Sermon on the Mount Do Not Judge

Matthew 7:1-5
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be
judged, and with the measure you use, it will measured to you. Why do you look at the
speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own
eye? How can you say to your brother: Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all
the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your
own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (7:1-5)
Jesus has already challenged hypocrisy in reference to commonly accepted religious
practices such as giving (6:1-4), prayer (6:5-8), and fasting (6:16-180
He also challenged misunderstanding and shallowness as related to the commandments
against murder (5:21-26), adultery (5:27-30), divorce (5:31-32), swearing oaths (5:33-37),
retaliation (5:38-42), and our attitude toward those we consider enemies (5:43-48)
Now He takes on the subject of judgment, and just as he brought fulfillment to the law by
reinterpreting it (5:17), so he clarifies our role of evaluating and reproving others
He warns do not judge as a matter of condemnation, or we ourselves the will be
judged
Judgment is not our role, for as James teaches, there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the
one who is able to save and destroy . . . who are you to judge your neighbor? (4:12)
Paul state this truth in Romans 14:4: Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To
his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him
stand
Jesus has already made clear the danger judgment as a condescending attitude in the
Sermon when He said: anyone who says to his brother Raca is answerable to the
Sanhedrin, but anyone who says, You fool will be in danger of the fire of hell! (5:22)
Judgment belongs to God alone, and Jesus clarifies that no person regardless of their
position has the authority to judge and condemn another in eternal matters
Just as with giving, prayer, and fasting, Jesus points to the area of abuse the Pharisees
exercised not constructive confrontation or counsel, but judgment and condemnation
He teaches a divine principle: In the same way you judge others, you will be judged
(7:2)
Jesus phrases this truth more positively a few verses later: So in everything, do to others
what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (7:12)
As a matter of illustration, and perhaps even comic relief, Jesus compares a fault in
another as a speck in their eye; yet the critical one has a plank in his own eye
We might say something like: how can you get a toothpick from your brother's eye when
you have a telephone pole in your own eye?
Notice that Jesus continues this illustration of hyperboles to take action to help another
Often people quote this passage as a biblical weapon to say Who are you to criticize
me?
But they are misusing Jesus words, for He goes on to teach that the concerned brother
who removed the plank from his eye had the duty to remove the speck from his brothers
eye
This is made evident by the following passage in which Jesus teaches that discernment
needed in rendering constructive confrontation: Do not give dogs what is sacred (7:6)

 We can learn from this passage that it is a sin to judge others, but a duty to reprove them
James tells us: If one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him
back. . . he turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death (5:19-20)
Jesus will teach the disciples more specifically the value of decisive and constructive
confrontation at a later time: If he listens, you have won your brother over" (18:15)