‘Do not judge’, do these words of Jesus really mean a Christian is never allowed to evaluate anything or anyone? This sermon walks us through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7) and shows that Jesus does not forbid judging as such, but hypocritical and superficial judging, first the beam in my own eye, then the speck in my brother’s. With a wink, we also get a handbook for the bad judge, only to discover that true confrontation requires one hundred percent truth and one hundred percent love. Listen before you pass your next judgment.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus doesn't stop at "do not judge" but goes on to talk about the measure, the plank and the speck. How does the meaning of this passage change when we read it all the way to the line about removing the speck from a brother's eye?
- Jesus calls the person with a plank in their eye who wants to remove someone's speck a hypocrite, an actor wearing a mask. What does this exaggerated picture reveal about how we look at other people's sins compared with our own?
- The sermon also quotes John: stop judging by appearances, but judge with right judgment. How would you describe the difference between fair discernment and the kind of judging Jesus condemns?
- Which point from the "bad judge's handbook" hits closest to home for you: feeling superior, assuming the worst motives, putting your own opinion above the Bible, or constantly pointing out others' faults?
- The speaker tells of a young man asking for money for food, whom he immediately assumed had bad intentions. In what situations is it easiest for you to assume the worst about someone, and what could help you pause before passing judgment?
- The sermon says good judgment is one hundred percent truth and one hundred percent love. Who might need you to speak the truth in love this week, and what plank in your own eye do you need to deal with first?
