Judging Others

          There may be no scripture that is quoted so often and misused by more people
      than Matthew 7:1-5.

                                     (Jesus said)

                                     "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 be 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 you 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 our of your
                                     own eye, and then you will see clearly to re-
                                     move the speck from your brother's eye."


          This passage is often quoted by those who never want others to make any kind
     of judgment about questionable or even sinful behavior on their part.  Of course
     we have to make judgments about people almost daily.  Is Jesus saying that we
     should NEVER judge anyone about anything?

      Absolutely not, but as with all scripture, we must look at the context to know
     the true meaning of the words we read.  The context of this passage is found in
     verse five, where Jesus tells Christians not to judge hypocritically, self-righteously,
     or use any other unfair judgments against others.


          However, in the very next verse, Jesus tells His listeners to assess or judge the
     character of the people in their midst to determine if they are "dogs," or false prophets,
     or if their life shows fruit.


                                       "Do not give dogs what is sacred;  do not
                                        throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they
                                        may trample them under their feet, and
                                        then turn and tear you to pieces."
                                                                                    Matthew 7:6


                                       "Watch for those dogs, those men who do
                                         evil, those mutilators of the flesh."
                                                                                    Philippians 3:2


                                       "Watch out for false prophets.  They come to
                                         you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they
                                         are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will
                                         recognize them."
                                                                                   Matthew 7:15-16b


          The Bible consistently tells Christians to watch out for immoral people
      who claim to be godly, and those who oppose the clear message of scripture.


                                       (Paul wrote), "But now I am writing you that
                                       you must not associate with anyone who calls
                                       himself a brother but is sexually immoral or
                                       greedy, an idolater, or a slanderer, a drunkard,
                                       or a swindler.  With such a man do not even eat."
                                                                                  1 Corinthians 5:11


          Certainly, we must make judgments about others to make such decisions.


          Paul then urges the Corinthians to exercise church discipline, (which
     requires them to judge the character of another), to remove the wicked from
     the church.  He emphasizes that he is not talking about those who are not
     Christians, but only those who calls themselves brothers and sisters in Christ.


                                     "What business is it of mine to judge those
                                      outside the church?  Are you not to judge
                                      those inside?  God will judge those outside.
                                      Expel the wicked man from among you."
                                                                            1 Corinthians 5:12-13


                                                           **********


          We judge other people, Christian and non-christian, to some degree on a daily basis.

          Suppose you own a business and have two applicants for the same job opening.
     Their qualifications (education, previous work experience, etc) are almost
     identical. 

          However, John came to the interview neatly dressed, was well-spoken, and
     eager to go to work.  Meanwhile, Bob was disheveled, inarticulate, and appears
     uninterested in working hard.

          Who would you choose for the job and why?  Most people would choose John,
     because they judged each by his appearance and eagerness to do the job.  It is
     not wrong to make a judgment of the two, but one of common sense and making a
     wise business decision.


                                                           **********


          God calls His people to use a judgment of careful discernment, and not one that
     is hypocritical or self-righteous, but one that is according to His Word.