March 24

Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged! What Jesus Really Meant

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ~ Luke 6:37 ESV

Isn’t it exhausting to hear someone say, “Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged!” just to discourage you from sharing your thoughts or expressing what the Bible truly conveys?

When Jesus says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged” in Luke 6:37, He is not forbidding all forms of judgment, but warning against hypocritical, harsh, or self-righteous judgment. The broader context—especially when considered alongside Matthew 7—makes it clear that Jesus is not telling His followers to abandon discernment. In fact, just a few verses later He says, “By their fruits you shall know them,” referring to false prophets. This means believers must be able to recognize and evaluate the character and conduct of those who claim spiritual authority. When someone is leading others astray, Christians are called to make a judgment, based on the fruit of that person’s life, and conclude, “This is a false shepherd.” Such a judgment is not condemned but expected, as Scripture elsewhere calls believers to test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21), to confront sin in the church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13), and to beware of false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20). What Jesus is truly warning against is the presumption of ultimate authority—the kind of judgment that seeks to condemn others as if sitting in God’s place. He was speaking to religious leaders who believed it was their role to make final declarations about people’s standing before God. Jesus firmly corrects this, asserting that only He holds the authority to make such final judgments. Therefore, the command to “judge not” is not a blanket prohibition on all judgment, but a reminder to judge rightly—humbly, carefully, and always with awareness of our own need for grace.

Read / Listen
Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29
Luke 6:12-38
Psalm 67:1-7
Proverbs 11:27

If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! ~ Proverbs 11:27

New Testament

Luke 6:12-38

Summary
The Twelve Apostles
Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude
The Beatitudes
Jesus Pronounces Woes
Love Your Enemies

And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all. ~ Luke 6:19

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;” ~ Luke 6:37

Beware of those who take this out of context. I hear this taken out of context often to shut the mouths of those who are correctly judging.

Judge not. As the context reveals, this direction does not prohibit all types of judging (Mat_7:16). We are supposed to exercise a righteous kind of judgment with careful discernment (Joh_7:24). Censorious, hypocritical, self-righteous, or other kinds of unfair judgments are forbidden; but in order to fulfill the commandments that follow, it is necessary to discern dogs and swine (Mat_7:6) from one’s own brethren (Mat_7:3-5). ~ MacArthur Bible Commentary