(1) What exactly is the kind of "judging" that Jesus prohibits? Jesus is referring to the self- righteous judging that the Pharisees (the Jewish religious teachers of the time) committed. That is why He states at the beginning of this sermon, "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees... you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 5:20) The kind of judging that Jesus speaks about is the kind where one looks down on his victim, exalts himself, and seeks to be admired for his "spotlessness." Today, people call this a "holier than thou" attitude. Jesus forbade this kind of attitude.
He is not at all, however, saying that we should be silent
about sin. In many other places in Scripture, God commands us to point out sin in others
for the purpose of helping them overcome sin (see Matt 18:15-18, Luke 17:3, Gal 6:1, 1 Tim
5:20, 2 Tim 4:2, Titus 1:13), but never for self-exaltation.
(1) In what way will we be judged if we judge others? God standards are
always higher than our own. Therefore, He will count as a sin any time we criticize others
in a self-righteous way.
The only reason why we are not condemned to eternal
punishment, after God so judges us, is because Jesus Christ took that punishment upon
Himself as He suffered on the cross 2,000 years ago. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, in
other words, are released from the results of being judged by God.
5. What does Jesus mean by "first take the plank out of your own eye..."? We
can never get rid of all our sins ourselves. Therefore, what Jesus means is that we
must admit to our own sinfulness, and accept Jesus' free gift of salvation. Only then are
we prepared to help one another to overcome sin. Remember this before pointing out
another's sin: we're all in the same boat -- sinners saved by the grace of God.
6. What in the world does Jesus mean by "do not give to dogs... pigs"? And
what does this have to do with judging others? This is a warning against the
opposite problem of judgmentalism -- ignoring sin. We must never be so afraid of
judgementalism, that we baptize unbelievers into the congregation. In the early church,
this was a problem, where false brothers/sisters would infiltrate the congregation, report
to the authorities, and have Christians executed for their faith.
Key Memory Verse
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (7:1)
Insights
Pointing out faults in others is enjoyable, especially when it makes us feel superior.
Pointing out others' faults is easier than peinting out our own.
Pointing out faults may be good only after admitting to your own utter sinfulness and need for Jesus Christ.
"Do not judge" does not mean "ignore sin."
The Bottom Line
Stop criticizing so much. We are all sinners, yet Christ
loved us, died for us, and gave us new life. Therefore, we too must love, not attack,
those who sin.