Hiding from God’s Holiness Behind Others
Matthew 7:1-6
Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.” μὴ κρίνετε ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε
I. INTRODUCTION
A. The Traditional View
Of all of the words Jesus spoke during his three years of public ministry, there is probably no other sentence more beloved by people everywhere, and almost certainly none that is quoted as often as this one. While many scripture passages will never even be heard in a most churches, this one can be heard in every stripe of so-called church around the world.
And it is not a bad subject. In both Matthews’s and Luke’s accounts Jesus gives a sermon with very similar structure, and in both of them this verse is associated with the Golden Rule. Certainly in the human realm this verse calls for humility, thoughtfulness, reciprocity, forgiveness and mercy from ourselves to others.
But the main usage of this verse seems to be by those who are really in desperate need of discernment to declare themselves to be off limits to all criticism. A popular tattoo consists of the words “Only God can juge me” (often mis-spelled)
Jesus’ words here are deep and would provide (and have provided) fodder for many sermons, but almost all of them completely ignore the context here in Matthew and therefore I believe they miss one of the main points that Jesus was making.
B. WHERE WE ARE - CONTEXT
This the 5th sermon that I have had the privilege to give on what is called “the Sermon on the Mount”. As I mentioned previously this is widely called the greatest sermon ever preached. The version in Matthew is three chapters long, and goes from the beatitudes at the beginning of chapter 5 to the warning about not building your house upon the sand at the end of chapter 7.
Jesus came with a specific mission. [Luke 19:10] “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." All of mankind is lost and needs salvation. Jesus lived a blameless life and then gave his life to be a propitiation for the wrath of God revealed against all of us. He rose again from the dead to show that the price was paid for our sin and now offers salvation freely to anyone who will believe. [John 3:16 ESV] 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is so cut and dry that the writer of Hebrews put it this way: [Heb 2:3a] “…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
With such a simple, free offer, what could go wrong? If I went down the street offering $100 bills to everyone I met I would not have to spend much time convincing people to take them. How many people would turn it down, saying they did not need more money? But when Jesus comes and offers salvation for free to anyone who believed, that much more precious gift is scoffed at and rejected by many people – because they don’t believe that they need it. Anyone who has participated in the Evangelism Explosion program knows what is known as “the two diagnostic questions”. (They wear a pin with two question marks on this as a reminder). The first question is “If you were to die today would you go to heaven?” Most people answer yes to that question. The second question clarifies the issues: “If you were to die today and stand before God, and He were to ask you “why should I let you into MY heaven?” what would you say?” is usually answered by some version of “because I am a good person.” For all of the history of the human race, that has been the biggest obstacle to receiving the grace of God for salvation – self-righteousness. Many great evangelists have made the statement that the hardest part of evangelism is to convince people that they are sinners so they will understand their need for the gospel. It was no different for Jesus.
During the ministry of Jesus on earth, we see Him constantly reacting to people in two ways. Those who are aware of their sin before God, and are repentant and contrite are met with love and acceptance into the family of faith. Those who believe that they don’t need forgiveness from God for their sins are either challenged in their security (if they are truly seeking the truth) or are castigated by Him. Some of the worst name-calling in scripture is done by Jesus when speaking to the smug, self-righteous religious leaders of his day, who Jesus refers to loudly as ‘hypocrites’ and ‘broods of vipers’.
As we have seen, the SOTM is a systematic teardown of all of the excuses people use to protect themselves from the guilt of our sins and our culpability before God. After reading through, one could outline it in terms of the misconceptions that might be spoken by people of his (and our) day to sidestep the call for salvation. How many of these have you heard before?
Ch
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Self-Told
Lies Demolished
|
The Truth from Jesus
|
5:1-16
|
I am nice to
my friends (but I get even against jerks and lament their existence)
|
True
Happiness is from a kingdom different from what you and the world think
|
5:17-19
|
Those are
old-fashioned puritanical rules - we are more enlightened now!
|
God's
Standards have not and will not change. Jesus upheld the law, fulfilling, not
abolishing it.
|
5:20-48
|
I keep the
ten commandments, I do more good than bad. God owes me!
|
The point of
the law was not to help you save yourself.
The three purposes of human religion
|
6:1-18
|
People think
that I am great
|
God is our
only judge - our "audience of One".
Don't do your deeds to be seen by men.
|
6:19-34
|
I am the
master of my destiny - self reliance is the key to happiness
|
True
happiness only comes from a close, trusting relationship with a good God.
|
7:1-6
|
That guy is
much worse than I am!
|
You don't
get to heaven by comparison with worse people (and you are worse than you
think)
|
7:7-12
|
Eh - I am fine. I have
need of nothing.
|
We need our heavenly
Father and he is good and worthy of our trust
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7:13-20
|
But everybody does it!
|
Narrow vs wide gate,
difficult vs easy. The world is going
to hell - don't follow them there!
|
7:21-29
|
Sure I am going to
heaven! I feel I am at least.(Review all the above reasons)
|
Don't be a false believer
- listen to Jesus' wise, loving warnings!
|
IIA The Easiest Subterfuge
The easiest form of self-justification is to point to someone else who has done something worse. Experience tells us this. We see it with little children: they love to tell on each other and if you catch a kid with their hand in the cookie jar they will always say “but Johnnie had one!!!” Just yesterday I heard a story from a parent who described an incident where one of his children punched another in the stomach. When questioned he said that the other child had punched him first. After investigation, when this was shown to be untrue, the first child said “well, I forgot that he didn’t punch me”. (Ah, that makes it alright). Even with adults this is true. In my experience, there is nobody who has more indignation against other drivers than one who does the same things, only less. I remember once traveling up to Thousand Oaks
In fact, it is most often the case that we condemn others for the sins that we wish to hide in ourselves. A peevish person hates others with bad tempers, a teller of white lies hates someone who tells slightly bigger lies, etc. And heaven help any person who tries to point out in youwhat you notice in others – ‘HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME!” will usually be your answer. Why does this happen and why is it so likely to happen? During his last night with his disciples, Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit:
John 16:7-11 7 … I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
During this age, the Holy Spirit is speaking to people about their sin. It is a part of universal grace. Even back in the days of the patriarchs, when Abraham lied to Abimelech about Sarah being his sister and he found out it was God who told him “[Gen 20:6 ESV] “… I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” (This is why the description of the end times in 2 Thess 2:7 is so scary, where it speaks of the world going downhill when “he who now restrains it” is removed.)
Since the Holy Spirit is convicting the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment there is pressure on all but the deadest souls at all time – a conviction when we sin – that has to be dealt with. Just like the knowing glare of your earthly parents, it produces uncomfortableness until we can find a way to alleviate it. Unfortunately every time we put off responding to the Spirit, our hearts become a little bit harder and it is easier to do it the next time.
As we saw already, it was always those who were willing to confess and forsake their sins that Jesus responded to with comfort and those who justified themselves that He challenged. He very specifically taught about this in a parable:
Luke 18:9-14 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
It is in this context that Jesus is speaking and this informs us of the meaning and intention for his admonition as we reach chapter seven. Jesus starts the new section with this warning:
Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.” μὴ κρίνετε ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε
If we remember the context the meaning becomes very clear. The people He was speaking to were justifying themselves by condemning others – like the kid who says “but Johnnie stole TWO cookies” to cover his stealing ONE cookie. Jesus had already smashed their self-justification by challenging their wrong interpretation of “keeping the law” and by their public works which ignored the real “audience of one” that was God. But justifying ourselves by comparing ourselves to other people is
- The most popular way of self-justification – everybody does it
- The most pernicious way of self-justification – we hurt others to help ourselves
- The most preposterous way of self-justification - it attempts to deceive God by misdirection
- The most perilous way of self-justification – the Lord has said that He hates it and it hardens our hearts
- The most pitiful way of self-justification – it does nothing about our guilt at all
- The most pointless way of self-justification, since Jesus already said that it leaves us condemned.
Does that stop us from doing it? Of course not. But while we heap judgment on others our own sin lies unchallenged, waiting for the day when we will stand before the great white throne and are judged for our sins. Hence, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Jesus continues with his explanation:
Matthew 7:2 “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
There are two wrong ways to read this verse. First, Jesus is NOT saying that if you personally have no standards for other people that you will skate through his judgment with flying colors. We are all under the warnings in Romans, including 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”, 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, 6:23a “for the wages of sin is death” and even Jesus earlier in this sermon [Mat 5:48] “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Secondly, this is not a warning that you will lose your salvation if you judge others. Then what is Jesus saying?
Well, all over scripture we see the same sentiment, and that is that the very fact that you are judging others shows that you have standards of right and wrong. Paul uses the same arguments in the first couple chapters of the book of Romans, his great dissertation on the subject of salvation in the gospel. First he presents arguments that show that the entire human race is condemned, then he presents the good news of salvation offered to all. In chapter one he outlines the sinfulness of the human race and the levels of depravity that it can reach. Chapter two deals with what one study guide refers to as “the really good sinner” and the “really religious sinner”. Jesus dealt with the latter back in chapter 5 of Matthew (“you have heard it said”) and the former in both chapter 6 (“practicing righteousness before men”) and here. What Jesus says in two verses, Paul explains in more detail in 15 verses:
Romans 2:1-15 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Even people who claim that there are no absolutes then insist that that fact is an absolute. The truth is that EVERYONE who claims that there is no moral right or wrong will get upset at you if you take their parking space or cut in front of them on the freeway. And just about EVERYONE will agree that, say Hitler was a bad person. Those people who say that there is no moral objection to, say, gay marriage DO insist that being against it is a moral evil. So Jesus and Paul are both arguing that nobody is going to get away with thinking that they are free from God’s standards because they don’t believe in them since in the end
- They do believe in some kind of moral law (and are therefore without excuse) and
- Nobody even lives up to the standard that they hold everybody else to
IIB The Silliest Subterfuge
Jesus is more economical with words than Paul, but He was speaking to an audience of his own countrymen who would recognize the theme very quickly. But Jesus goes on to illustrate the overall stupidity of this method of self-justification with a very humorous picture:
Matthew 7:3-5 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.
This perfectly illustrates the absurdity of trying to avoid dealing with your own sinfulness before God. The image is vivid – someone with a giant piece of wood sticking out of their eye is offering to help someone else with a small twig or sliver in their eye. The question comes to mind immediately, “how does the person not know that they have a LOG in their eye? How is that possible? It is a fact of life that it is easy to go through life completely unaware of our own selves and our flaws. How?
- First, we are motivated to ignore our own flaws – it hurts our pride and it is often hard work to fix our own faults.
- Secondly it is sometimes hard to see our own failings because we tend to think that our own motives are good.
- Thirdly we sometimes need to have a perspective outside of ourselves (just like in the physical world) to see what we are unable to see.
Even as Christians we are constantly reminded to examine ourselves and make sure that we are not letting sin into our lives. John says in his first epistle
1 John 1:8-9 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The word “confess” is homologeō which means that we must “say the same as” God about our sin. There is no room for qualification, justification, explanation or redefinition. We must acknowledge that it is, as David said in Psalm 51:
Psalm 51:1-4 1 …Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Did David try to explain away his sin in this psalm? Did he say “well, it was really Bathsheba’s fault for bathing in her courtyard!” or “I had to kill Uriah or the scandal would have hurt the war effort!”. Nope. There was NO self-justification or finger pointing.
It is important to note that when Jesus says “Judge not” the word judge is a general word, the Greek word krinō. It does not necessarily mean to condemn. By itself, it just means to make a distinction, and it is used in many ways that are determined by the context so it requires care to translate it. It can mean to separate or choose, to approve or prefer, to think or be of opinion, to determine or decree, or to judge, including judging between right and wrong or pronouncing a judgment. So it could be said that Jesus is basically saying to suspend ALL value judgments of others if you are using that as a means of self-justification. Verse one could therefore be translated “stop looking at what other people are doing and be aware that you are a sinner, too. Turn your critical gaze off of others and turn it on YOURSELF before it is too late and you miss the possibility of salvation! You are in great danger.
IIC The Surprising Qualification
By the way, do you notice something about verse 5? Jesus says that you can help take the splinter out of the other person’s eye once you have dealt with your own “log”. All through scripture we are enjoined to exercise discretion in various situations. The same Jesus who told the woman caught in adultery and said “neither do I condemn you” is the one who knocked over tables in the temple, who condemned the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, who called Peter “Satan” (“get thee behind me Satan”), who often criticized his own disciples for their lack of faith, who gave the procedure for dealing with sin in the church in Matthew 18 and who talked about a literal hell more than anyone in scripture. But then again we must admit that as the sinless Son of God He was indeed in a different place than us – having NO log or even speck in his own eyes! Nonetheless we are enjoined all through scripture to exercise discretion. I think of Paul writing to the Corinthians about the person in their church who was in an illicit relationship with his step-mother that they were excusing that
1 Corinthians 5:2-3 “2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.”
There are many examples like that, and in many cases like that one churches are hurt by an inability to deal with sin in their midst because of a misinterpretation of this passage. It is interesting therefore, that Jesus ends this particular section with a statement that seems to be a complete non-sequitur:
Matthew 7:6 "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.
If we get nothing else from this passage, can we at least agree that Jesus is encouraging some sort of judging here? So in verse 5 helping others deal with problems is allowed, once we are not using them as cover for ourselves, but here we are to discriminate between people some of whom He describes as dogs and pigs! One commentary puts it this way: “Disciples are not to be judgmental, but that does not mean that they are to lack, discernment. They must recognize the realities of life. The gospel of the kingdom – [here described as] a pearl – was to be preached to all; but its heralds were also instructed to shake the dust off their feet when they were not received into a house or town.”
Another way to put it is this: never compromise the truth. We cannot be righteous stewards of the gospel if we water it down or refuse to call sin as sin. Refusing to stand for the truth of the gospel leaves you with nothing to give to the lost. There are lost people, and they will not understand biblical pearls of wisdom or appreciate your Christian perspectives. But refusing to preach the gospel to them because “we all worship the same God” or denying the truth of scripture about our universal need for salvation because “he’s such a great guy he almost deserves salvation” is to condemn sinners to hell.
III. Conclusion
We must not run too far either way with this passage. Jesus has dealt with the objection “But God, that guy is much worse than I am!” If we expect to get to his heaven just because we can find some other person who we think (probably erroneously) that we are better than, then we are in for a big surprise. All we have is what the writer of Hebrews called “a terrifying expectation of judgment. The truth is, you don't get to heaven by comparing yourself to worse people - and you are ALWAYS worse than you think you are.
So, don’t worry about what the other person does. Don’t be scared of speaking the truth about sin because someone quotes this verse at you out of context. Jesus did care about sin – He paid the ultimate price to pay for yours. Don’t let your inspection of everybody’s sin but your own cause you to miss the grace of God. Ask God to point out your sin – pray like David in Psalm 139:
Psalm 139:24 KJV And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
If you can’t feel God’s conviction of your sin through the Spirit then read the Bible with an open heart. Ask a friend – other people are always ready to judge YOU and they often see things you have missed or are deliberately hiding from yourself. But GET ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE besides your own. In the end, though, it is YOU who are responsible for judging yourself correctly. Do a lousy job and your meeting with God might not go quite like you had it planned – especially if your lack of self-awareness causes you to reject the gospel. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11 :
1 Corinthians 11:28a, 31 28 Let a person examine himself, then, ... 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
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