Matthew 7:1-6

Rachel Workman: 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Strong words aren't they?

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[c] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 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. In one way or another we are all hypocrites. I know I am at times.

6 “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. It's hard to know who you are wasting time on and who you are not. This is actually one of the scarier verses to me. But I think these verses speak the loudest in situations where you feel you have to defend your beliefs and in doing so you end up in a argument about the existence of God and his word. Do not waste your time with that.

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John Burnett:  7 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and ^[a]by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how ^[b]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is 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.  These verses are the most often misinterpreted verses in the Bible by those who love their sin.  Jesus was not a hypocrite nor did he sin and in order to call people dogs and swine you have to judge them.  We shouldn’t judge to put someone on a status continuum of being better or worse than we are, we can judge them after we judge ourselves and realize they are the same as we are, wretched sinners in need of a glorious Savior.

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.  We are to be cautious of who we share scripture with when it comes to admonishing wrong doing.  With some people there is no chance of changing them and God does not like to hear His Word being defamed so we should not help someone do that.

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Pat Bell: 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others.^[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.^[b]
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye^[c] when you have a log in your own? ⁴ How can you think of saying to your friend,^[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? ⁵ 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.
⁶ “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy.^[e] Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

These verses prove how the bible is as true today as it was when it was written. I have seen the truth in these verses.     

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Allen Michaels:  7 “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? Here, Jesus speaks to the real issue.  When we judge another, we always do so from a warped perspective. The problem with judging others is that we are often guilty of the same or worse sins ourselves, (Romans 2:1). None of us are anything to brag about!  While we look at the way some people dress, act, and at the outward signs of sin in their lives; we are often blind to the prejudices, hypocritical spirit and other sins that lurk within our own heart! What makes me think that I am in any position to straighten you out when I am in such a train wreck myself? Here is the hard part.  Here is the truth that is so hard to swallow.  Jesus is saying that the sin of the critic is greater than the sin of the person being judged!  When we talk about the flaw that is visible in someone’s life, we reveal a canyon in our own life.  We are revealing a heart that lacks genuine love for our neighbor, (Matthew 22:39). That ought to make us stop and think before we tear another person down, just because they don’t live up to our standards!

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.

Jesus’ statement, “Do not judge,” is against the kind of hypocritical, judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. It is not a blanket statement against all critical thinking, but a call to be discerning rather than negative. Jesus said to expose false teachers (7:15-23), and Paul taught that we should exercise church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), and trust God to be the final Judge (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

When I look at your life and see your faults, I am, in fact, blind to the problems that dwell within my own heart.  For instance, if my heart was as pure and as holy as I would like to believe it is; I would not be focused on criticizing and condemning you for your failures.  I would, instead love you, pray for you and try to help you.  I would not be in the business of tearing you down, but I would be seeking how I might build you up and restore you!

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.

Pigs were unclean animals according to God’s law (Deuteronomy 14:8). Anyone who touched an unclean animal became “ceremonially unclean” and could not go to the temple to worship until the uncleanness was removed. Jesus says that we should not entrust holy teachings to unholy or unclean people. It is futile to try to teach holy concepts to people who don’t want to listen and will only tear apart what we say. We should not stop giving God’s Word to unbelievers, but we should be wise and discerning in what we teach to whom, so that we will not be wasting our time.