Matthew 7:1-6 Judging Others

[hotcoffee]

Judging Others

Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “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? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

Do not give dogs what is sacred.... According to the google hits I found, this is referring to the allowing a dog to eat sacrificed meat. The idea here is that a dog doesn't know the difference between good meat and garbage.

It's an interesting concept.... going back to Exodus 22:31 in the law of unclean food stated that if an animal is attacked by wild animals, the meat was to be fed to the dogs, rather than eaten by man.

I recently heard a sermon on WAVA. Apparently pearls in the time of Jesus were extremely rare. They were also used to conceal wealth on the road. See it was easier to hide tiny pearls in the clothing so that highway bandits and tax collectors couldn't take your wealth.

If you google "pearls before swine" you will find a comic strip, a band in Florida, and some other weird quotes. It's really not quite as easy as looking up the value of salt. Here's a link about the history of pearls. It has a lot of the information I heard on WAVA.

I saw some comments about "casting pearls before pigs" meant not to waste your time sharing biblical doctrine with people who just didn't want to hear it.

I notice though that my NIV site puts the verses about dogs and pigs under the heading of judging others. I don't know how many times I have stood corrected when I could have sworn I was right.

[Radiant1]

[1] This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Matthew 7:5, 6 but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.

[5] Hypocrite: the designation previously given to the scribes and Pharisees is here given to the Christian disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores his own more serious offenses.

[6] Dogs and swine were Jewish terms of contempt for Gentiles. This saying may originally have derived from a Jewish Christian community opposed to preaching the gospel (what is holy, pearls) to Gentiles. In the light of Matthew 28:19 that can hardly be Matthew's meaning. He may have taken the saying as applying to a Christian dealing with an obstinately impenitent fellow Christian (Matthew 18:17).

New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

[Radiant1]

I tend to make a difference between discernment and judgment. Discernment to me would be stating that murder is wrong. Judgment on the other hand is to make a statement about the state of one's soul. Imo, that kind of judgment is reserved for God alone.

I think it's pretty clear cut that if you're merciful to others, then God will be merciful to you. It also refers back to the Lord's prayer, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

As for the speck and plank, that's just saying don't be a hypocrite. I remind my children from time to time that they had best have their own house clean before fussing about someone elses (metaphorically). It's like when a fat person tells another fat person they need to go on a diet, the message is completely lost due to the hypocrisy involved.

As for casting pearls before swine, I think that's pretty clear cut as well. This verse does indeed come to my mind often when I'm involved in apologetics and it's obvious that someone has no intention of learning about my faith (the valuable pearl) but just wants to trample it instead (swine).

[cheezgrits]

Probably not a lot to add to this one. Needs to be a sticky in this forum.

[Zguy28]

Originally Posted by Radiant1

I tend to make a difference between discernment and judgment. Discernment to me would be stating that murder is wrong. Judgment on the other hand is to make a statement about the state of one's soul. Imo, that kind of judgment is reserved for God alone.

Paul echoes the teachings of Jesus when he judges an unrepentant sinner in the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 5
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”