Judging Others / Matthew 7:1-6
We just passed a significant milestone this last week: seventeen years as a church. For almost two decades, we’ve been handling the Word of God, doing life together, and trying to help people connect to God and to each other in every neighborhood.
There is a blessing and a bit of a challenge that comes with standing in front of the same people for that long. If I go teach at a conference or a festival, I scan the crowd and I can tell who is paying attention and who is sleeping, but that’s about all the information I have. When you stand before your home church family for years, the faces have stories. While I’m teaching, I look out and see people who have walked through immense difficulty. I see people who have faced severe health battles, marriages that have been tested, and people who have come to faith. I see parents who watched their kids go crazy, and those same parents who watched their kids come back. I see people who have had kids, people who have lost kids, and all of life in between.
While you are communicating on your home court, all of those relationships and conversations are spinning through your head. It’s like A Beautiful Mind, only far less impressive.
When we look at Matthew chapter seven, I believe Jesus had one of those moments. He had just finished teaching on anxiety and worry, and all of a sudden, He shifts gears entirely. He moves from worry straight into judging, specks and logs, and dogs, pearls, and pigs. It almost seems disconnected at first glance. But I think what happened is that Jesus caught eye contact with someone in the crowd. In making eye contact, He had something specific to say, and He launched right into an unforgettable message.
The Spiritually Arrogant Judge
The question on my mind is: who was Jesus looking at? Was it an individual, or was it a group? We get a clue in verse five where He uses the word hypocrite. That word literally means “second face”—it was the term used for an actor who pretended to be someone they were not.
Jesus uses this term repeatedly throughout the Sermon on the Mount when speaking about the religious leaders, the Pharisees. Back in chapter six, He warned about giving to the poor like the hypocrites who sound a trumpet, praying like the hypocrites who love to be seen, and fasting like the hypocrites who put on gloomy faces. In Matthew 23, He will unleash that word seven times directly against the Pharisees.
So what does Jesus have to say to this religious leader and his circle of companions?
Matthew 7:1-2 (NASB)
’Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ’For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
When Jesus speaks of judging here, He is not talking about exercising simple discernment between good and bad. He is describing someone who takes on the role of judge and jury. The religious leaders had drifted into such severe spiritual arrogance that they set themselves up to pronounce final condemnation upon everyone around them.
This arrogance shaped their entire religious expression. Remember the story in John 8 when they dragged a woman caught in the very act of adultery before Jesus? They brought her out publicly in her shame, holding stones in their hands because the law called for her execution. They didn’t care about the woman; they wanted Jesus to condemn her. But Jesus bent down, wrote on the ground, and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” From the oldest to the youngest, they dropped their rocks and walked away. The Pharisees loved to condemn. They loved being perceived as righteous at the expense of others.
Paul addresses this exact heart posture in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 2:1-3 (NASB)
Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same [yourself], that you will escape the judgment of God?
The tragedy of their judgment was twofold: they condemned others, and they applied a standard to everyone else that they refused to apply to themselves. It was classic “do as I say, not as I do” religion.
On top of that, these leaders elevated human traditions to the level of divine Scripture. In Matthew 15, they questioned Jesus, asking why His disciples broke the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating. Jesus turned it right back on them, asking why they broke the commandment of God for the sake of their human traditions.
They had codified 613 commandments called the mitzvot, layered on the Mishnah (oral tradition), and added the Talmud (rabbinic interpretations). They ranked every rule into light and heavy categories, weighing people down with extra-biblical burdens.
Luke 11:46 (NASB)
But He said, ’Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
Splinters and Lumber
In Matthew 7, Jesus is addressing this directly. In fact, the word hypocrite in verse five is singular. Envision Jesus locking eyes with one specific individual in the crowd, not looking away, making an undeniable point.
Matthew 7:3-4 (NASB)
’Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ’Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
Jesus is asking: “Help me understand your thinking. How can you walk around with spiritual tweezers picking out tiny splinters in everyone else’s eyes, while you’re knocking people over with a two-by-four sticking out of your own?”
Who gives anyone the right to sit as judge and jury over someone else’s spiritual life when they are blind to their own sin? It is like calling people out for splinters while you are living in a woodpile. Jesus directly exposes the hypocrisy of legalism.
Legalism has ancient roots going all the way back to Genesis. In Genesis 2, God told Adam that he was free to eat from any tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But when Eve recounted the command to the serpent in Genesis 3, she added words: “God said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” God never said, “Do not touch it.” She added a fence.
Ever since the Fall, human nature tends toward legalism. We often feel more comfortable constructing rigid rules than cultivating biblical wisdom and discernment. We think, “If premarital sex is a sin, then dancing must be evil. If drunkenness is a sin, then alcohol is inherently wicked. If music can be worldly, then no drums or guitars.” Out of fear of crossing moral boundaries, we erect human fences and assume they make us holy.
Colossians 2:20-23 (NASB)
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all [refer] [to] things destined to perish with use)– in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, [but are] of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Paul points out that these human regulations have an appearance of wisdom, but they have zero power against the indulgence of the flesh. You can build walls to push every outside influence away, thinking you are keeping evil out, but in reality, you just locked the evil inside your own heart. The problem isn’t out there; it’s in here.
Now, that doesn’t mean personal convictions aren’t important. If you have had an issue with alcohol, you should not drink. You need discernment and obedience to the Holy Spirit. If an elder in our church chooses never to watch an R-rated movie, that is a great personal conviction. But if we stand up and decree that no Christian can ever watch an R-rated movie, that is legalism. The Pharisees took their personal opinions and enforced them upon everyone else as divine law.
Moving Past Legalism and License
While legalism exists, our broader culture has swung entirely to the other extreme: license.
We live in a hyper-tolerant culture where standing for biblical truth—on morality, marriage, sexuality, and integrity—is labeled intolerant, bigoted, or hateful. We live in an aggressive “don’t judge me” culture where the prevailing rule is: “Stay out of my business, I’ll stay out of yours, and we’ll just coexist.”
Yet Scripture endorses neither legalism nor license. It condemns extra-biblical rule-making, and it rejects moral free-for-alls.
Matthew 7:5 (NASB)
’You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Jesus offers a third way: personal repentance followed by loving restoration.
A few years ago, our church launched a marital enrichment ministry called Re:engage. My wife and I went through it, and going in, I assumed most of our marital issues were her fault. I discovered very quickly that I brought plenty of my own mess to the table. On the first night, they placed a hula hoop in the center of the room and told every person, “Draw a circle around yourself. You are only allowed to talk about what is inside your circle this semester. We are going to invite God to renovate whatever is inside that circle.”
Naturally, I wanted to talk about her, and she wanted to talk about me. But the Lord said, “Let’s talk about you. Let’s deal with the log in your own eye.”
When you commit to dealing with your own lumber first, you aren’t disqualified from helping others; you are finally equipped to help them. Once you address your own heart before God, you have the humility and clarity to go to a brother or sister in love and say, “Because I care about you, can we talk about what I see?”
My good friend Mike Sladen and I have known each other since 1995. We have done life together for over twenty years. He was the second hire at The Well. We did each other’s weddings, raised kids together, and walked through triumph and tragedy. We have also had moments where we clashed intensely. Mike is as persistent as the day is long, and I can be just as opinionated. But over two decades, we have continually removed logs from our own eyes and helped each other with the specks.
I walk closer to Jesus today because Mike had the guts to look me in the eye and say, “Brad, have you ever noticed that in conflict, you just fight to win? That’s not godly. Have you considered you might be wrong?” My initial reaction was indignation, but he was right. And there have been times I’ve gone to him in the exact same spirit. We make each other better men because we refuse to abandon each other to our blind spots.
Confrontation is hard. When someone points out a flaw in my life, my flesh wants to be defensive, angry, or distant. But defensiveness is pride. Anger is pride. Isolation is pride. When someone loves you enough to speak truth to your pride, it is a tremendous gift.
Love Does Not Look Away
Some might say that kind of vulnerability is too intrusive. But that is what the Church is called to be. We are not an audience; we are a family adopted by God.
To be family means we are all in. We are willing to risk relational comfort to help one another pursue holiness.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB)
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Some people believe that love means sweeping everything under the rug and never saying a hard word. But Scripture gives a very different definition of love.
Proverbs 27:5-6 (NASB)
Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
If someone gets into my truck and doesn’t put on a seatbelt, the loving thing to do isn’t to stay quiet. The loving thing is to say, “Put your seatbelt on.”
If you see a married friend emotionally attaching to someone who is not their spouse, love doesn’t say, “It’s none of my business.” Love steps in and asks, “What are you doing?”
If you see a brother drinking excessively, gambling away his savings, or losing his temper with his kids, love does not ignore it. Love does the hard work of clearing its own vision first, and then comes alongside that person to pull them back from the edge.
Years ago, while on staff at another church, I noticed a pastor spending an unhealthy amount of isolated time counseling the same woman. My internal alarm went off, but I was young and kept quiet, thinking, “That seems strange, but it’s not my place.” Not long after, he had an affair that wrecked his family and ministry. I have often grieved that I didn’t have the courage to step into that space and ask hard questions. Love acts.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NASB)
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; [each one] looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
James 5:19-20 (NASB)
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB)
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another]; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
There is a powerful scene at the end of the movie Hacksaw Ridge, based on the true story of Desmond Doss, an army medic during World War II who went into battle without a weapon. Under heavy fire, with his hands torn up and completely exhausted, he kept dragging wounded soldiers off the ridge one by one, praying the entire time, “Lord, help me get one more. Just one more.”
That is the heart of biblical restoration. When we see a brother or sister drifting toward destruction, we don’t stand back in judgment. We humble ourselves, step into the mess, and say, “I love you too much to watch this destroy you.”
Loving the Church and Engaging the World
We need to make an important distinction here: this instruction is for the family of God. We are called to hold our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable, not unbelievers.
It makes no sense to expect non-Christians to live like Christians.
1 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NASB)
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I [did] not at all [mean] with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
We should never be shocked when people who do not know Jesus act like people who do not know Jesus. If you are around non-Christians, please do not spend your time correcting their language or policing their behavior.
At a Fourth of July party years ago, a neighbor kept walking out to his truck. I eventually found out he had an ice chest in his car because he knew I was a pastor and didn’t want to offend me. The next year, I told him, “Bring your ice chest inside. You don’t need to walk out to your truck.” We love people, we build genuine friendships, and we earn the right to share the hope of Christ with them.
Romans 8:6-8 (NASB)
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so], and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
A person without the Spirit cannot submit to God’s standard. Our call to the world is not moral reform; it is the proclamation of the Gospel of grace.
Dealing with the lumber in our eyes always begins with the Gospel. Apart from Christ, we cannot deal with our sin. Whether you are dealing with a speck or a massive log, freedom begins at the cross where Jesus paid the debt for our brokenness. And for those of us who have walked with Christ for decades, we never graduate from the daily renovation of the Gospel.
Jesus concludes this section with a word of practical wisdom.
Matthew 7:6 (NASB)
’Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Not everyone will receive loving correction. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he used the term “dogs” to describe hardened, self-righteous religious opponents. Jesus is reminding us that when you attempt to speak truth to someone with a hardened, religious heart, they may attack you. Discernment is necessary.
When we do need to address sin in the church, Jesus outlines the clear pathway in Matthew 18: start privately, one-on-one. Never air personal grievances on social media. Go directly and humbly to the person. If they listen, you have won your brother. If they refuse, bring one or two trusted believers along. If they continue to harden their heart, bring it before church leadership.
Proverbs 29:1 (NASB)
A man who hardens [his] neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
Jesus is warning us against religious condemnation and hypocritical double standards. Whatever measure you use for someone else, you must apply to yourself first.
May we be a church family that stays inside our own circle, deals honestly with our own sin, and loves one another enough to speak truth in grace. Let’s walk together in the tension between legalism and license, fully anchored in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.