Matthew 7:1-6

How They Are To Judge Among Themselves and View Outsiders (7:1-6).

Jesus now comes to the question of judgment made about others, and especially how it should be conducted under the Kingly Rule of Heaven. The question of judgment among God's people was always a central issue when new beginnings were in mind. It would therefore have been surprising if it was not found somewhere in this Sermon. The giving of God's Law at Sinai and the establishing of His overlordship was preceded by the setting up of a system of justice under the guidance of Jethro (Exodus 18:13; Deuteronomy 1:12). And later God made further provision (Numbers 11:16). Furthermore God also gave additional guidance concerning judgment in Deuteronomy 16:18 when they were on the verge of entering the land in order to establish the Kingly Rule of God (1 Samuel 8:7). In the establishing of the Kingly Rule of God the approach to judgment within the congregation of Israel was obviously crucial, especially in view of the standards that has been laid down. They left open the possibility of arrogance and strict condemnation by the censorious.

Here then He introduces the principles that are to underlie judgment between His disciples under the new Kingly Rule of God, and also a final warning on how they are to approach the outside world on such matters (Matthew 7:6). Thus while they are to go to a great deal of trouble to help each other in a spirit of love, so as to remove ‘splinters' from each others' eyes, splinters which might prevent the light shining through (Matthew 6:22), they must only do so after the greatest soul-searching and putting right of all that is wrong in their own lives first, while when it comes to approaching outsiders they are to demonstrate much more tact lest all that they do is provoke a violent reaction. We need not doubt that He later expanded on all this in more detail. (See also John 7:24)

He will, for example, give further guidance on this important question of judgment in the congregation of the righteous in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:15, where He will be laying down the principles on which the new ‘congregation' which He is forming is to be established. We must also compare here Luke 6:37, where similar material to that found here can be discovered, but there it is in a different context and clearly from a different source of tradition, as the differences between the two accounts make clear. This should not surprise us. The importance of the subject would necessitate the continual repetition of these principles by Jesus as He moved from place to place. Note also 1 Corinthians 5:1 where Paul lays down how the Corinthians are to go about judging a miscreant, and see 2 Thessalonians 3:6. Paul's idas would be based on the tradition of Jesus.

The major concern in ‘judgment' among the brethren is to be on not being judgmental, while at the same time being concerned enough to want to help one another, but this only once they have searchingly examined themselves in order to deal with the failures in their own lives. This would apply both in official judgments by their leaders once He was no longer with them, and in private judgments among themselves. Note Jesus' certainty that each one who is involved will have a plank in their eye which must first be dealt with. He knew them for what they were (just as He knows us for what we are). Nevertheless having assiduously removed that plank they were then to be concerned enough about their brother or sister to go about the task of removing the splinter from their eye. They were not just to pass by their need. Having first ensured their own fitness for the task by acknowledging and removing the planks in their own eyes, they were to seek to bear one another's burdens, approaching each other in a spirit of meekness with no sense of superiority, and recognising that one day all would have to bear their own ‘great burdens' (Galatians 6:1).

But a caveat had to be entered, because such teaching could be dangerous if they applied it to outsiders. Thus Jesus pauses for a moment to take that matter into account. When dealing with ‘outsiders' (those who are not yet believers - see Mark 4:11; 1 Corinthians 5:12; Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:12; 1 Timothy 3:7) they must deal with such matters with the greatest delicacy. They must remember that outsiders have different standards and see things very differently. What to God's people is holy and precious, and will be welcomed, is often immaterial to outsiders and may even be provocative. They must recognise that they cannot therefore approach them in the same way or judge them on the same basis as those on the ‘inside' (compare 1 Corinthians 5:12), for those who are fellow-disciples have different aims and a different spiritual outlook, and a different spiritual willingness to face up to sin, as compared with those who are outside. The ‘insiders' are fellow-workers (or sheep), but the outsiders are ‘dogs' and ‘swine. These latter terms are not intended to be directly insulting, but are vivid pictures indicating the nature of the outsiders. Dogs ran rampant and were not controllable. They scavenged in the streets or round the city walls and often went around in packs, seemingly uncontrolled. They were thus used by Jews as an illustration of the fact that Gentiles lived without the controlling influence of the Law of God. They were like the ‘dogs' who hung around the outside of cities without being under the control of those who were within. Furthermore to Jews ‘swine' were ‘unclean' animals. They were to be avoided by all good Jews. They were thus a suitable illustration of those who were not acceptable within the congregation because they were ‘unclean'. This could include Jews who were not what they should be, that is, in this case, Jews who have specifically turned away from the message of Jesus so that they had to be treated like Gentiles by having the dust of the feet shaken off against them (Matthew 10:14) demonstrating that they were ‘unclean'. Such people had to be dealt with on a totally different basis from fellow-disciples, otherwise they would simply retaliate, or trample underfoot precious things because they did not recognise their worth (e.g. Acts 13:45; Acts 18:6). For what was respected and ‘holy' and revered among the brethren could be sen by outsiders as infernal insolence, blasphemy, or total foolishness, and could result in quick retaliation (Matthew 7:6).

This passage reveals many marks of connection with what has gone before. The lack of a connecting word has occurred previously in Matthew 6:19; Matthew 6:24 in order to indicate a change of subject. The idea of God's being responsive to their actions is found in Matthew 5:7; Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:19; Matthew 5:21; Matthew 5:29; Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14. Compare also in this regard the promises of rewards. The move from plural to singular has been previously noted (Matthew 6:1; Matthew 6:16) and occurs again here. The idea of impaired sight is found also in Matthew 6:22. The description ‘brother' is found also Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:47. The word ‘hypocrite' is found in Matthew 6:2; Matthew 5:16. And the whole subject matter from Matthew 7:1 would be very necessary in view of the heavy demands that He has made on His disciples.

For the danger of aiming at high standards is that it can easily result in false pride, arrogance, and a sense of superiority, which could become like a plank in their eye, especially once some began to consider that they were doing better than others, and the need for all to help each other would also be very necessary in view of the steepness of the requirements. But the two could be incompatible. It was common sense therefore that Jesus should want to encourage His community towards humility, generosity of spirit, so that they could then render communal assistance towards each other, while remembering at the same time that the outside world would see things very differently. Not to have dealt with this subject would therefore have been a glaring omission.

Analysis.

a AB Do not judge, so that you are not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1).

b C Why do you behold the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank that is in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3).

c C How will you say to your brother, Let me cast out the splinter from your eye, and lo, the plank is in your own eye? (Matthew 7:4).

b E You hypocrite, cast out first the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to cast out the splinter from your brother's eye (Matthew 7:5).

a Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest the result is that they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you (Matthew 7:6).

Note that in ‘a' those who foolishly make unwise judgments about others will find that those judgments turn on them and rend them, for they themselves will be judged in the same spirit with which they judge, and in the parallel those who foolishly make unwise judgments in dealing with spiritual matters with outsiders will discover the same. In ‘b' and parallel we see clearly reversed situations, the one putting right the other. Centrally in ‘c' they are to make wise judgments about their own position so that they will be able to help others sensibly