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JUDGE NOT…The Rest of the Story The most rudimentary complete sentence consists of but two words, and that concept is often employed in conveying the meaning of Matthew 7:1. One often hears that we are to “judge not”—though some may read the rest of the sentence, believing they have then grasped the full concept—“that you be not judged.” On the surface, James 4:11-12 would appear to reinforce this belief. Could it be that the crux of the matter here, though, is not to “speak evil of” a Nazarene brother--with malice in one’s heart? Speaking against the law is speaking against love itself, because the law is summed up in love—love for YHWH and for one’s neighbor. We’ll get back to James in a moment. “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mt. 7:1) is often used to prevent anyone—even another Nazarene—from correcting or admonishing a person.” But this flies directly in the face of another command of our Messiah, in John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” What we must do, then, is to read the whole passage (Mt. 7:1-5), in order to grasp the total concept. If you judge hypocritically—doing the same things yourself—you will likewise be judged, in retribution, by those whom you judge. But notice that verse 5 explains verse 4 by saying that one can, indeed, remove the speck if he sees clearly by cleaning up his own life first. The parallel passage to Matthew 7 is found in Luke 6:37-42. Notice that several verses earlier, in verse 31, Yahshua said to “treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” If we don’t judge or condemn, but pardon and give (verses 37 and 38), others will treat us the same way. “For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38, NASB). If you dish out hypocritical judgment on others, you must be prepared for their retorts and backlash—because you do the same things, too. And Romans 2:1-3 makes it plain that Elohim, too, will take to task those who judge hypocritically. “In that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Rom. 2:1). This is not to say, however, that one cannot judge righteously, as in John 7:24. But true disciples do have certain parameters by which they must abide. In 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 we find that Christians can, indeed, judge fellow believers, but they should leave the judgment of those outside the assembly to YHWH. Now the other scriptures on this subject come alive and make perfect sense. Read Matthew 18:10-17 to see how this kind of righteous, concerned judgment—not the hypocritical kind—works. Now we are ready for Galatians 6:1-3. Here Paul speaks about righteous judgment--stronger believers (“you who are spiritual”) humbly correcting those who have sinned. They are to avoid judging hypocritically, though, by not falling prey to the same temptation themselves. Notice how the Apostle James describes this concept: “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20, NASB). David, a man after Elohim’s own heart (I Sam. 13:14, Acts 13:22), spoke with gratitude for this kind of righteous judging. Notice it in Psalm 141:5: “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil. Let my head not refuse it” (NKJV). These sentiments are echoed in Proverbs 9:8-9: “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning” (NASB). The reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 can come directly from the Scriptures--or from a righteous person who studies and applies them personally. We should not spurn this correction--this “judging.” In Proverbs 17:10 Solomon wrote, “A reprimand impresses a person who has understanding more than a hundred lashes impress a fool” (YHWH’s Word). And Solomon said, “Reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge” (Prov. 19:25, NASB). If we formulate our religious beliefs by picking and choosing among supposedly conflicting statements (such as Matthew 7:1 and John 7:24) or ignore seemingly conflicting statements altogether (like John 7:24)--perhaps even believing the Bible contradicts itself—we won’t get anywhere. But if we avoid superficial study and hasty conclusions, we’ll be headed in the right direction. If we follow through, as we’ve done here by observing other places the same word for “judge”--Strong’s 2919, krino—is used, and read Strong’s definition of its meaning (to distinguish, decide, judge, etc.), then it all comes together beautifully and makes perfect sense. This will redound to the praise of our Elohim when we realize the veracity of His words: “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). |
