On Judging Others
A Sermon By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
"Judge not, lest you be judged" is probably at least a strong contender for the "Most Often Quoted Passage Of All Time." Yet, so often it is quoted ignorantly, in the wrong context, and applied to situations where it doesn't belong. As a result, many Christian people are troubled about it. How far are we to go in judging others? Is it permissible at all? If not, how can we discern right and wrong? Is it better not to judge at all?
Introduction
There are two difficulties we must be careful about when judging others: Quick, unfair evaluations, and the tendency to hold others to a stricter standard than we hold ourselves. Let me illustrate the first...
Mr. Jones had just picked up the wrong umbrella in a hotel lobby and was about to walk out when the rightful owner called attention to his mistake. Embarrassed, he offered his apologies, picked up his own, and went on his way. The incident, however, reminded him that he had promised to buy both his wife and daughter an umbrella. To his delight he found that a local store nearby had them on sale, so he bought two. Just as he was getting into his car with his unwrapped purchases, he saw the man he had encountered earlier. He was eyeing him suspiciously. Seeing the three umbrellas hooked over his arm, the stranger exclaimed sarcastically, "I see you had a good day after all!"
Although Mr. Jones blushed, an involuntary gesture that was probably taken as an admission of guilt, he really had done nothing wrong. He had simply been misjudged on the basis of a quick misevaluation of the evidence observed.
Have you ever been misjudged like that or misjudged another like that? Quick evaluations, hastily formed by first appearances can be wrong. As a matter of fact, often they are.
The second difficulty we must watch out for is the tendency to hold others to a stricter standard than we hold ourselves.
In a Connecticut city, fifty-three residents of a certain neighborhood signed a petition to stop reckless driving on their streets. The police set a watch involving two squad cars parked inconspicuously at different locations. A few nights later five violators had been caught. All five of them had signed the petition!(1)
Hasty, unfair judgements and hypocritical double-standard judgements are perhaps what Jesus had in mind when he made His famous statement about judging others in Matthew 7:1-5.
(Matthew 7:1-5)
These verses are some of the most misused in the whole Bible. "Judge not, lest you be judged" is probably at least a strong contender for "Most Often Quoted Passage Of All Time" award (Perhaps second only to "Take a little wine for your stomach's sake.") Yet, so often it is quoted ignorantly, in the wrong context, and applied to situations where it doesn't belong. As a result, many Christian people are troubled about it. How far are we to go in judging others? Is it permissible at all? If not, how can we discern right and wrong? Is it better not to judge at all?
Let me first dispel the common notion that these verses are the end-all pronouncement on the subject of judging. The Bible says other things about judging, too, and one should never conclude on a teaching until he or she has seen all the Bible has to say about it.
Actually, elsewhere we are commanded to judge others. John 7:24 says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." In I Thessalonians 5:21 we read, "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good." Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that we would know false teachers by judging their "fruits." You cannot recognize a false teacher without judging.
Right in the context of our Matthew 7 text we find an occasion for judging.
(Read Matthew 7:6)
How do you recognize a "dog" or a "swine" unless you judge?
What Jesus referred to in Matthew 7 was hypocritical judging. The idea is that of condemning someone who has a speck in his eye when you have a log in your own.
To judge wrongly, as Jesus warned in Matthew 7 is a dangerous thing. To not judge when are commanded by scripture to do so is also dangerous. So how do you know when the judging you are doing is the right kind and not the wrong kind?
For my own reference I have worked out a list that helps me whenever this issue of judging becomes questionable in my own life. This list could be used as a checklist to help others prevent sinful judging. Each if the seven points is solidly based upon Scripture. I invite you to follow along and consider each point, keeping an eye out for things that apply to you and your experience.
It is so important for us to get a handle on this area of our lives! Jesus said in Matthew 7 "for in the way you judge others, you will be judged." Each day, in our dealing with other people, we are actually setting the tone for our own judgement by God. That makes an understanding of this subject of this subject critical for eternity.
I. Examine Self First.
Jesus said we should first deal with ourselves in Matthew 7.
"First take the log out of your own eye."
That principle is taught elsewhere in the NT. Galatians 6:4 says,
"But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another."
I Corinthians 11:31 says,
"But if we judge ourselves rightly, we should not be judged."
II Corinthians 13:5 says,
"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves!"
One thing can be said with certainty about judging others: While we are judging another it becomes more difficult to do an acceptable job of judging ourselves. That is one of the many problems of a person with a judgmental or critical spirit: He seldom looks at himself with the same scrutiny with which he looks at others.
Now such a one will often argue and say, "I do look at myself. I know I'm not perfect! But at least I'm not as bad as they are." But the trouble is that he uses his naked eye on his own faults, or worse, an eye clouded with debris, but uses a microscope on others. Consequently, quite often he has glaring faults that are seen by everyone but himself - one of the most glaring being his hyper-critical spirit!
Why is it that my dirt never is as dirty as your dirt and visa-versa? Let me put that another way. Some of us would probably blow our own noses and not wash our hands afterward. But what do you suppose would happen if we all blew somebody else's nose? There'd be a line at the rest room door with people wanting to wash their hands. My dirt is never as dirty as your dirt. See what I mean? (2)
My sin never seems as sinful as the sin of others either. And that is what Jesus is referring to here. I have a log in my eye and find it quite easy to ignore, but that speck in your eye is glaringly obvious.
This is often what is happening in an unhappy marriage. Over the years problems build up and are not resolved. Each partner becomes a consummate speck picker, and simultaneously, can look right through his or her own log. Such a person will argue that it isn't true, but that usually only further supports his or her blindness to the logs in his own eye.
You know, the truth is that I really don't have the right to demand you to remove your problem without first acknowledging and going to work on my own. That is what Jesus had in mind. In marriage (and other settings) usually what happens is partners develop an attitude of "I'd move if you would. If you'd just take out that speck, I'd work on my log." Jesus said it needs to be the other way around. You deal with yourself first. Further, you're a hypocrite until you do! (Look again at what he said: "You hypocrite, first take ...").
One who judges rightly will always look long and hard at himself first, to see if he is guilty of the same thing, before judging another.
II. Get the Facts.
In a court of law of the United States, a man is considered innocent until proven guilty by a careful examination of all pertinent evidence. Where does that principle come from? It comes from the Bible. In passages like Matthew 18 we are told of the need to confirm every fact by two or more witnesses. Again, in a court of law, someone else's unverified story is hearsay and is not admissible as evidence unless it is collaborated by another witness who saw the same thing.
If someone comes to you or me with a potentially damaging story about another, we should be slow to believe it unless there is evidence beyond this person's claims. That sounds so easy to say... But it is the natural tendency of all of us to do just the opposite! How many times do we instead, listen to all the gory details, add a few of our own surmisings, and then pass the story on to someone else? This is a serious sin (yes, it is a sin!). The way we judge another will be the way God judges us! We are writing the script for our own judgement!
One who judges rightly will check the accuracy of all facts before reaching a conclusion about another. This deliberate investigation of the facts will of necessity make a person slow to conclude guilt. Such a person will be the incarnation of James' principle as stated in James 1:19: "But let everyone be quick to hear and slow to speak..."
III. Show Mercy.
Our passage in Matthew 7:2 says, "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you."
If you want to be shown mercy, you must be one who has shown mercy.
This idea shows up elsewhere in the New testament. In Matthew 5:7 we read,
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
No, I'm not talking about the person who never speaks up about the wrong of another. I'm talking about one who is slow to condemn. One who gives another much opportunity to come to his senses and repent. One who thinks of those times when he should have been condemned because he was wrong, but was not condemned, and therefore had a chance to be restored.
When William Gladstone was Treasurer of Great Britain, he sent down to the Treasury for certain statistics upon which he was to base his budget proposals. The statistician working there made a mistake. But Gladstone was so sure of the man's accuracy that he did not take time to verify his figures. He went before the House of Commons and made his speech, basing his appeal on the incorrect figures that had been given him. His speech was no sooner published than the newspapers exposed its glaring inaccuracies. Gladstone was naturally overwhelmed with embarrassment. He went to his office and sent at once for the statistician who was responsible for his humiliating situation. The man came, full of fear and shame, certain that he was going to lose his position. But, instead, Mr. Gladstone said: "I know how much you must be disturbed over what has happened, and I have sent for you to put you at your ease. For a long time you have been engaged in handling the intricacies of the national accounts, and this is the first mistake that you have made. I want to congratulate you and express to you my keen appreciation." It took, a big man to do that. It took a merciful, man to do that.
Those who judge rightly will be those who are willing and ready to show mercy.
IV. Deal As Privately As Possible.
Matthew 18:15 says, "If your brother sins, go and reprove him in private..."
And even in the instructions that follow, i.e., take another with you and tell it to the church, the intention is to always keep things as private as possible. (Even when you must tell it to the church, it doesn't mean you should tell it to the world!)
According to a publication I receive, the food science department of Michigan State University, after years of careful research, finally found a way to peel onions without making the eyes water. They claim there will be no tears when you perform the chore if your keep your mouth shut! Now I haven't had a chance to test that conclusion myself, but I can say that it points out a good addition to our discussion. If you must "peel the onions" of other men's faults and evil deeds, learn to keep your mouth shut until the appropriate time!
If you are one who is prone to tell everything you know, then it is highly likely that you are at times guilty of unrighteous judgement. One who judges rightly will be very interested in preserving as much of the privacy of the offender as possible.
Now we turn to the other side of this issue. These are the characteristics of one who judges unrighteously.
V. Don't Be A Hypocrite.
Romans 2:1-4 says,
"You are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same {yourself,} that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"
And then a few verses later: (Rom 2:21-22)
"you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?"
Oh the tendency we have to condemn others for what we ourselves have not overcome!
We see it sometimes where a preacher who has for years preached strongly about certain sins, only to have it discovered that he has been involved in them himself! But it isn't just some preachers. All of us have the same tendencies. Jeremiah 17:9 says,
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?"
While we are on this subject, all of us need to take a long, careful, honest look into our hearts and see if we are guilty of this. Remember, the way we judge will be the way we are judged!
VI. Don't Rush.
John 7:24 says,
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
Outward appearance, especially at a first encounter, can be unreliable.
We read in John 7:51,
"Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?"
We say these things and give them lip service, but do our actions betray us? Some of us even pride ourselves in our supposed ability to size people up on the first encounter. I once heard a man boast, "I can let you know within the first five minutes what a person is like." That's wrong!
But it gets worse. Often such a person proceeds then to look for the things that seem to back up his already made conclusions. What this fosters is an editing of the facts due to a pre-held bias.
The best way to understand the seriousness of this issue is to have someone do it to you. There are few things that anger me more than to be judged unfairly on the basis of incomplete information. I suspect you are the same. I know some of you are the same, because you've come to me and told me.
I remember one time trying to reason with a person who had grossly misjudged me by pleading with him to listen to what I had to say. The response was, "I've heard all I need to hear!" That was terrible. What this person was saying in effect was, "I've make up my mind. Don't try to change it by giving me more facts. I'll believe what I want to about you!"
How do you judge others? Do you make your conclusions prematurely, or on the basis of hearsay and then look for evidence, or do you stubbornly hold to the innocence of a person until the evidence is seen that he is guilty. Your answer will tell you what kind of a judge you are.
VI. Don't Be Anxious To Expose.
Matthew 18 where we are told how to deal with the sins of others, only at the third step do we go public. Only after repeated private and semi-private attempts to secure repentance are we to go before the church. What that means, among other things, is that we should not tell others about the sins of another until we have gone to them privately and gone again with a witness.
Often, though, some of the biggest "mouths" in the church are also some of the biggest "chickens." They are usually "two-faced." They will tell everyone but the one they speak of and if you confront them they strenuously deny what they have said to others.
Isn't amazing how often we learn about someone's anger with us first through the grapevine? Why is that? It is because the one who judges unrighteously is anxious to expose those he condemns but he isn't really interested in helping them.
Conclusion
What kind of judge are you? Don't cop out by saying, "Well, I never judge," because the Bible commands you to do so. If you don't, you disobey. The question is not whether you judge. All of us must. The question is if you do it right.
A judge in juvenile court once had an unnerving experience. When a youngster who had been caught stealing from a farmer's field was brought before him, he said, "Son, what do you have to say for yourself?" The young culprit looked at the official repentantly and asked, "Judge, didn't ya ever steal a watermelon when you was a kid?" Startled by this question, the magistrate blushed. After a long pause, he said,"Though the boy has done wrong, I have decided under the circumstances to dismiss the case." He was embarrassed because he realized that he was as guilty as the defendant!
I'm not a magistrate, but perhaps I can suggest a better way to deal with such a problem. Maybe the judge should have agreed to accept the same sentence as he was going to give to the boy and the two could have served it together. It would have been an honest move, and the boy would not have been deprived of the correction he needed.
"First take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take the speck our of your brother's eye." Jesus didn't condemn judging. He condemned hypocritical judging...
1. GRACE AWAKENING, Chuck Swindoll, p. 165. [Back]
2. This illustration came from Jack Exum in a taped message. [Back]
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
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