Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ‘Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye,’ and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. 6 “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 “Or what man is there among you whom, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

Most of us display a vast capacity for self-deception. We pervert righteousness into self-righteousness, and perfection into a perfect reputation; but we accomplish perversion so cleverly that we are at best only vaguely aware of the monstrosity we have done. Jesus has already spoken hard against such actions that require counter-demands from the heart with kingdom perspectives.

The Danger of Being Judgmental

The challenge to be holy has been taken seriously by an individual, some degree of discipline has begun, some service, and formal obedience have been accomplished. So now we tell ourselves, we can afford to look down our long nose at less disciplined peers.

All this is a form of raw hypocrisy, be careful how you judge.

Let’s look at what the text does not say.

It certainly does not command the sons of God, the disciples of Jesus, to be shapeless, undiscerning blobs who never under any circumstance whatsoever hold any opinions about right and wrong.

A little further on, Jesus warns, “Watch out for false prophets. They came to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (7:15). By these words Jesus not only labels certain teachers with the most damning descriptions, but demands that his followers recognize such teachers for what they are; and that is certainly an exercise which requires the use of discriminating faculties.

There are many cases where judgment is seen in the scripture. (1-Corinthians. 5:5 Galatians 1:8f. Paul calls down an anathema on all who preach some version of the gospel other than the true gospel which Paul himself preaches. In Philippians 3:2 he uses strong language to warn his readers against certain false teachers: “Galatians 5:12. (1-John 4:1). Jesus (John 7:24).

What does Jesus mean by his imperative in Matthew 7:1?

The context of the word judge here argues that the verse means, “Do not be judgmental.” Do not adopt a critical spirit, a condemning attitude.

This is not an easy area of one’s life to sort out.

The problem is that the Christian’s responsibility to discern, once granted, is easily warped into justification for harping criticism. The arch-critic is thoroughly at home with all the passages which encourage us to spot
false prophets by their fruit. By his own mouth, he stands condemned; he has become a fruit inspector, he has taken on himself some special role.

What is fundamentally at stake is attitude. This is clearly seen in that particular kind of critical spirit found in the gossip. It is not always the case that what the gossip says is malicious; what he says might, in fact, be strictly true. But it is always the case that he says it maliciously; that is, he speaks without any desire to build up, or any real concern to instill discernment. He wants only to puff himself up, or to be heard, or to enhance his own reputation, or to demean the person about whom he is speaking.

If a Christian’s attitude is right, provision is made for him to face another brother with his fault (Matthew 18:15ff.). Indeed, spiritual leaders will not ignore open sin in one of their Christian brothers, but will try and restore him—gently, and aware of their own weakness (Galatians 6:1).

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (7:2). It means that the measure we use on others will be the measure God himself will use on us.

The point of these two verses is not that we should be moderate in our judging in order that others will be moderate toward us, but rather that we should abolish judgmental attitudes lest we ourselves stand utterly condemned before God.

Some rabbis said that God had two measures by which he assessed men, the measure of justice and the measure of mercy. Suppose we come across a wretched liar, how do we look upon him? If we measure him by justice alone, we will be very critical and condemning. But that measure will then be turned on us: How truthful are we?

Do we really want the standard of God’s justice to be applied to us in the same way we are prone to apply it to others?

This does not mean that the disciple of Jesus must never speak against any sin. God’s standard of justice will not go away.

However, this passage does not suggest that we can earn God’s mercy by exercising a little mercy ourselves. Mercy by definition cannot be earned. But we may exclude ourselves from mercy by sustained haughtiness and arrogance, by an attitude which reflects the opposite of true poverty of spirit.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (7:3–5).

The situation depicted by this brief scenario occurs so frequently and so pathetically in professing Christian circles that the contrast between a speck of sawdust and a plank or log is not exaggerated at all.

The most obvious example in the Bible, I suppose, is found in 2-Samuel 12:1–7. King David commits several sins and does not even see it until Nathan confronts him. “You are the man. ”Somehow, King David, incredibly blind, had been unconscious of the plank in his own eye as he fumed over the speck of sawdust in the rich farmer’s eye.

It is terribly easy to imitate David’s conduct, in one way or another. Sometimes we accomplish this by focusing on certain public sins which others are prone to commit, and denouncing those sins with gusto, while remaining disturbingly oblivious to the sins to which we ourselves are especially attracted.

Ironically, the worst fault-finder, whether in doctrinal or other realms, cannot be convinced of his fault. If the speck he has discovered in another person’s eye is shown to be an illusion, or if the large log in his own eye is gently pointed out, he hunts and pecks until he finds another speck in his target’s eye.
The person who is scrupulously careful about removing the planks from his own eyes is not thereby absolved from all further responsibility. Having gained the ability to see clearly, he can help remove the speck from his brother’s eye (7:5). Indeed, only then will his brother welcome his assistance.

There is a Danger in Failing to Discriminate

Matthew 7:6 “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

It is easy to see how this new danger arises. The disciple of Jesus has been told to love his neighbor as himself, and to love his enemies. He is to mirror God’s graciousness, he has just been told never to adopt a judgmental mentality. As a result, he is in chronic danger of becoming wishy-washy, of refusing legitimate distinctions between truth and error, good and evil. He may even try to treat all men in exactly the same way, succumbing to a remarkable lack of discrimination.

Jesus warns us against being undiscriminating, especially in our choice of people to whom we present the wonderful riches of the gospel.

The Lord Jesus says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; The dogs in view are not cuddly pets with wagging tails and affectionate natures, friendly creatures that love to have their ears scratched. They are semi-wild hounds that roam the streets and hills, as they forage for food in savage packs. The two animals together serve as a model of people who are savage, vicious, held in abomination.

Jesus is commanding his disciples not to share the richest parts of spiritual truth with persons who are persistently vicious, irresponsible, and unappreciative..

In the New Testament, there are several examples of this principle in action. In Matthew 15:14, Jesus, speaking of certain Pharisees, tells his disciples, “Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” According to Acts 18:5f., Paul abandons his ministry to the Jews in Corinth because they oppose him and become abusive. Instead he turns to the Gentiles to minister to them.: “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10f.).

First, it is no accident that Jesus speaks of pearls. This is God’s world, nothing is more important to me than to have my sins forgiven and to be accepted by him.

Second, it is the somber recognition that not all men will receive this revelation. It does not gratify their immediate appetites, and they have no other criteria by which to assess it.

Third, Jesus’ disciples are not even to present the riches of that revelation to certain people of vicious and unappreciative disposition. It accomplishes nothing good, and there are so many other opportunities where time and energy can be invested more profitably.

Fourth, the fact that Christians ought not throw their pearls to dogs and pigs does not give them a license to be nasty and vindictive, still less to ignore all else that Jesus has taught. Moreover, there is no justification in this verse for neglecting all verbal witness on the grounds that there are only dogs and pigs out there who are, without exception, vicious.

The harvest will come in due time if we do not faint from cowardice or laziness first. What Jesus is calling for is discernment; and the essence of discernment is knowing that simple rules cannot be expected to crank out an infallible answer.

We are to be careful in our handling of the truths of biblical revelation, for they are holy things, and must not be thrown around indiscriminately, but thoughtfully, carefully, responsibly, strategically.

We Must Be Persistent in Prayer

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 “Or what man is there among you whom, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

It is easy to understand how those who lack persistence in the Christian faith develop. Someone gets all excited about the teaching of Jesus. The call to self-sacrifice, the winsome freedom from a judgmental mentality. So, encouraged, he spurts ahead, his behavior promising a rich harvest of spiritual graces. No one is more eager to volunteer for spiritual work, no one more faithful in attendance at Bible studies and prayer meetings, no one more concerned to follow Christ’s teachings in all spheres of human existence.

And then he fizzles, ignominiously flickers once or twice, and sputters out.

What has gone wrong with this person?

He lacks persistence, he is short on sticking power. True Christian commitment perseveres. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), Jesus insists—an attitude reflected equally in John, who says that those who draw back have never really belonged to Christ’s people.

1John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

More important, this flash-in-the-pan disciple has been motivated by high sentiment and noble thought, and has somehow entirely missed the significance of the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (5:3). He is riding on his determination, his own recently stimulated lofty ideals. The Sermon on the Mount makes him think he can live by its precepts all by himself. Instead of seeing his own spiritual bankruptcy by the light of the Sermon on the Mount

That is why Jesus says, “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (7:7f.). Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking;

Persistence is required. But persistence in what?

Persistence in prayer, it is not a prayer request for some isolated blessing, but, prayer that is a burning pursuit of God. This asking is an asking for the virtues Jesus has just expounded since he began the Sermon on the Mount.

The kingdom of heaven requires poverty of spirit, purity of heart, truth, compassion, a nonretaliatory spirit, a life of integrity; and we lack all of these things. Then let us ask for them! Are you as holy, as meek, as truthful, as loving, as pure, as obedient to God as you would like to be? Then ask him for grace that these virtues may multiply in your life! Such asking, when sincere and humble, is already a step of repentance and faith, for it is an acknowledgment that the virtues the kingdom requires you do not possess, and that these same virtues only God can give. This asking, seeking, and knocking has a total package as its proper object. It does not seek holiness but spurn obedience; it does not seek obedience but hedge when it comes to purity. It is a wholehearted pursuit of the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This pursuit is stamped by stamina: it is a persistent asking, seeking, knocking.