This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, usually in a context something like this: âYeah, he cheated on his wife, but who am I to judge? Hey, weâre all sinners, right? Like Jesus said, âJudge not, lest you be judged,'â or âDonât judge meâif you were really a Christian youâd listen to Jesus when he said, âjudge not.'â That is, the verse is often declared in order to defend against any statement that a given personâs behavior is wrong (quite often marshaled by the person in question). Effectively, when quoted as such, the verse is understood as a prohibition against declaring any specific action sinful or wrong, since doing so would mean âjudgingâ someone. SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT HERE? THE WORD âJUDGEâ MEANS âTO CRITICIZE, CONDEMN, JUDGE, CENSOR.â IT IS AN OLD FAULT-FINDING ATTITUDE; IT IS BEING PICKY; IT IS THE HABIT OF CARPING CRITICISM; IT IS A MEAN, CRITICAL SPIRIT THAT SEES ONLY THE BAD IN OTHERS. |