One of the most commonly quoted passages of the Bible, mainly by people who have never even picked up a Bible to begin with, is Matthew chapter 7 verse 1 where Jesus Christ states: "Judge not, that you be not judged." Many people who have never read the Bible before will quote this in the face of Christians who are condemning others for particular sins. However they never seem to look past this statement into the following verses which explain very clearly what Jesus means when he says this. Let us look into what this verse really means, by examining the context.

It must first be noted that the statement itself is not simply "Judge not," in which case people might have something to stand on. There is more to the statement, and we must figure out what "that you not be judged" means by reading further. The very next verse says "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." We begin to see a clearer picture of what Jesus is trying to convey here. When you judge a person as being guilty of a particular sin, you can expect that you are also judging yourself in the process. However, the question is whether or not you are also guilty yourself.

Verses 3 and 4 state: "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?" We can see the picture clearly now, as Jesus is obviously warning his listeners to not engage in hypocrisy. In fact in the very next verse Jesus Christ calls them hypocrites! Jesus is not telling these people not to judge at all, but rather to check your own self first before you decide to judge another. Again, before your judge another person for doing something wrong, ask yourself whether or not you are guilty of the same thing.

Another common expression is "Don't judge a book by its cover." The only problem is that Jesus never said that, but rather said just the opposite. Jesus said "You will know a tree by its fruit." Another interesting thing to point out in this passage of Matthew chapter 7 is that Jesus Himself is actually in the process of judging the people he is talking to by calling them hypocrites. He also continues by encouraging people to judge, but to be careful by first "removing the plank that is in your own eye." If we are going to pronounce judgment on someone who is guilty of a particular sin, we need to be sure that we ourselves are not guilty of the same sin.

This particular passage is just one example of many passages taken out of context by unbelievers and believers alike. One of the best things we can learn is to come to the Bible with an intent to find out exactly what the original authors of a particular text meant. We do this by reading everything in its context, and not jumping around to other passages to define words. If we are to simply take a verse out of its context we can make the Bible say whatever we want. In fact, this is how many cult groups are started.

Next time you hear someone quote Matthew chapter 7 verse 1, be sure to set the record straight by telling them to read the next couple of sentences. Explain to them that it is hypocrisy that is being condemned here, not the simple act of judging. Also point out that Jesus Himself is in the very act of judging in this passage. This will surely open their eyes to the truth.