Trinity 4
Dear friends in Christ. Today’s text is one of those passages of Scripture that people twist and contort to make it say something it doesn’t; it is ripped out of context, usually to silence the Christian, to silence the conscience, to allow a person to continue on in a life of sin: Judge not, that you be not judged. Very often people will whip out this verse, and say: You can’t judge me. Don’t you judge me. This is often the big gun used to say: I’m OK; you’re OK. So let’s ignore what God says in His law so I can continue on in my life of unrepented sin—that I enjoy!
As we examine today’s text—part of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount—we will see quite clearly that this is not an absolute command not to judge anything/ everything. But what Jesus teaches us in our text is proper judging—and that means letting God’s Word speak to us first; it is a call to examine ourselves first in the light of God’s holy Law; then, and only then, are we rightly prepared to warn others of sin so that they and we may be reconciled.
Our text is not an absolute prohibition against any and all judging. In fact, there are times when Jesus specifically commands us/ all Christians to judge. This is especially the case when it comes to doctrine. Christians are to judge their teachers/ what they hear preached. Just a few verses after our text [.15], Jesus says: Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. How are we to beware unless we do judge what they teach? In fact, the people of Berea are commended because they judge [Ac 17.11]: they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. They judged Paul and his preaching! In fact, the Apostle specifically rebukes the congregation in Corinth because they were tolerant of false teachers, for not judging: For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it.
But, the objection may be raised, this is all about doctrine: we still dare not judge someone’s actions; we still dare not call sin sin; the cry still goes out against the Christian, wrongly using our Lord’s words [Jn 8.7]: He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone…first. But, one example from St. Paul will suffice to show that we are to judge. He writes [1 Co 5.12]: But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother [that is, one from your Christian congregation] if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
So, are we to judge or not to judge? Do Scripture/ our Lord contradict itself/ Himself? Hardly! We are called upon to judge, but to judge rightly. What right and proper judging consists of is abundantly clear from these examples from Scripture that we are to judge. The foundation/ basis of proper judging is the word of God. This is true in judging doctrine and actions. We have a duty as Christians to warn against and condemn everyone and everything that disobeys and rejects what God says in His word. If someone comes and proclaims something not in accord with God’s word; if someone does contrary to God’s Law, God has already judged. He has rendered His judgment in His word and He wants His dear Christians to concur in that judgment, to say the same thing. We dare not condemn motives and judge the sincerity of others—we cannot see the heart; only God can. Judging is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. We dare not judge lovelessly and arbitrarily; we dare not use our own thoughts, opinions, and biases as the basis of our judgment. Only God’s just and holy Law dare serve as the basis of our judgments when we judge and rebuke wickedness and call sin what it is: the transgression of the Law of God. But in doing so we are only declaring God’s judgment that He has already pronounced in His Word.
It has been rightly said: if the Church doesn’t condemn, neither can she bless. She must say something, and the only thing that the Church and the Christian can is what God has already said in His holy word. Not everything is OK. Sin is sin and must be condemned so that the sinner can recognize his/her sin, sorrow over that sin, and in Spirit-worked faith turn to Christ, the Savior of sinners. This is the glorious intent of proper, correct, Scriptural judging.
2. But, even as Christians we still have our old sinful human nature which is contaminated with self-righteousness. It is hard for us to judge rightly and to do so purely without that mixing in of self-righteousness and being “holier than thou.” Jesus knows that. That’s why when Jesus says: "Judge not, that you be not judged” He then adds a word of warning: For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And that word of warning is followed by the call to each of us to examine our own hearts and lives: And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
We are to stop judging others in a false, hypocritical, loveless way according to our own standards which make ourselves look good but the other person bad. Instead, the Christian’s call to judge in the right way/ sense is a call for us to look at our own hearts and lives and to first recognize and sorrow over our own sin and our own unrighteousness: And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Notice: Jesus is talking about the speck in your brother’s eye. The “brother” is your fellow Christian; your fellow Christian in church with you. Think of the field day that Satan can have in congregations as he gets Christians to turn on each other and destroy each other by this loveless, hypocritical, self-righteous judging.
Christ’s point here is this: forgiveness, which is to reign supreme in the Christian Church and in Christian congregations, does not mix with a loveless judging/ condemning of others. If we are busy examining our own hearts and lives in light of God’s holy law as we should, will we really have time to look at and find faults in others—especially faults that are faults only according to our standards? If we are busy looking at our own hearts and lives, we will see that to God our sins are like that huge plank in the eye because all our sins are against Him; we will then note that the sins of our fellow Christian against us are small and insignificant in comparison, that speck in the brother’s eye.
Not only does examining our own hearts and lives in the light of God’s holy Law take up all our energies that we have little time to be concerned with the minor faults of others, but by heeding our Lord’s call to examine ourselves we, then, certainly know our sins better than those of others. We then cannot be blind to our own sin and become “holier-than thou” and judge others lovelessly. Instead, recognizing our sin, we despair over them. Precisely here the mercy of God finds room in our heart, takes root, grows and bears the fruit of repentance.
When we recognize the depth of our sin, the plank in our eyes, and that we are lost, condemned sinners, how we rejoice when we then in church hear the absolution, forgiveness, of those sins! How we are comforted in the mercy of God who in holy baptism washed away those sins and brought us into His holy family, covering us with the holiness of Jesus! How we then run to the Holy Supper to receive that forgiveness as we eat and drink Jesus’ very body and blood with the bread and wine. Our lives as Christians are lives of repentance—that is, sorrow over sin and faith in Jesus that receives the gifts and blessings of forgiveness of sin life and salvation that He won and brought about for us on the cross.
Rejoicing in God’s mercy toward us, we, then, are merciful and gentle in our dealings with our fellow Christian. Recognizing the plank in our eye, and God’s mercy toward us, we do not and cannot act self-righteously; we’d be nothing without God’s mercy. We cannot be “holier-than-thou” and say: 'Let me remove the speck from your eye' because our sins would condemn us if it weren’t for the mercy of the Lord and His grace to us in Christ. In other words, repentance and the mercy of God that is its foundation is the starting point in our dealings with our fellow Christian, especially those in our congregation—First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
3. As we ourselves have experienced and daily continue to experience the grace and mercy of God; as we realize that not judging means that we examine ourselves first and repent of sin and cling to God’s mercy to us in Christ, we then will be enabled to judge rightly. Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Notice, the Christian does not leave the speck in his brother’s eye; the Christian does not “not judge” his brother; the Christian does not leave the other person wallowing in their sin. Instead, in all gentleness, sincerity, mercy, love and humility as one sinner to another, the Christian judges/ points out the sin of a fellow Christian. This is true love—calling a fellow Christian to repent of his/her sin so that they too may experience again and anew the grace and mercy of the Lord. Again, we, who have just examined ourselves, know our weaknesses and recognized and confessed our sin, and received the Lord’s forgiveness and experienced His grace and mercy in Christ cannot but be mild in judgment, cannot at all be self-righteous and high handed; instead humility and gentleness rule our hearts and attitudes. We follow the Holy Spirit’s leading by right judging—concurring with what God has said in His word—and so gently and humbly care for the one who lapses into some sin. The Apostle writes [Gl. 6.1]: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Recognizing our own weakness, we are gentle and humble and mild in our judging, yet in love of our fellow Christian we do not let the speck in his eye.
We have experienced our own sin and weakness, but also the love, mercy and kindness of God our Savior. Ours is a true care and concern for the sinner’s improvement because we want them to have what we have—Christ, forgiveness, life, salvation, etc. Ours is not a false, hypocritical care; we truly want the sinner to improve—to recognize that sin, to repent of that sin, to receive forgiveness of that sin and by the power of the Holy Spirit to fight all the more and harder against that sin.
Our Lord concludes the verses of our text with a warning: Do not give the holy thing to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. Let this serve also as our motivation to deal kindly and gently in “judging” and warning our fellow Christian. We do not want by being “holier than thou” and heavy handedness to drive the sinning Christian out of the Christian congregation and away from the word and sacrament to face eternal doom; that the person suffers spiritual harm and the congregation attacked for its hypocrisy.
Instead, let us hear our Lord’s command: Judge not, that you be not judged so that we do not judge lovelessly and according to our own standards. Instead let us use our Lord’s command as a call to examine ourselves, recognize our sin and the grace of God; and reveling in and enjoying His grace and mercy let us be mild in our judging: calling our erring Christian to recognize his sin, to turn to the Lord and so be reconciled to each other. INJ Amen.