Explanation:

What sort of judgment does Jesus have in mind? We can find this answer by looking to the immediate context.

When we do this, we notice that Jesus follows up his statement in Matthew 7:1 by saying the judgment you use against others will be used against you (Matthew 7:2). He then illustrates his point by saying that you should not point out the speck in your brother’s eye without seeing the log in your own eye (Matthew 7:3–5). Jesus calls the person who does this you hypocrite (Matthew 7:5). To point out flaws in another person without considering one’s own flaws is to have a judgmental attitude toward others. Thus, when Jesus says, Do not judge, he means, Do not have an attitude of judgmentalism toward others. You are a sinner too, with a log in your own eye, and it is hypocritical for you to have a judgmental attitude toward others.

Counterargument:

This interpretation leads to moral relativism. If we are forbidden from judging our brothers, it follows that we are to accept our brothers even when they live in sin. For example, if we are not to judge our brothers, and we know that a brother is stealing tools from his work, according to this interpretation, we are not permitted to correct him. This seems to be contrary to Matthew 18:15, where Jesus explains that we should point out our brother’s fault. It also sounds contrary to some of Paul’s statements, such as calling the Corinthians to hand a brother over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument is misplaced. The point is that we should not have a judgmental attitude toward others, yet discernment is not forbidden.^6,7 We know discernment is not forbidden from Jesus’ statements throughout Matthew, including Matthew 7:1–29. For example, in Matthew 7:6 Jesus tells the disciples not to give dogs what is holy, or throw pearls to pigs.⁸ Also, in Matthew 7:15 Jesus warns the disciples to beware of false prophets who are wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing.⁹ In order to know when one is dealing with dogs, pigs, or wolves, one needs to discern. Similarly, in Matthew 7:15, after Jesus instructs his disciples to preach the gospel in various towns, he explains that if a house is worthy, the disciples should let their peace be upon it, but if a house is unworthy, they should not offer their peace.

So, we know from Jesus that discernment and wise judgment are esteemed. When we keep this in mind, we can see that Jesus’ real concern when he says, Do not judge, is the attitude of the heart. For example, if the disciples entered the house of someone and found them to be unworthy of the gospel because they quickly reject the message, the disciples should not have an attitude of judgmentalism, even while they discern the bitterness of the house. Rather, they should hope in their hearts that God would soften their listeners, as God had softened them so that eventually they would be counted worthy of the gospel.

Explanation:

In order to understand what Jesus means when he says do not judge it can help to look to passages where the same verb is used in a similar context. We find this in Romans 14:10–14.¹⁰ There Paul asks the Roman congregation why they judge their brothers (Romans 14:10a). He follows this up by asking why they treat their brothers with contempt (Romans 14:10b). The follow-up clause, Romans 14:10b, clarifies what Paul means by judging. To treat a brother with contempt is to have an attitude of judgmentalism toward him. Paul repeats the verb again in Romans 14:13, telling the Romans not to pass judgment on each other. Next, he explains that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean (Romans 14:14). This placement suggests that when Paul tells the brothers not to judge each other, the judgment has to do with one’s attitude toward one another based on one’s views about what is clean or unclean.  In other words, one should not have a judgmental attitude toward one’s brothers because of that brother’s differing views.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it assumes a certain meaning of the verb to judge in order to make its case. And of course, such a move is circular because it assumes a certain meaning in order to prove the meaning it assumes. The fact is, we find the same verb used in other places and it carries a different sense. For example, in John 3:17 we learn that God did not send the Son into the world to κρίνω the world. There the ESV translates κρίνω as condemn. An even more stark example comes from Acts 13:1–52, which records Paul’s sermon to the Jews in Antioch. After recalling God’s dealings with Israel throughout history (Acts 13:17–25), Paul explains that the rulers living in Jerusalem misunderstood the prophets and condemned Jesus (Acts 13:27). In this case the translation to condemn is the only sensible option. So, how do we know Jesus does not mean, Do not condemn in Matthew 7:1 rather than, Do not have a judgmental attitude?

Response to counterargument:

There is no problem with looking for how verbs are used elsewhere in order to inform meaning. Since some verbs are used many times, one approach to understanding the meaning of a verb is to consider how the verb is used in the context of multiple passages. If the context between two passages is similar, and the same verb is used, then there is a chance that the verbs are being used with a similar meaning. For example, in the context of Matthew 7:1–5 Jesus calls his disciples not to judge and then gives an example of taking the speck out of a brother’s eye before looking at the log in one’s own eye (see Interpretation 1, argument 1). Is the context of Acts 13:1–52 relevant to Matthew 7:1? Not obviously. Acts 13:1–52 has to do with the Jews condemning Jesus to death, while Matthew 7:1 has to do with judging one’s brother. What about Romans 14:1–23? There we have an instructive parallel because we find Paul explaining, as Jesus had, not to judge one’s brothers.  Thus, Romans 14:1–23 is a helpful aid for understanding how the verb κρίνω is used in Matthew 7:1, whereas the usage of the verb in passages like Acts 13:1–52 is not. Thus, since the use of to judge is less ambiguous in Romans 14:1–23 than in Matthew 7:1, and the general context is similar, we can use what we learn from Romans 14:10–14 and apply it to Matthew 7:1.

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness of this view is that the context of Matthew 7:2–5 is not enough to say definitively that to judge in Matthew 7:1 refers to judgmental attitude. One could make a case (as will be done below), that Jesus has in mind not judgmental attitude but condemnation. While Matthew 7:2–5 slightly favours the translation judgmental attitude, it does not rule out condemnation as a possible alternative. Still, certainty is not always possible, and in this case the context does lean toward the translation judgmental attitude.

Explanation:

Jesus says, Do not judge, but the verb κρίνω (to judge) carries a variety of meanings. What does Jesus mean in this context? Fortunately, Luke records the same sentence from Jesus.¹⁵ In Luke 6:37 we read, Judge not, and you will not be judged. The sentence has a nearly identical construction to the sentence used in Matthew. What is important to note is that Luke follows up the sentence with, Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. This second clause simply repeats and clarifies the first clause.^16,17 When Jesus says, Do not judge, he has in mind condemnation. In other words, do not sentence people as condemned. 

Counterargument:

This argument is possible, except that Luke also includes a third clause, Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Thus, we should understand Luke by reading the entire verse. When we do this, we find that Luke is not clarifying the first clause with the second clause, because then the third clause would seem out of place. Rather, Luke is introducing three separate ideas that are all related, but slightly different. In the first place, do not judge; in the second, do not condemn; and in the third, forgive. Whatever Jesus means by judge, he likely does not equate it with condemn, otherwise the second clause is redundant, or the third clause seems out of place. In fact, based on Luke 6:37 we should look for a meaning other than condemnation for to judge.

Explanation:

We can understand what Jesus means by do not judge by looking at the second clause in the sentence. Jesus says, Do not judge, and then follows this up by saying that if one does judge, one will be judged. What does it mean that one will be judged? The verb κρίνω (to judge) is often used in connection with the end-time judgment of God, which is when God will judge the whole world.¹⁸ In other words, the judgment in mind here is the final condemnation at the judgment of God.¹⁹ Now, if judgment in the second clause means God’s condemnation, then it must also mean condemnation in the first clause.²⁰

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that while κρίνω (to judge) is used to denote the end-time judgment of God, it has a variety of other possible uses. For example, it can be used to denote a carefully deliberated decision (Acts 15:19), or it can be used to denote taking legal action against someone as in a court of law (Matthew 5:40). There is simply too many possible uses of the verb κρίνω to assume that it most likely refers to God’s end-time judgment. Of course, we can refine our thinking by looking for other uses of the verb, and by considering those uses in the context of Matthew 7:1. When we do this, we find that the judgment Jesus has in mind, while it might not exclude God’s judgment, also seems to include the judgment of humans. Matthew 7:2 says that with the measure you use it will be measured to you. This could refer to God’s measure, but the measure of humans is not ruled out. Then in Matthew 7:3–5, Jesus clearly has in mind being measured and judged by fellow humans. There he explains that one should not try to get the speck out of his brother’s eye without first taking the log from his own eye. Thus, when we take Matthew 7:1 in context, we find that Jesus has human interactions in mind, and not necessarily God’s end-time judgment.

Possible weaknesses:

The problem with this view is its narrow focus. Both arguments are made by trying to understand the meaning of do not judge without considering the phrase in its wider context. While all interpretations must make sense in their immediate context, in this case, the immediate context does not commit us to the view that to judge here means to condemn. If the second clause of Matthew 7:1 said, Do not judge, and God will not judge you on the last day, things would be different. But this is not what Jesus says. He says, Do not judge and you will not be judged, and he follows this up with an illustration between humans. Of course, God’s judgment is not excluded from Jesus’ thinking, but neither is it restricted to God’s judgment.