““Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 7:1-2, 4-12 NLT
Don’t misunderstand these verses (and most do). Jesus told us not to judge; He is not telling us to abandon discretion. Wise people have good judgment. First, Jesus is warning us about our standards: with the measure we measure others we will be measured. We also measure ourselves, sometimes too critically and sometimes too easily. We continue to live with ourselves, and we can give this same mercy and love to others. Second, Jesus is teaching us to allow Him to work on our hearts and remove the planks from our eyes, so that we can help others remove the specks from their eyes. The way most people (wrongly) read these verses, the planks and specks stay in everyone's eyes because we are all supposed to stay silent.
Jesus is the ultimate Judge, and He taught about judgment and discretion. Jesus taught His disciples to be wise about in whom they invested their time (v.6) and later taught them to beware of false leaders (23:1-3) and false prophets (24:4-5). Our Lord wants us to be wise and have discernment; what He taught us NOT to do was condemn others. He wants us to judge others the way He has judged us. How has He judged us? We are sinners (He doesn’t lie about that), and He Himself came to pay the penalty so we would not be condemned. In condemning others (or ourselves), we are working against the sacrifice and love of Christ.
How can you use wise discernment without condemning others? In what ways do you struggle to evaluate yourself and others through God’s eye
