Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV) 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
The Pharisees had a high view of themselves. They were self-righteous in the extreme. As a result, everyone was judged as beneath them. They had in essence, set themselves up as God. They thought themselves to be exempt from judgment because they thought they measured up to the preconceived notions of God’s standards. But they only measured up to a set of human standards that they had established. They certainly didn’t measure up to God’s perfect standards.
Of course, in reality, they didn’t really measure up to their own standards. So when they assumed the right to judge they assumed they were qualified to judge as if they possessed a full understanding of all the facts involved. They were omniscient, they could read motives, they were qualified, and they could stand in judgment. The Scribes and Pharisees, to whom Jesus was addressing, were blinded by their own pride and their perceived station in life. They never thought to really evaluate themselves by the very standards they were imposing on others. What they failed to see and what Jesus made clear, is that they will be judged by their very own standards.
So, when we assert our right to judge, by our own standards, we will be judged by them (vs.2). We will not be able to claim ignorance of the standard. In essence, we will be caught by our own pride. Paul, confirms this principle.
Romans 2:1-2 (ESV) 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.
The Jewish leaders were famous for passing judgment based on outward appearances, such as how a person conforms to some visible regulation or religious observance. They also prided themselves in their own visible portrayal of holiness.
Matthew 6:5 (ESV) 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Matthew 6:16 (ESV) 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Matthew 23:4-5 (ESV) 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, In the end, it is pride, like the Scribes and Pharisees, that blocks our ability to judge righteously. We think we understand another’s motives, and thereby claim omniscience by default. We have forgotten that we can’t see the heart.
John 7:24 (ESV) 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
As we will see in my next post, the true believer who far more concerned with his own heart.
Romans 2:28-29 (ESV) 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
-Michael Holtzinger