Matthew 7. Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount by casting a vision for what kingdom life looks like. He opens with a warning, “Judge not, that you not be judged” (7:1). Unfortunately, this phrase has often been tossed around out of context. Sometimes people accuse Christians of being super-judgmental and failing to accommodate other people and their opinions and agendas. “Don’t be so judgmental!” people cry.

Yet as we read Matthew 7 we note that, in other situations, Christians are called to make judgmental decisions about not throwing your pearls before pigs, choosing the narrow or the wide path, identifying false prophets, evaluating ministry fruit, and deciding on what surface to build your spiritual house. There are quite a few calls to be judgmental in Matthew 7, so what did Jesus mean when he opened with this statement?

The Greek word used in Matthew 7:1 is krino – to judge, to decide, to discern, to evaluate or to scrutinize. It is a common word, used often in scripture in a variety of different ways. In the specific context of 7:1 do not judge it carries a specific sense of being condemning or passing a negative verdict on something. In context, the warning Jesus gives in Matthew 7:1-5 is to not be condemning and negatively judgmental of other people.

Why are we warned to not condemn other people? First, God alone is the judge of humankind. Everyone will face judgment before God and Jesus warns that the measuring stick you hold up for others will be the same He uses on you (7:2).

Secondly, our own sin gets in the way of us viewing others clearly (7:4-5). We all have specks in our eyes of various sizes, and they affect our judgment.

Finally, things are not always as they appear. We cannot see the heart of others. We may see people calling Jesus “Lord” and casting out demons and doing mighty works in His name, yet Jesus may not know them at all (7:21-23). We may see a beautiful house, without knowing if the foundation is anchored in sand or on the rocks, and we do not know how it will do when the storm comes (7:24-27). We may see everyone walking happily down a wide, smooth road without knowing that their destination is destruction (7:13-14).

We are not called to be condemning, but we are called to be discerning and to evaluate things. Jesus says “Beware of false prophets!… You will recognize them by their fruits” (7:15-20). Did you know Jesus encouraged us to be fruit inspectors?! We cannot see the roots of the tree, but we can evaluate the fruit. In the farmer’s market of religious teachers and spiritual leaders, there is a lot of rotten fruit. We don’t want to buy into fruit that is rotten inside and full of worms. Beware of things that are shiny on the outside.

Jesus calls for humility and wisdom. We cannot see the hearts of other people, but we can certainly inspect the fruit of their message and their lives.