Mt. 7:1 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.”
Lk. 6:37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.”
A heretic is someone who doesn’t conform to the norm. The meaning of the word has changed considerably since its use began in the early church. Today, it carries the connotation of someone who is teaching dangerous doctrines trying to deceive people. That was not the meaning used by the early church. A person can be a heretic and be right while the norm is wrong. We should be very careful with someone who we disagree with and not label them as something outside of God’s blessing. This is not speaking of judgment in the way we normally speak of it, but in how we deal with our brothers and sisters. You are going to be treated the same way that you treat others. If you do not give the full measure in your dealings with others, you will be slighted the same amount.
Lk. 6:38a “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.”
This verse is used a lot by prosperity teachers as a proof text that you should give in order to get. They call it “seed faith giving.” How often do you hear any of these teachers talk about your attitude in giving? This is the most important part of your giving. If the only purpose for your giving is to receive something back from God, you might as well keep the money in your pocket. The Lord will certainly bless you if you give, but only if your heart is right in the giving. You must give because the Lord has blessed you and you want to be a blessing to others, because of your love for God. That is the reason that He said in another verse that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into Heaven. Not that a rich man can’t go to Heaven, but because most of the time a rich man got that way through greed and selfishness. That is not what the Kingdom of God is all about.
Rabbinic literature answered the question of how to give. BT:Kethuboth 67b says that one may not give away more than one fifth of his money to charity. But, after giving this amount, he could then give one fifth of his property, and thereafter one fifth of his earnings. The usual recommended amount, however, is one tenth, as illustrated in the tithe given to the Levites.
Source: BT:Kethuboth 67b
Mt. 7:2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Lk. 6:38b “”For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
We can judge a person’s actions, words, and even his/her doctrine and teaching. What we cannot judge is the condition of a person’s heart. Only God can do that. M:Avoth 2:4 says, “Judge not your neighbor until you have come into his place.” M;Sotah 1:7 says, “Whatever measure a man meets, it shall be measured to him again.” BT:Sanhedrin 100a says, Rabbi Meier said, ‘The measure by which one measures will be measured out to him.” Bereshith Rabba 9:13 states: “All the measures have ceased, except the rule, ‘measure for measure’ has not ceased.”
Sources: M:Avoth 2:4; M:Sotah 1:7; BT:Sanhedrin 100a; Bereshith Rabba 9:13
Lk. 6:39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a ditch?”
Lk. 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
Mt. 7:3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye. But do not consider the plank in your own eye?”
Lk. 6:41 “And why do you look at a speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?”
Mt. 7:4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck out of your eye,’ and look, a plank is in your own eye?”
Lk. 6:42a “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you do not see the plank that is in your own eye?”
Mt. 7:5 “Hypocrites! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
Lk. 6:42b “Hypocrites! First remove the plank that is in your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
BT:Baba Bathra 176b says, “Rabbi Yochanan bar Kokba said, ‘Do they say, “Take the splinter out of your own eye.” We are taught to remove the beam from our own eye.’” In another statement, Rabbi Tarfon said, “I wonder if there is anyone in this generation that accepts reproof? For when one says, ‘Remove the mote from your eye, he would answer, “Remove the beam that is between your eyes.’” Don’t worry about the toothpicks in your brother’s eye when you have a railroad tie in your own eye. Make sure your relationship with your brother is right. Treat all others the way that you want to be treated, only do it first. This is the injunction to the children of God which make up the church.
Mt. 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine; lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
This verse talks about dogs and swine. These terms were very often used as a reference to Gentiles. They were also used as a symbol for a useless, irrelevant person. M;Sotah states: Rabbi Eleazar said, ‘The face of that generation is the face of a dog. The son shall not reverence his father.’” It is also used as a symbol for a Gentile or uncircumcised person. In M;Avoth 2:9 Rabbi Eleanor said, “Whoever eats with an idolater is as if he ate with a dog. Who is a dog? He that is uncircumcised.” The same identification is found in BT;Shabbat 188a and BT:Yoma 29a.
Sources: M:Avoth 2:9; M:Sotah 9:15; BT:Shabbat 188a; BT:Yoma 29a
Pearls are a reference to the deep things of the Law that were taught by the rabbis. BT:Chagigah 13a says, “Rabbi Ami said, ‘The teachings of the Torah are not to be transmitted to a non-Jew.” Carnally-minded unbelievers cannot understand the deep things of the word of god. A lot of believers have enough trouble understanding them. It is very easy for an unbeliever to twist the Word of God around to trip you up if you do not understand the word that you are sharing with them. If you do not have a keen understanding of what you are about to share with unbelievers, it is better that you say nothing.
Source: BT:Chagigah 13a
