Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
This judging refers to condemning someone, not judging whether something is right or wrong. Later in the chapter Jesus will tell us to know the difference between true and false prophets. So we are still to judge or discern among things good and bad. Jesus seems to have in mind here people picking on each others flaws, criticizing them harshly.
As Jesus said, the standards by which we judge others will be the standards people use to judge us. These words are true on a human level and a God level. I remember telling a woman her fault and she replied, “Oh yeah, what about you?” And so the measure we use is measured right back to us. We know very well that if we are not walking the talk when we are pointing out another person’s flaws, we open ourselves to ridicule. “Why are you blaming me? You do the same thing!” We are then revealed as hypocrites for knowing the standard and not living up to it. If we can’t, why are we imposing it on others? Continue reading
