When "Do Not Judge" Gets Misunderstood: Understanding Jesus' Words in Context

Hey, we kicked off this series a couple weeks ago called "Straight Outta Context" - looking at scriptures that have been widely misused, misquoted, and mispreached about. You know what I'm talking about? People take one scripture and build a whole theology around it.

Last week, Pastor Amanda tackled a verse that gets thrown around by Christians and non-Christians alike - it even gets used by people that don't even believe in God. Matthew 7:1: "Do not judge or you'll be judged." Man, she did an incredible job tackling that verse. Denise and I watched it while we were away, and then I actually rewatched it on Tuesday morning here at the church just so I could try to digest everything she said. It was a great message.

The Viral Trend vs. True Repentance
You've probably seen that viral trend where people say, "We listen and we don't judge." It's usually two or three people in a video, and someone confesses things they've done - typically bad things - while others just nod along without judgment.

But here's the thing - I think a lot of times we want to make all these confessions. We want to confess all of these things, but not really face any accountability for it. We want people to just say, "Yeah, okay, that's fine," you know, no big deal.

But that's not what Jesus had in mind. True repentance is more than just confessing our sins - it's a change of heart. As Christians, we recognize our sin, feel genuine godly sorrow, confess these sins, and then turn away from them to walk in a new direction.

What Did Jesus Actually Say?
Let me tell you what Jesus actually said in Matthew 7:1-6: "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."

But He doesn't stop there - and this is where context matters, people. He continues: "Why worry about the speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help 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."

Notice that Jesus doesn't say we should never address the "speck" in our friend's eye. He's saying we should deal with our own issues first, then help others. We are called to judge with discernment, not condemnation.

Discernment vs. Condemnation
Listen, there's a crucial difference between these two approaches:

Discernment is given by the Holy Spirit. It's evaluating without condemnation. Its goal is alignment with God's truth. When we discern, we're testing everything against God's standards with humility.

Condemnation, on the other hand, is what Jesus warns against. It's hypocritical judgment that puts others to shame and makes us feel superior. Shame begins to push you away from God. Shame gives you a guilty verdict with no hope.

Here's the difference in the outcome: Shame leads to isolation. It keeps you in the dark. But conviction draws you closer to God. It is an invitation to begin to live in freedom. Conviction leads to restoration.

Judging by the Fruit
Jesus tells us to "judge by the fruit" (Matthew 7:16-20). Just as we can tell the difference between a sweet apple and a sour lemon, we can discern healthy and unhealthy behaviors and relationships.

When I'm looking at this lemon and I'm looking at this apple, am I condemning them for what they are? Am I making them feel shame? Am I tearing them down? No, I'm calling it what it is.

This isn't about making people feel bad about who they are - it's about recognizing what's healthy and what's not in our lives.

Don't Waste What Is Holy
Jesus concludes this teaching with something that might seem confusing: "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" (Matthew 7:6).

This reminds us not to spend all our time correcting and judging people who haven't accepted Jesus. If they don't claim to be pursuing Jesus, if they haven't accepted Him as a savior, they don't have the same moral code as us.

Putting It Into Practice
So how do we live this out? Here's what I want you to remember:

Check yourself first: Before addressing someone else's issues, examine your own heart and actions. Get that log out of your own eye.

Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance: We need to begin to use that gift of discernment and really begin to ask Holy Spirit what He wants to do in this person's life, what He wants to do in this relationship.

Judge with the right heart: When you do need to address issues, do it with humility and love, aiming for restoration rather than condemnation.

Know when to engage and when to step back: Some relationships may need boundaries if they're pulling you away from God.

Church, Jesus never called us to ignore sin or pretend everything is acceptable. But He also didn't call us to be the judge, jury, and executioner. He called us to address it with humility, after dealing with our own issues first, and always with the goal of restoration rather than condemnation.

That's what real love looks like - not "we listen and we don't judge," but "we listen and we help each other grow closer to Jesus."