Luke 6:37
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just saying "don't be mean;" he's contrasting two actions: judging and condemning are about finding fault and assigning blame, while forgiving means releasing others from their wrongdoing. This powerful call to release others echoes God's own release of us when we accept His forgiveness.
Just before this, Jesus had chosen His twelve apostles and was teaching the crowds a radical new way of living, often called the "Sermon on the Plain." This teaching calls for a complete reorientation away from the world's standards, focusing on generosity, humility, and especially how his followers should relate to others. The verses immediately following will expand on this, detailing the importance of our own self-examination before pointing out others' faults, and the measure we give to others will be given back to us.
Does Jesus really mean we should never judge anyone? It sounds like a radical call to ignore right and wrong!
Jesus isn't calling us to be blind to sin or to abandon discernment. Instead, He's targeting a specific kind of judgment: the harsh, self-righteous, and condemning kind. Think of it as the difference between diagnosing a problem and pronouncing a death sentence.
Jesus connects what we do to others with what happens to us. It’s like a cosmic echo chamber for our actions!
This verse reveals a powerful principle: God’s treatment of us is directly related to how we treat others. It’s a principle that works in both judgment and mercy.
Understand the original words
krinete · Greek Verb
To criticize, evaluate, or pass sentence upon others. In a biblical context, it often refers to the hypocritical, harsh, or presumptuous judgment that belongs to God alone.
katadikazete · Greek Verb
To declare guilty or pass a sentence of punishment. It implies a formal determination that someone is liable for a penalty, often contrasted with the grace of God.
apolyete · Greek Verb
To grant pardon or release a debt; to let go of an offense against oneself. It is the act of relinquishing a claim to retribution, modeled after God's forgiveness of believers in Christ.
This passage from Matthew is Jesus' parallel teaching, directly addressing the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring one's own faults and emphasizing the need for self-examination before offering correction.
Matthew 6:14-15Here, Jesus explicitly links the act of forgiving others to God's own forgiveness of our sins, highlighting the conditional nature of receiving God's mercy.
Colossians 3:12-13Paul echoes Jesus' words by urging believers to 'put on' compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, and to 'bear with one another and forgive' each other, showing how this attitude should characterize the Christian community.
Romans 12:14-19This passage calls for blessing those who persecute us and avoiding the urge to 'repay evil for evil,' aligning with the principle of not judging or condemning but extending grace, as taught by Jesus.
James 4:11-12James directly warns against speaking evil of or judging a brother, stating that such actions are judging the law itself and that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, reinforcing the caution against human condemnation.
gillLuke 6:37: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:"
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged,.... See Gill on Matthew 7:1 . Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; censure not men's persons, and judge not their state, or adjudge them to condemnation, for every offence in practice, or because they differ in principle, lest you should be treated in like manner by others; and especially, lest you should fall under the…
barnesLuke 6:37: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:"
See Matthew 7:1-9 .
Jesus isn't just saying "don't be mean;" he's contrasting two actions: judging and condemning are about finding fault and assigning blame, while forgiving means releasing others from their wrongdoing. This powerful call to release others echoes God's own release of us when we accept His forgiveness.
Just before this, Jesus had chosen His twelve apostles and was teaching the crowds a radical new way of living, often called the "Sermon on the Plain." This teaching calls for a complete reorientation away from the world's standards, focusing on generosity, humility, and especially how his followers should relate to others. The verses immediately following will expand on this, detailing the importance of our own self-examination before pointing out others' faults, and the measure we give to others will be given back to us.
Just before this, Jesus had chosen His twelve apostles and was teaching the crowds a radical new way of living, often called the "Sermon on the Plain." This teaching calls for a complete reorientation away from the world's standards, focusing on generosity, humility, and especially how his followers should relate to others. The verses immediately following will expand on this, detailing the importance of our own self-examination before pointing out others' faults, and the measure we give to others will be given back to us.
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"“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;" — Jesus isn't just saying "don't be mean;" he's contrasting two actions: judging and condemning are about finding fault and assigning blame, while forgiving means releasing others from their wrongdoing…
