especially in this political climate, it is easy to fall prey to this temptation. Recall Jesus said maybe a page or two ago in Matthew “Anyone who says “You fool!” Will be in danger of the fire of hell”
Judge not. Lest you be judged.
This is a profound call to humility to the follower of Christ. We are called to humility before God and before others and therefore that leaves no room for us to be judge.
1 “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.
And this is a terrifying thought, because I have, and do, catch myself judging a person by the way they talk, the way they dress, the way they smell, the way they eat or by what they do and don’t do. And if, on the day that Christ returns, I am to be judged by the same measure that I have judged others then I have no hope of salvation. And so we are commanded to not judge… For there is truly only one judge.
Isaiah 2:4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
It is only God’s judgement who shall stand. And it is in God’s just and righteousness judgement that we and all nations we find everlasting peace. Jesus says judge not because we are not the judges and our measure is not just nor right. It is only God who is.
And yet Jesus continues to say:
3 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.
To judge is to make a final conclusion or to form an opinion about something or someone. And while Jesus is saying not to form a final conclusion about another. He is also saying… that there is a responsibility we have to help others see clearly. The words “Judge not” is one of the most misused verses of the Bible, because people often make it to mean that we should never ever have any sort of opinion or judgement on others. And while it is not up to us to have the final say about someone’s ultimate end, Jesus gives us still the responsibility to help others see their sin.
Now, of course even before we can attempt to do that, before we can even make any sort of appeal to another about the speck in their eye, Jesus sternly warns us to first take the log out of your own eye. Jesus once again reinforces this call to repentance. He is telling us that we must first deal with our hearts and our sin and to confess and humble yourself before the Lord. Because it is then, and only then when you would be able to, not so much judge, but help a brother or sister, see clearly.
When reading the Bible or when preaching it is so easy to think of people who ought to hear this message, but Jesus is constantly reminding us to first look at yourself. How can you hope to judge another when you have so much of your own baggage and wickedness and sin that you must deal with? We must deal with all that before the Lord and surrender it to Him first. We must find the blessed assurance of His grace and mercy for you… And when that leads you into a place of peace and humility and faith… then… we can help… not judge… your brothers and sisters with compassion, patience, grace and mercy.
Judgement is not up for us. It belongs to God and we will indeed stand before the judgement seat of God and we will be call to give an account of ourselves to God. May that account not be one of a hardened, critical and bigoted heart. And let our hearts not be stumbling block for others.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
But let us walk in love in all things.
For Paul this was a very real problem in the church. People were being divisive over cultural traditions and rituals that the Gentiles and Jewish people could not reconcile. There were many questions and arguments over what they were allowed to eat and drink… What was taboo and unclean… Questions of who was right and wrong… And judgements that you were unacceptable to the Lord if you ate or dressed a certain way.
But powerfully Paul says that to pronouncing a judgement on another, and deeming them unworthy by your own standards, destroys the one whom Christ died for.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
This is what Jesus desires: To pursue peace and mutual upbringing. Which begins with the humbling and repentance of me first. And then to serve in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Indeed we have a responsibility, and it is in our very nature as the church, to uplift, build up and edify one another even when it is painful. But to do so with the correct, right attitude and heart of humility, submission to Christ and in love, is the church that Christ desires.
Yet there is a very real warning in what Jesus says.
6 “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.
This is a difficult passage to understand, and many pastors and theologians have wrestled with it. These words follow Jesus’ command to help others see clearly the truth of the Gospel
Once and only once we have dealt before the Lord with our own sin in repentance. And perhaps for today it suffices that we focus on that which is holy and the pearl that Jesus refers to being the Kingdom message of His Gospel.
There are indeed those, when given that which is holy and that which is a pearl will choose to trample them and turn and attack the giver. And while we may choose to try our very best to share the message of Christ and to pursue peace and mutual upbringing, there are times when we will be frustrated by the reviling response of certain people.
Once again, Jesus is reminding us that for the follower and disciple of Christ there will come a time where we will be persecuted for our faith. “Blessed are the persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
However I think there is also the danger that we ourselves may be, in our self interest, pride and arrogance, the very ones who trample on what is given to us as truth. In our self-righteousness, would we be the one to turn and attack another? Brothers and sisters, we have been given the great gift of God’s mercy and grace. The gift of the blood of the lamb symbolized for us in the bread and wine we will share today. May we repent of any way in which how we have chosen to live that has distorted and abused our privilege as believers of Christ.
And may we humbly come to the Lord’s table today asking that the Lord would give us a faith and a life that pursues after His peace and the building of His people. And for the righteousness, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit as we serve Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.