It’s clear that Jesus did not intend his words to be used as a cover for immoral behavior.
He did not mean them to be used as a conversation stopper to shut down attempts to admonish people engaged in immoral behavior.
2) Not even a cover for sexual misbehavior
Jesus had quite a bit to say about sexual immortality as well—noting, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount that even being mentally unfaithful was a sin
3) Not a prohibition on admonishing others
Jesus did also not intend his words to be used to stop others from admonishing others when they are committing sinful behavior.
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [Matt. 28:19-20]
Also, admonishing sinners is a spiritual work of mercy that we are to engage in: My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins
4) Not an endorsement of moral relativism
Taking Jesus’ teaching out of context, one might try to use it as a pretext for moral relativism—the idea that all moral judgments regarding the conduct of others are to be suspended and each person is to be allowed to define what is morally good for himself.
We do not define moral truth for ourselves. Moral relativism is a false position that is incompatible with the Christian faith.
5) What Jesus actually said
A good first step in trying to figure out what Jesus meant is to look at what he actually said—to find out what the context was in which he made his statement regarding judging.
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get [Mt. 7.1-2]. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back [Lk. 6:37-38]
6) An elaboration of the Golden Rule
In both Matthew and Luke, the statements that follow the prohibition on judging indicate that it is an elaboration of the Golden Rule
The Golden Rule is, in fact, given its classical formulation just a few verses after the statement on judging in the Sermon on the Mount: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets [Matt. 7:12].
And the warning that we will be treated (i.e., God will treat us) as we have treated others has already been stressed in the Sermon: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses [Mt. 5:14-15].
7) “Lest ye be judged” . . . by Whom?
You might think that he means other people will judge us if they see is being judgmental, and it is quite true that people will react negatively to us if they see us behaving in an antisocial manner. But that’s not what Jesus is saying. Instead, he’s using a form of expression that Bible scholars refer to as “the divine passive” or “the theological passive.”
This is a use of the passive voice that describes what God will do, but it reverently avoids saying “God.”
8) What Jesus means
There will be a Last Judgment at the end of the world, as well as a particular judgment at the end of our earthly lives.
as we’ve seen, the Golden Rule has divine backing: If we treat others mercifully, God will be merciful to us. But if we treat others unmercifully, God will not be merciful to us. In other words, we should treat others the way we want God to treat us—because the way we treat others is how God will treat us.
9) What kind of judgment do you want?
If we are in our right minds, we want a judgment done with mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.
In this context, what he means by “judging” is the opposite of doing those things—being unmerciful, uncompassionate, and unforgiving.
10) Why didn’t he say it that way?
In this case, he has used hyperbole, or exaggeration to make a point.
He doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t judge others in the sense of forming a moral appraisal of their behavior. We can’t avoid doing that, given our nature, and we should not avoid doing that, or the injustice in the world can never be addressed.
In addition to “not judging” involving being merciful, compassionate, and forgiving to others, it can include other things, such as: Giving others the benefit of the doubt Leaving the ultimate judgment of others to God instead of simply concluding that someone is (or should be) damned
He does not, however, mean us to use them as a pretext for immorality or as a conversation stopper to shut people down when they are proclaiming a moral truth to us.
