Don't Judge Me (Lk. 6:37-42)
Hear
Good morning, BCC!
Stephanie Martin with Churchleaders.com wrote that in
a 2023 Barna study with Gloo and He Gets Us found that most people tend to perceive present-day Christianity as “respected, principled, loving, friendly, generous, and so on,” researchers said. Yet only 15% of people without faith label Christianity as a faith they respect. Non-believers are much more likely than Christians to label Christianity as judgmental (48%) and hypocritical (49%).[1]
So, let’s talk about it.
Today's scripture continues the theme from last week, building directly on Pastor Mike's message. Specifically, what we'll discuss this morning is still focused on Jesus' teaching and encouragement to "love your enemies."
According to what Luke records from Jesus concerning love for enemies is that we are to:
Do good to those who hate us.
Bless those who curse us.
Pray for those who are spiteful toward us.
Give without the expectation of reciprocity.
Show mercy as the Father has shown mercy to us.
Today, we will explore another crucial source of encouragement that enables us to follow Christ's instruction to love our enemies.
Open your Bibles to Luke chapter six.
The Word
Luke 6:37–42 NKJV
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?
42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Have you ever seen that a friend or loved one of yours was making some bad decisions about their life and you tried to correct them? Maybe you were the one making the bad decisions and someone tried to get your attention? Often when this happens people will yell out, 'Don't judge me!' and they even go as far as saying that the Bible says that we should not judge. Is that true? Does the Bible really say that we are not supposed to judge people?
Before you answer, let’s look again at what God’s Word says.
Luke 6:37 NKJV
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Chapter 7 of Matthew's gospel opens with this same instruction,
Matthew 7:1–2 NKJV
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
This is the scripture most often quoted when a person is confronted by someone for their poor decisions. Quite frankly, this scripture is sometimes applied correctly, other times not so. In my opinion, I believe that this is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented pieces of scripture in the entire Bible.
The word "judge" which we find in Matthew and Luke has several meanings. To judge (Gk. Krino) means to separate or to make a distinction between things. It requires a bit of investigation in order to determine which, of two or more, opposing items is correct. This word is full of the thought of trial, or testing, or analysis; but it does not imply a finality of decision. So, basically this word means that a person is evaluating what is presented and then making a distinction between one versus the other - the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the normal and abnormal, here there is no condemnation.
Let me give you an overly simplified example. It would be similar to distinguishing between a socket wrench and a flathead screw driver or a hammer. All of these are tools to be used in repair work. If I’m trying to nail two boards together and I ask my son to bring me a hammer, he has to look at all of my tools and determine which is and is not a hammer. At that point he is making a judgment. The Bible does not discourage this kind of judging.
As a matter-of-fact, the apostle Paul, speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says to the church in Corinth,
1 Corinthians 6:1–3 NIV
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?
2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
Paul uses the same Greek word, krino, in these three verses to point out the church’s responsibility to distinguish between matters.
On the other hand, to judge (Gk. Krima), which Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, sees as the result of Krino, means to render both judgment and sentence.[3] With this type of judgment there is condemnation.
So Jesus says not to judge unless you are willing to be judged yourself. He goes on to say that the way you judgeis the way you will be judged. Again, there are two judgments going on here, one is making a distinction between two opposites and the other is to condemn based on the findings of your evaluation. Jesus is not here opposed to a person judging (krino), making a distinction. Speaking about false prophets Jesus told His disciples,
Matthew 7:16 NKJV
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
How can they know if a person is a true prophet versus a false prophet unless they have judged their fruitfulness? You can’t.
However, He is against hypocritical judging, which is why in John 7:24 when He is speaking to the Pharisees after they accused Him of having a demon, He says,
John 7:24 NKJV
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Speck and Log (Lk. 6:41-42)
To farther make His case against hypocritical judgment and condemnation Jesus uses hyperbole.
Luke 6:41–42 NKJV
41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?
42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
If you notice, Jesus moves swiftly from speaking in a general sense about judging others in verse 37 to a more defined judgment focused on self and the faith community in verses 41-42. In these verses He addresses the hypocrite by telling them to stop pretending as if they are without fault when they confront a brother (or sister) about their faults and then condemn them for what they have done. Notice also, that He does not disapprove of calling out the sins in the family of faith, only that we deal with our own sinfulness first.
Which is why we find these words from Paul in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 5:12–13 NKJV
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
In his second letter to the church in Corinth he cautioned the Christians there to,
2 Corinthians 10:6 NKJV
6 ...[be] ready to punish all disobedience when [their] obedience is fulfilled.
The same goes for us.
Commentator, Albert Barnes says,
Christ directs us to the proper way of forming an opinion of others, and of reproving and correcting them. By first amending our own faults, or casting the beam out of our eye, we can consistently advance to correct the faults of others. There will then be no hypocrisy in our conduct.[2]
So then, as we can see, all judgments are not the same. There is a hypocritical judgment and then there is a righteous judgment.
The problem is that too often, we are quick to condemn a person for what appears to be ungodly behavior when we do not have all of the pieces to make a clear distinction between what appears to be and what actually is unChrist-like character in that particular situation. However, when all of the pieces do fit we are still more focused on making the person feel even worst about what they have done than we are about winning them back to a right relationship with Christ. The Word of God instructs us to be more focused on showing mercy than on judging. If we do not show mercy to others we will not be shown mercy because that will have been the standard of measurement that we have established and agreed should be used on us.
The brother of our Lord said it best when it comes to judging others,
James 2:13 NKJV
13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
So, does the Bible really say that we cannot judge? Absolutely not! However, it does say that our judgment must be righteous and without hypocrisy. It does say that before we can correctly deal with the issues of someone else we must tend to our own faults, and above all else - show mercy.
Again, this is just another way that we can really love our enemies as Jesus commanded.
Keep in mind, Jesus’ instruction to not judge or condemn, was spoken to His disciples (Lk. 6:20). It was vitally important that these disciples not be judgmental otherwise they would never accomplish the work of making disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. If we are constantly finding reasons to withhold the Gospel and the ministry of mercy and grace from those we do not like, in essence, we are putting ourselves in the place of God and condemning those people.
This is exactly what happened in the Jim Crow south. The preaching of God’s word to Africans and Black Americans was forbidden because white enslavers believed that to free the soul meant you must free the body. Thankfully, many of those who had been enslaved were able to see past this hypocritical form of Christianity and to see Jesus for who He truly is as Savior and Lover of the World Who came to save the lost and the sick. It doesn’t matter if you’re White, Black, Chinese, Hazara, Pashto, Afrikaner, Zulu, Mexican, Colombian, Guatemalan, Venezuelan or Filipino. If you are sick and lost He came for you.
Some people find it hard to pray for folks who have hurt them. If they do pray, they ask God to give the offender what they deserve for how poorly they have treated them. But again, if you want to go fast; go slow. If you want to live a life that is reflective of the kingdom of God, you love your enemies and you don’t judge hypocritically. As followers of Christ we don’t respond in the way our sinful flesh tells us to respond. We don’t retaliate with the weapons of this sinful world.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5 NKJV
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
And so, how do we defend against a spirit of judgmentalism and condemnation? How do we wage a war against the sinful desire to judge out of our flesh and not from a place of compassion where we long to see our enemies transformed by the love of Christ?
Great questions.
Jesus has the answer.
Forgive (Lk. 6:37b)
There are two counteractions to shield Jesus’ disciples against a lack of love for enemy through judgment and condemnation.
The first counteraction is forgiveness .
Luke 6:37 NKJV
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Every Sunday we open our time of worship by praying the words of Jesus,
Matthew 6:9–12 NKJV
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors…
In verse fourteen of that same chapter, Jesus tells His disciples that withholding forgiveness from those indebted to us effectively shuts us off from the very forgiveness we ourselves depend on.
If you forgive, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if not then He will not forgive you (Matt. 6:14). Whatever measurement you use with others, the same will be used with you.
Not too long ago I sat before an Oklahoma Judge seeking a total expungement of a 20+ year old criminal record. This judge had the right and authority to judge (krino), make a distinction upon evaluation of the evidence presented and condemn (krima) based on his findings. What I didn’t know at the time, but discovered shortly after the judges’ ruling, is that he is a godly man who loves the Lord. That day in his court room, the judge extended mercy to me and forgave me of my crimes and granted me an expungement. There is no public record of my offenses.
This is what God has done for each of us who have placed our hope in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 103:12 NKJV
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
The word translated as forgive in our English Bibles means to “release” or “pardon.” It’s a legal term which says, “I have every right to demand compensation from you, but I’m not going to do that. I forgive you.” When we forgive, we do not hold a grudge or bitterness against our enemies which would make us ineffective in sharing the Gospel. I cannot love my enemies and deny them mercy at the same time.
I understand that for many of you, this topic of forgiveness can bring up significant pain and mixed emotions due to past hurts. It is important to distinguish between forgiveness and reconciliation. You can forgive someone who has wronged you without fully restoring the relationship; reconciliation requires a conscious effort to rebuild trust. On the other hand, it is impossible to have reconciliation without forgiveness.
Remember, the command to forgive was spoken to the disciples of Jesus, men and women who had given up all that this world values in order to pursue God and His kingdom. Jesus was sending them on a rescue mission to people who would hate them, curse them, despise them, assault them, rob them, and speak evil of them (Lk. 6:27ff).
In many ways, this mirrors how you and I have treated Jesus and yet He forgives us.
The Bible commands us to be imitators of God and there is no way that we can imitate God without suffering. Forgiveness requires that we suffer for the sake of Jesus. Your own unwillingness to forgive your enemies can rob you of the blessing of fully living in the grace and forgiveness of God.
Keep in mind that you were God’s enemy once upon a time. Not because He had waged war against you, but because, by your sinful and rebellious life you picked a fight with Him, but instead of crushing you He comforted you. Instead of leveling you to the ground, He loved you with an everlasting love demonstrated in the death of Jesus Christ.
If Jesus, our teacher has done this for us, then as His disciples we must do the same for others.
Luke 6:39–40 NKJV
39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
Jesus went to the cross and suffered a criminal’s death when He was completely innocent in order to free those who are completely guilty from the sin that separates us from God.
So again, the first counter-action against a lack of love for your enemy through judgment and condemnation is forgiveness.
Be Generous (Lk. 6:38)
I can remember, several years ago, not too long after I came on staff. I wanted to do something nice for our tutors in Study Buddies and I was concerned about how much my gift would cost. Being new, and not completely understanding what generosity looked like in that context, I shared my idea with Pastor Mike and he said something that has impacted me as a pastor and a person. He said, “You can never go wrong by being a blessing.” I’ve never forgotten those words. So simple and yet so incredibly powerful.
The second counteraction against hypocritical judgment is generosity.
Luke 6:38 NKJV
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Unfortunately, and it breaks my heart that we are still arguing against the gross misuse of this verse, this counter-point to judgmentalism, which would enable us to love our enemies as Christ has loved us, has been highjacked by prosperity preachers. It has been misused by men and women who claim to come in the Name of Jesus for the purpose of padding their own pockets. They take advantage of the vulnerable exploiting their poverty to the detriment of their faith.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he said,
Galatians 6:7–10 NKJV
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Notice something in these verses. This is not talking about money. This is not talking about material possessions. This has everything to do with the spiritual lives of people.
The real treasure we're talking about is the condition of your soul, how much faith you have, and your eternal reward. This stuff is way more important than any money or physical possessions. It really shifts your focus from temporary material things to what lasts forever.
Generosity is at the heart of the Gospel. When you give, you receive. It’s called the law of reciprocity. It’s what the Word of God refers to as seedtime and harvest.
This truth is profoundly applicable to the sharing of the Gospel. If you are stingy with the Gospel, hoarding the good news of Jesus Christ as a private possession, then you cannot logically expect a widespread spiritual awakening among those in your sphere of influence. To withhold the life-changing message of salvation, reconciliation, and hope from your neighbors is to sow the seed of God’s Word sparingly in the soil of their lives.
If you are not generous with the Good News, then you should not be surprised when the lives of your neighbors do not change, or when they remain entrenched in their current patterns, because the seed of transformation—the Gospel—was never fully or freely planted there.
Again, this entire instruction to love our enemies by avoiding judgmentalism through forgiveness and generosity, is centered around living a paradoxical life as citizens of the kingdom of God for the purpose of healing the sick and saving the lost. Those are the ones Jesus came for and for that reason He says “give to everybody.”
Luke 6:30–36 NKJV
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
This is why Paul tells us,
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 NKJV
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Generosity in sharing the Gospel, in living out our faith, through consistent, visible obedience and love are the living parables that validate the message we speak.
Respond
There may be someone listening who is not a Christian and who has not yet experienced the kind of love that I’ve described. You may have rejected God’s love for you because you have been on the receiving end of hypocritical judgment from those who claim Jesus has Lord. You may have seen or heard the Word of God misused to preach prosperity. Maybe you’ve been the one taken advantage of by those who call themselves Christians.
First, I want to apologize to you and I want you to know that this is not at all what God’s Word teaches. Furthermore, I want to assure you that you will never hear that kind of preaching coming from this church.
Second, I want to ask you to trust Jesus with your life. Hypocrites are everywhere, but there’s only one Jesus and He promises to never leave you nor abandon you.
However, you need to know three important things about yourself.
You are a sinner my friend.
You need forgiveness, someone who can release you from the debt you owe God.
Jesus has paid it all.
Will you trust Him and will you allow Him to be the leading authority in your life?
If you’ll trust Him, I want you to meet me at the front of this stage.
Maybe you are a follower of Christ but you have been living with the bitterroot of unforgiveness in your life and want God to set you free. Come and let us pray over you.
1. Barna Research: People Like Jesus. His Followers? Not So Much. https://churchleaders.com/news/451798-barna-research-people-like-jesus-followers-not.html
2. Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Matthew 7". "Barnes' Notes on the New Testament". <http://www.studylight.org/com/bnn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=007>.
3. Zodhiates, Th. D., Spiros. "Lexical Aids to the New Testament." The Complete Wordstudy New Testament With Greek Parallel. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1992. 916-917.
