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Jesus on Judging

 In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus offers wisdom teaching on the subject of judging and pictures three different ways judging can be used: one to be avoided and two to be embraced.

  Most people go no further than Jesus’ opening command, "Do not judge.” Everyone is a fan of Jesus at this point because no one enjoys being judged. To many, it feels like Jesus has given them the ultimate trump card against any who would call their opinions or behaviors into question. I never have to defend my opinions or be held accountable because Jesus said to any who would disagree with me, "Do not judge”.

  I think we all can agree that Jesus clearly isn’t suggesting that His people should give up the ability to think critically or to make moral and wise judgments.

  The Greek word translated “judge” can be used in two ways. Jesus isn’t precluding the first way, which is judging in the sense of discerning or evaluating between one thing and another and then acting on it. It could be assessing a whether a situation or behavior is good or bad; or choosing between good or better next steps. One can judge in this way without putting oneself in the position of a being ‘the judge’ who rules and then declares their verdict publicly.

  What Jesus is precluding is the second way the Greek word is used—to act as a judge and declare judgment. He’s telling us not to put ourselves in the place of God who alone is able and qualified to judge others in an ultimate sense. He’s telling us not to view ourselves as having authority to decide when and how another is in the wrong and then declare our judgment in public/social settings (like a post on social media) so they experience what we determine to be appropriate consequences.

  This weaponizing of ‘judging’ is a common way we humans attempt to control our lives and our circumstances through controlling other people or making them pay.

  Jesus follows His "Do not judge" command with a warning that we’ll be judged as we judge. He then shares a hyperbolic parable about specks and beams to highlight our human tendency to be blinder and more generous about our own change-needed issues than we are about the change-needed issues of others. This tendency deceives us into believing we are qualified and competent to accurately see, pass judgment on, and then declare and share rulings about the change-needed stories of others.

  Jesus uses His "beam-speck” parable to positively point us towards using ‘judging’ as a tool on ourselves, like a mirror, to help us change for the better and become mature, "first take the beam out of your own eye…”.

As we practice using judging as a tool on ourselves, Jesus says we will be able to see more clearly and fairly how (in the context of rightly motivated other-centered love) we might help a friend remove a change-needed speck in their lives, “then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”, practicing what Proverbs 27:5 means when it says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted.”

  Jesus concludes in Matt 7:6 with two parables about dogs and hogs that function as warnings to offer judging as a gift only to those we sense are open and ready to appreciate and benefit from it.

So, Jesus’s wisdom on judging is: Do use judging as a tool on ourselves and do consider offering judging as a gift to help another remove a change-needed speck—when we sense the other is open to receive it; but never use judging as a weapon to control or punish another.