Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 7:1-2

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you." — Matthew 7:1-2 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: Since it is uncertain with what purpose these temporal things are provided for the future, as it may be with a sincere or a duplicitous mind, He appropriately adds, Judge not.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, He has, up to this point, drawn out the consequences of His commands about almsgiving; He now takes up those concerning prayer. This teaching is a kind of continuation of the one on prayer, as if it were to say, Forgive us our debts, and then follow it with, Judge not, that you be not judged.

St. Jerome: But if He forbids us to judge, how then does Paul judge the Corinthian who had committed uncleanness? Or Peter convict Ananias and Sapphira of falsehood?

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But some explain this passage to mean that the Lord did not forbid Christians from rebuking others out of goodwill, but only intended that Christians should not despise other Christians by showing off their own righteousness, often hating others based on suspicion alone, condemning them, and pursuing private grudges under the guise of piety.

St. John Chrysostom: Therefore, He does not say, “Do not stop a sinner,” but “do not judge”; that is, do not be a bitter judge. Correct him, certainly, but not as an enemy seeking revenge; rather, correct him as a physician applying a remedy.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But that expression, Judge not, shows that Christians should not even correct other Christians in this way.

But if they do not correct in this way, will they therefore obtain forgiveness for their sins, just because it is said, and you shall not be judged? For who obtains forgiveness for a past sin simply by not adding another one to it?

We have said this to show that this passage is not about refraining from judging a neighbor who sins against God, but one who sins against us. For whoever does not judge his neighbor who has sinned against him, God will not judge him for his own sin, but will forgive his debt just as he forgave.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, He does not forbid us from judging all sin absolutely, but places this prohibition on those who are themselves full of great evils yet judge others for very small ones. Similarly, Paul does not absolutely forbid judging those who sin, but he finds fault with disciples who judged their teacher and instructs us not to judge those who are above us.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, He forbids us to judge God concerning His promises. For just as judgments among people are founded on uncertain things, so this judgment against God is drawn from something that is doubtful. Therefore, He would have us put away this habit altogether. For this is not like other cases where it is a sin to have made a false judgment; here, we have begun to sin if we have pronounced any judgment at all.

St. Augustine of Hippo: I suppose the command here is simply that we should always put the best interpretation on actions when the motive behind them seems doubtful. But concerning actions that cannot be done with a good purpose—such as adultery, blasphemy, and the like—He permits us to judge. For morally neutral actions, however, which could be done with either a good or a bad purpose, it is rash to judge, and especially to condemn. ¹

There are two cases in which we should be particularly on guard against hasty judgments: first, when the motive for an action is unclear; and second, when it is not yet apparent what kind of person someone may become, who now seems either good or bad. Therefore, we should not blame actions when we do not know the motive behind them, nor should we condemn even manifest sins in such a way that we despair of the person's recovery.

One might find a difficulty in what follows: With what judgment you judge, you will be judged. If we make a hasty judgment, will God also judge us with a hasty one? Or if we have measured with a false measure, does God have a false measure from which to measure back to us? For by “measure,” I suppose judgment is meant here. Surely, this only means that the haste with which you punish another will, in itself, be your punishment, for injustice often does no harm to the one who suffers the wrong, but it must always hurt the one who does the wrong.

Some ask how it can be true what Christ says, And with what measure you mete, it will be measured to you again, if a temporal sin is to be punished with eternal suffering? They do not observe that it is not said “the same measure” in the sense of an equal length of time, but in the sense of an equal retribution: that he who has done evil should suffer evil.

This principle applies even to what the Lord spoke of here, namely, judgments and condemnations. Accordingly, he who judges and condemns unjustly, if he is then judged and condemned justly, receives in the same measure—though not the same thing that he gave. Through judgment he did what was unjust; through judgment he suffers what is just. ²

1. Serm. in Mont., ii, 18
2. City of God, xxi, 11