Judging And Hypocrisy

Matthew 7:1–6
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Judging

The Lord is dealing with the Pharisees on the matter of judging and hypocrisy (v. 1). They were judging Christ because He was not offering the kind of kingdom they anticipated or the kind of righteousness they were exhibiting. Jesus was not teaching that judgments should never be made. The person who believes all that he hears, and accepts everyone who claims to be spiritual will certainly experience confusion.

The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. The first principle of judgment must begin with ourselves. The Pharisees “played God” as they condemned other people, but never considered that God would one day judge them (v. 2). The purpose of self judgment is to prepare us to serve others. Living by this simple guideline would eliminate the vast majority of the squabbles and conflicts we endure. Would we want to be judged by the standards we judge others? The Pharisees judged and criticized others to make themselves look good.

The Lord uses the “mote” and the “beam” as an illustration of His point (v. 3). He pictures a man with a two-by four stuck in his eye, trying to remove a speck of dust from another man’s eye (v.4-5). If we do not honestly face up to our own sins; and confess them, we blind ourselves to ourselves and will not be able to see clearly enough to help others. Don’t give what is holy to unholy people (v. 6). In other words don’t give pearls to swine. They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. It is futile to try to teach holy concepts to people who do not want to listen and will tear apart what we say. This does not mean we should stop giving the Gospel to unbelievers.

Application

Have I ever been guilty of trying to judge another person when I had things in my own life that needed to be judged? How would I recommend approaching people who need help or correction?

Matthew 7:1-6 (English Standard Version)

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