“Judge not, lest you be judged.”

These are perhaps the most well known words of Jesus. They’re commonly used to keep people from making moral judgments about others.

Try sharing a strong moral opinion in a mixed crowd and notice how quickly you’ll hear: “Judge not, lest you be judged.”

Others use these words to excuse themselves from making judgments. “Who am I to judge?” they ask. “After all, Jesus did say, ‘Judge not…’”

• What did Jesus mean when he spoke these words?
• Was he advocating a policy of minding your own business?
• Was he forbidding all judgments about the actions of others?

A good question


John R. W. Stott asked if obedience to these words required us to “…suspend our critical faculties in relation to other people, to turn a blind eye to their faults (pretending not to notice them), to avoid all criticism and…