Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

⁠

39⁠

He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40⁠

The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

⁠

41⁠

“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?

42⁠

How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

The Sermon on the Mount - Judging Others

Matt 7:1⁠

and following

⁠

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.

Jesus teaches at the

@Feast of the Tabernacle⁠

John 7:21⁠

and following

⁠

21⁠

Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.

22⁠

Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath.

23⁠

Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?

24⁠

Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

The Sermon on the Mount - True and False Prophets

Matt 7:15⁠

and following.

⁠

15⁠

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

16⁠

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17⁠

Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Dictionary

From the Sermon on the Mount - Judging others:

The Greek word used for

@judge⁠

is krinete. It means to make a choice between right and wrong. It is the word used in all three of the first passages quoted above.

From the Feast of the Tabernacle:

In this passage the word judge is also used, but contrasted with the following words:

⁠

@righteous⁠

(dikaian)

describes what is in conformity to God's own being (His will, standard of rightness). This is in opposition to human judgement, which is superficial, based on outward appearances.

⁠

@judgement⁠

(krisin)

to separate, distinguish, judge") – judgment, emphasizing its qualitative aspect that can apply either to a positive verdict (for righteousness) – or more commonly, a "negative" verdict which condemns the nature of sin that brings it on.

⁠

@judge⁠

(krinete)

properly, to separate (distinguish), i.e. judge; come to a choice (decision, judgment) by making a judgment – either positive (a verdict in favor of) or negative (which rejects or condemns).

⁠

So it literally means to judge with a righteous judgement, a judgement in the way that God would have done.

From the Sermon on the Mount - True and False prophets

In this passage the word used is

@recognize⁠

I come to know by directing my attention to him or it, I perceive, discern, recognize; I found out.

⁠

The context and basic idea behind each passage above:

SoM Luke 6 & Matt 7

The sermon on the mount happens right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew it is placed directly after the calling of the first disciples, as he is going thorough the countryside healing the sick. (Which is the DIRECT fulfillment of

Isiah 61⁠

, interpreted by Christians as the proclaiming of the Messiah.)

It is the Good News, the proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favor: there is good news for the poor, comfort for the brokenhearted, release for the captives, freedom for the prisoners, and much more.

Luke has the additional information though - the reaction of the religious leaders to all of the good things that Jesus are doing. The pharisees complain about the disciple's picking of corn while they are walking on the Sabbath. On another day, the pharisees and the teachers of the law is disgusted by the fact that Jesus healed a cripple on the Sabbath. They judge Jesus and his disciples for “working” on the sabbath, forgetting the Sabbath is for rest and recuperation for the week ahead. And what better recuperation can there be than being healed from a life long affliction.

With this in the background, Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount. This is the manifesto for his brand new ministry, but not just a ministry, a blueprint for humanity to be able to achieve our full potential.

Love your enemies, do good to those that hate you. Turn the other cheek. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Lend without expecting anything back.

In normal, selfish society, this sounds like utter madness. But what we have in “normal” society is growing inequality, war, poverty and hunger. A continuous cycle of revenge and selfishness. Jesus’ way is the ONLY way to turn the cycle. The cycle of revenge. The cycle of parental abuse, of workplace abuse, spousal abuse, racist abuse, poverty abuse.

Do good for the sake of doing good, and not for yourself, not to get wealthy.

With the measure you use, you will be measured. Whether it be kind and forgiving, or whether it is being judgemental.

Remove the plank from your eye, BUT do not stop there, help your brother by removing the speck from his eye.

Healing at the Feast of the Tabernacle. John 7

This passage in a way deals with the question of what to do when two laws seem to be in conflict. For the Pharisees the command to circumcise overrode the command not to work on the Sabbath. But the command not to work on the Sabbath, in their eyes, overrode doing good to somebody, even if doing good resulted in a person regaining function in his hand.

Jesus responds by saying their judgement is superficial, and that they should be judging the way that God does, by ensuring that doing good is the end result.

Conclusion

I think it is clear that Jesus never said not to judge. But he does prescribe the way in which we should judge:

In such a way, that we are willing to be judged by the same standard.

Judge in the way that God does, not by looking at superficial appearance, but by looking at somebodies heart. Is the person doing things out of a deep love for God and his neighbour?

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