Matthew 7:1

The Sermon on the Mount: On Judging Others

1 "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.

Matthew 7:1 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 7:1

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
] This is not to be understood of any sort of judgment; not of judgment in the civil courts of judicature, by proper magistrates, which ought to be made and pass, according to the nature of the case; nor of judgment in the churches of Christ, where offenders are to be called to an account, examined, tried, and dealt with according to the rules of the Gospel; nor of every private judgment, which one man may make upon another, without any detriment to him; but of rash judgment, interpreting men's words and deeds to the worst sense, and censuring them in a very severe manner; even passing sentence on them, with respect to their eternal state and condition. Good is the advice given by the famous Hillell ^F21, who lived a little before Christ's time;

``Do not judge thy neighbour, (says he,) until thou comest into his place.''

It would be well, if persons subject to a censorious spirit, would put themselves in the case and circumstances the persons are in they judge; and then consider, what judgment they would choose others should pass on them. The argument Christ uses to dissuade from this evil, which the Jews were very prone to, is, "that ye be not judged"; meaning, either by men, for such censorious persons rarely have the good will of their fellow creatures, but are commonly repaid in the same way; or else by God, which will be the most awful and tremendous: for such persons take upon them the place of God, usurp his prerogative, as if they knew the hearts and states of men; and therefore will have judgment without mercy at the hands of God.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F21 Pirke Abot, c. 2. sect. 4.

Matthew 7:1 In-Context

1 "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.

2 For by what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and by what measure you measure out, it will be measured out to you.

3 And why do you see the speck [that is] in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood in your [own] eye?

4 Or how will you say to your brother, 'Allow [me] to remove the speck from your eye,' and behold, the beam of wood [is] in your [own] eye?

5 Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your [own] eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye!