Judge Not
Sermon on the Mount # 12

a sermon on Matthew 7.1-6
by David C. Mauldin
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Mobile, Alabama


It’s back! Today we return to our sermon series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Last fall I resolved to preach through Matthew 5—7, which contains some of Jesus’ most important teaching. We took a break during Advent, then returned to it. We took another break during the Easter season, Kirkin’ of the Tartans, and Trinity Sunday. Now we are back to what is called ordinary time in the church calendar (although there is nothing ordinary about it, except that the Sundays are named with ordinal numbers—I believe there has never been an ordinary Sunday, in the sense of dull and unimportant, since the women found Jesus’ tomb empty) and we are back to the Sermon on the Mount.

Since it has been a while, perhaps a quick recap of what we have learned so far will help. The Sermon on the Mount is about the Kingdom of God. Jesus gave these teaching to God’s people in order to help us be kingdom people here and now. We started with the Beatitudes, which are kingdom values and promises. Then we got into mission. We are the light of the world. Jesus took the mission God gave Israel in the Old Testament and gave it to his disciples. They (and we) have been chosen for service because God loves the whole world.

Jesus was concerned that we correctly appropriate God’s law. He did not come to abolish it but to fulfill it. Thus, in Matthew 5, Jesus takes a series of laws and shows how keeping them is a matter of both our actions and our hearts. It is not enough to follow the letter. We must obey from the heart.

Jesus then warned against selfish, showy religion. Your faith is a matter of your heart right with God, not impressing other people. He taught the Lord’s Prayer. He taught us to trust God and look to him for the things we need. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and God will take care of you.

That brings us to today’s passage, possibly the most quoted and certainly the most misunderstood by people with only a casual acquaintance of Jesus. There are people so unfamiliar with the Bible they could not find the Old Testament, so unacquainted with Christianity they do not even know the claims we make about Jesus, but they know one verse, “Judge not.” This, they are sure, is the true meaning of Christianity. It certainly is the essential religious principle of our culture. Judging—even in the sense of moral discernment—has become in our society the unpardonable sin. To hint that someone’s ideas or opinions might be wrong, or to suggest their actions might be wrong, is a grave offense. Because this verse is what people want to say anyway, they eagerly pick it up and make use of it. But how easily it is misused.

Here, for your amusement and edification, is a list of the top four ways Jesus command “Judge not” can be misused. After we work through the list to see what Jesus did not mean, we will explore what he did mean. I think it helps to contrast the two. Also, you will encounter these four often and need to be on the lookout against them—not to mention against using them yourself. So here they are, the top four ways to take Jesus’ command “Judge not” and use it for your own selfish purposes.

1. Use it to weasel out of trouble. A pastor gets caught stealing money from his church. Seems he needed it to pay off his gambling debts, which he incurred because he needed extra money to finance lavish courting of his mistress. Hauled before the presbytery to be defrocked, his defense is, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Judge not’?” OK, so that’s a bit fantastic, but unfortunately not too far from reality. A woman once told me her husband cheated on her and then tried the old “Judge not” defense. Here’s a tip: It only made things worse.

Still, people do this all the time. A parent concerned about the choices a grown child is making gently encourages that child to take a hard look at where those choices lead. The child immediately gets defensive and throws back, “Judge not.” Be careful about this. Jesus gave us this command to guard us against self-righteousness. When we use it to justify our behavior, that’s the very trap we fall into. Here’s how the reasoning goes: Jesus said, “Judge not,” so you can’t judge me; and if you can’t judge me, then I must not be doing anything wrong. You start with a command Jesus gave you to remind you how much you rely on God’s mercy, and by the time you are through you think you don’t need God’s mercy at all! It is bad when you use Jesus’ command as a shield to hide behind because you want to avoid responsibility for your actions. It is worse when you start to believe this dodge yourself.

We know this is not what Jesus intended because he taught forgiveness. When someone does wrong, we speak the truth in love. We are far more loving when we are honest with a person about his or her sin than when we pretend nothing is wrong. We want the person to repent, and if he or she does, we forgive. Our goal is a relationship that builds everyone up. Sin destroys community. It destroys it more when it is kept hidden. The only way to put things right is to be honest, to hold one another accountable, to take responsibility, and to forgive. Jesus outlined this process in Matthew 18.15-17: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Do not use “Judge not” to weasel out of trouble, and do not fall for it when someone else tries that dodge. A Christian who follows Jesus will not say, “Some people might think what I did was wrong, but please don’t judge me.” He will say, “I was wrong, please forgive me.” Likewise, a Christian will not say, “I love you, so I do not care what you do.” She will say, “You did wrong, but I forgive you.”

2. Use “Do not judge” to get other people out of trouble. This is exactly like the first one, but in this case you are trying to get someone else out of trouble. Your friend is caught red-handed doing whatever mischief it happens to be. You rush to his defense. “Judge not,” you tell people, by which you mean, “We like this guy, so let’s pretend nothing is wrong.” All the same objections from the first misuse apply to this second one.

3. Use “Judge not” to discredit those who disagree with you about moral standards. Everyone believes in standards (even those who say they don’t). No one, for example, thinks murder is a social good. But what about controversial issues? “Judge not” is a great weapon to use against anyone who disagrees with you.

For years now, mainline churches have been arguing about homosexuality. Back when our society was Christian, mainline churches shaped the culture. We were in tune with the culture. When the culture began parting ways with Christianity, we found ourselves pulled in two directions. Now, whichever way the wind of culture blows, that’s what we argue about. I am one who stands with the clear teaching of scripture and the moral code God’s people have followed always and everywhere from the time of Moses until today. Same sex activity is sin. Those who say otherwise are following the culture instead of the gospel.

During one of the debates about this back when I was in the presbytery of Greater Atlanta, someone on the other side of this issue challenged me with “Judge not.” The issue was whether to make a practicing homosexual a candidate for ordination. Ordination is a three-step process: inquirer, candidate, and then ordination. The Presbyterian Church does not allow a practicing homosexual to be ordained, but a vocal minority wants to change this rule, and they wanted to move this person ahead in the process, just in case. We had to stand up to vote, so everyone knew how everyone else voted. A fellow presbyter confronted me later and said she was disappointed in me. What happened to “Judge not”? I asked if she thought we ought to have no standards at all. She said of course we need some standards. I said, “So you don’t care if we judge a person’s qualifications for ministry based on education, honesty, and criminal activity; it’s just this one thing we should not judge?” I failed to convince her, but I hope you see the point. It is easy to haul out the “Judge not” command to stop people from enforcing a rule you do not agree with, but it is hypocritical unless you want to do away with rules entirely. It does not have to be this issue. It could be any of a hundred more. The question is always, “What should our rules be?” It does not help to short circuit that discussion by whacking opponents with “Judge not.”

4. Use “Judge not” to legitimate our culture’s ethical code. Once upon a time, right and wrong were based more or less on the Bible and our Judeo-Christian moral heritage. Now there’s a new sheriff in town. Now right and wrong are determined by a simple principle: As long as you do not hurt anyone else (at least not too directly) anything goes. In this new day, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” becomes a social contract: “You don’t judge me, and I won’t judge you. Then we can both do whatever we want.” If someone breaks the implied social contract by making a moral or ethical judgment, you knock them back into line by hitting them with “Judge not.” It really is our culture’s favorite command because it is what everyone wants to do anyway. But of course this is not at all what Jesus had in mind. “Judge not” is so often abused because none of us wants to be held accountable. Jesus gave us this command precisely because we are accountable—every one of us.

These four uses are abuses. I have tried to point out why. So what did Jesus mean? Two of his parables and the rest of this passage throw light on his intention.

Jesus told a parable about a tax collector who went to the temple to pray. Tax collecting was a disreputable business back then because to do it you had to work for the Roman government. Also, to make any money at it, you had to cheat people. This miserable sinner went to the temple and prayed, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Meanwhile a Pharisee had come in to pray. The Pharisees were very devout. No one tried harder than a Pharisee to do God’s will. But this Pharisee prayed, “Lord, I thank you that I am not like that tax collector.” Jesus said the tax collector went home right with God while the Pharisee did not.

I am convinced the command to “Judge not” protects us against self-righteousness. Frustrated with all the evil in the world, one might pray: “Lord, why don’t you just strike all the evil-doers dead?” But what if he did? He could start with the murderers. But remember, Jesus said if you have hatred in your heart, that’s the same as murder. If God ever started smiting sinners, where would it end? No one would escape. Is that what we want? Of course not. Or would we prefer that God punish only the sins that do not particularly tempt us? “Those people are really bad, but we are not so bad.” When we start thinking like that, we need to hear Jesus warning, “Judge not.”

Calvin says Christ gave this command as the cure for a disease. The symptoms of this disease are familiar to us all: We flatter ourselves and imagine we are better and holier than we really are. We are severe toward the faults of others—hence, a double standard. We want mercy for ourselves but justice for others. Jesus told a parable about that too. A servant who owed a tremendous sum was forgiven by his master. On his way home he ran into a fellow servant who owed him a just a little. The forgiven servant turned out not to be forgiving himself and demanded payment, threatening to have his fellow servant thrown into prison. When the master heard what had happened, he had the ungrateful servant he had forgiven thrown into jail until he could pay his debt, which was never. Another symptom: we enjoy other people’s faults. We condemn others, but we think our little pet sins are OK. We are petty and condemn minor faults as if they were heinous.

That is the human condition. Knowing us all too well, Jesus warned us against indulging these impulses. Yes, there is a speck in you neighbor’s eye. It is there, and your neighbor ought to do something about it. In fact, you may be able to help. But … before you go poking about in someone else’s eye, look to your own. There is a log there. We human beings are spiritually farsighted. How easily we can detect the smallest speck in someone else’s eye, but how difficult it is for us to see clearly the log stuck in our own!

The bottom line: No one can afford to be self-righteous. No one can afford a judgmental attitude. Why? Because every single one of us has just one hope in this life and the next: the gracious mercy of God. Without that, we are all doomed. God does not owe us a thing. We owe him a debt we cannot begin to repay. Praise be to God, he is merciful. But he expects us to be merciful too … and forgiving.

We are not to be judgmental but loving, wanting not to condemn others but to encourage them. Does this mean we should not hold one another accountable? Not at all! In fact, just the opposite. Jesus clearly intends us to help one another live holy lives. He does say that if you tend to the log in your own eye, you may be able to help your neighbor with his or her speck. The passage from Matthew 18 about how to deal with a brother or sister who sins against you also supposes we will be accountable.

Holy living is difficult in a world of temptation. Those who go it alone are bound to fail, over and over. You are not strong enough by yourself. You are too good at talking yourself into things and making yourself believe they are OK. Loving brothers and sisters can help. They can’t if they are judgmental. If you know you are going to be branded and labeled and looked down on, why would you ever share your struggles? I think that is why groups like Alcoholics Anonymous often do a better job than the church really helping people cope with temptation and live a better life. We are too polite and nice. What we need when we struggle is unconditional love plus plain truth.

That is what I would want. It is hard to achieve. I encourage all Christians to be part of an accountability group. I meet with a group of pastors every Tuesday for lunch, and that’s part of what we do. But I know how hard it is. At one time, we had a deep knowledge and trust. We’ve had some turnover as some guys have left and others have come in. It takes time to build that trust, but it is worth it. We all need love, and we all need the truth. Anyone who really loves you will tell you the truth. They will be slow to condemn and quick to forgive—just as Jesus teaches.

Earlier I mentioned homosexuality, and it was an example carefully chosen. Many of us, I dare say, would be quick to condemn such behavior. Clearly it is wrong, but what is our attitude toward the person who struggles with that particular temptation. I am not talking about the unbeliever who scoffs at scripture and is proud of his sin. I speak now of the Christian young person who wants to live a holy life but struggles with temptation and the confusion that goes with it. If we condemn, how can we help such a person? I have known a Christian community to simply cast such a person out. This, I believe, is what Jesus was warning against. We need clear standards based on scripture … but without love, what good are they? Jesus wants us to help one another live holy lives. If someone has a sinful lifestyle, that is a problem—and such a person should not be ordained. If someone is unrepentant or goes around saying something scripture calls sin is OK, that is a problem. But if someone simply struggles with temptation—sometimes standing tall and sometimes falling—that person needs truth and love and encouragement. Who among us does not struggle with temptation? Some of us are prone to more reputable sins than others. If we cast out those who struggle with less reputable sins, might we not be throwing what is holy to the dogs?

Verse 6 has a rich history of interpretation. I am most impressed with one proposed by
David Garland. He suggests that “what is holy” and “pearls” are fellow Christians. The pigs are Romans and the dogs are Gentiles. He bases this on common Jewish insults of Jesus’ day. Christian communities that short circuit Jesus’ process for reconciliation in Matthew 18 and rush to condemn folks and then treat them like outsiders turn Christians into outsiders. The church should never make someone an outsider. We should merely acknowledge that they have chosen to be outsiders by their persistent and willful refusal to live as Christians.

Some churches are good at speaking the truth, but are not loving enough. They teach solid rules for Christian living, but woe be to anyone who fails to follow the rules joyfully. Other churches love and welcome, but they never speak the truth. They will tell you that you are fine just the way you are, no matter what your sin happens to be. It is hard to find—and hard to be—a church that speaks the truth in love … that provides enough safety that you can share your struggles and enough firmness to really help you overcome them. I hope we can be a church like that, and I hope each of us can be Christians like that. It starts with the log in your own eye. Knowing you depend on God’s mercy … knowing your debt has been forgiven … you extend mercy to others.

“Judge not” is so often abused, yet how beautiful it is when we get it right! Amen.

rev_mauldin@yahoo.com
June 10, 2007