Sunday Sermon — October 25, 2026
Judge Righteously
Scripture: Luke 6:37–45
Introduction: Living in an Age of Judgment
We live in a world that could rightly be called an age of judgment. Every moment, people evaluate the words and actions of others. On social media and in the comment sections of news articles, we see a constant stream of harsh criticism directed at other people.
Yet, at the same time, our society declares, “Do not judge others!”
People are often quick to point fingers at others, yet they struggle to tolerate criticism or evaluation directed at themselves. This is one of the great contradictions of our world.
What, then, does Jesus mean when He speaks these words in our passage today? Does He mean that we should never make any judgment or distinction concerning another person?
If that were the case, His teaching would contradict the many other passages of Scripture that warn us against false teachers and command us to distinguish between good and evil.
Jesus is not simply commanding us to remain silent and never make judgments. Rather, He is teaching us how to make righteous judgments by putting aside prejudice, pride, and hypocrisy.
Today, we will consider four principles that help us judge righteously.
1. Christians Must Show Generosity of Spirit Toward Others
Luke 6:37–38
Jesus says:
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.”
These words do not mean that Christians must abandon moral discernment or stop distinguishing between right and wrong. Scripture clearly commands us to discern false prophets and beware of false teaching.
What, then, is the true meaning of Jesus’ command, “Judge not”?
Jesus is teaching us to examine the attitude of our hearts when we evaluate others.
Before His disciples apply a sharp and unforgiving standard to someone else, they must first cultivate a generous and merciful spirit. We do not fully know the pain someone may be experiencing, the circumstances in which that person lives, or the motives behind a particular action.
Consider a humorous story that illustrates how easily our judgments can become unfair.
One day, several elderly mothers were gathered together, talking about their children.
One woman began complaining bitterly about her daughter-in-law.
“My daughter-in-law is so lazy! She doesn’t even prepare breakfast for my son before he leaves for work. She doesn’t do the laundry, either. In fact, my son has to clean the house himself after he comes home from work. I made a terrible mistake choosing her as my daughter-in-law!”
A little later, however, the same woman began talking about her own daughter, and her face brightened with a smile.
“Fortunately, my daughter married a wonderful man! My son-in-law prepares his own breakfast before going to work, and he even does the laundry and cleans the house. My daughter certainly made a wonderful marriage!”
From an outside perspective, the two situations seem quite similar. Yet the mother’s evaluations are completely different.
Why?
The problem lies in her own heart. She is endlessly generous toward her daughter but extremely critical of her daughter-in-law.
This story reveals how easily our judgments are influenced by personal affection, prejudice, and self-interest.
Therefore, Jesus’ command in verse 37 is not a blanket prohibition against every kind of judgment. Rather, He is teaching us how to approach the faults and weaknesses of others—with humility, mercy, and generosity.
We must also understand verse 38 in this context.
Jesus says:
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.”
Unfortunately, this verse is sometimes misused in prosperity-oriented teaching. It can be presented as though giving a large offering to God were a guaranteed investment that would produce multiplied financial wealth.
But Jesus is not offering a financial formula that guarantees material prosperity in exchange for giving money. His teaching here is closely connected to our attitudes and relationships with others.
When we treat others with generosity, mercy, and compassion, we cultivate relationships in which such generosity and compassion can also be extended to us.
More fundamentally, this passage reminds us of the seriousness of the standard by which we treat others. We must never presume upon God’s mercy while refusing to show mercy to our neighbors.
If we relentlessly expose the faults of others and judge them harshly, we reveal a heart that has forgotten the mercy we ourselves need from God.
Therefore, as disciples of Jesus, we must first clothe ourselves with compassion and generosity.
2. We Must Be Careful About Whom We Follow
Luke 6:39–40
Jesus then gives His disciples a vivid illustration to show them how important it is to follow a spiritually trustworthy teacher and guide.
He asks:
“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?”
Imagine a blind person taking another blind person by the hand and attempting to lead him along a path. They might manage to walk a few steps, but if neither can see the danger ahead, both may eventually fall into a pit.
Jesus uses this picture to describe the danger of following a teacher who cannot discern the truth. When someone who is spiritually blind leads another person who cannot distinguish the truth, both are in danger of going astray.
This illustration teaches us an important truth about the Christian life.
When we accept someone as our teacher or role model and follow that person’s values and way of life, we gradually become like that person. We naturally begin to imitate the speech, attitudes, habits, and worldview of those whom we admire.
Therefore, if we follow someone who is spiritually blind, we may eventually find ourselves heading toward the same pit.
At this point, we must ask ourselves some serious questions.
Dear brothers and sisters, whom do you truly admire and follow?
And where is the person you follow leading you spiritually?
If we constantly surround ourselves with people who criticize and condemn others, and if we continually agree with their attitudes, what will happen to us?
We, too, will become critical people.
If we follow someone who is always searching for the weaknesses and faults of others, we may gradually become people who scan everyone around us for imperfections.
If we follow someone who views everyone with suspicion, our own hearts may become filled with distrust and cynicism.
But what happens when we look to Jesus, our loving Lord, and follow Him?
We learn to treat others with mercy. We learn to forgive those who have wronged us. And as our faith matures, we learn to love even our enemies.
Jesus continues in verse 40:
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
The goal of discipleship is not merely to acquire information about Jesus. It is to become increasingly like Him.
Therefore, we must be careful about whom we follow. Our ultimate teacher and guide is Jesus Christ. His Word must be the standard by which we evaluate every other teacher, leader, and influence in our lives.
3. We Must First Remove the Plank from Our Own Eye
Luke 6:41–42
Jesus continues:
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the plank that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
This illustration teaches us to examine ourselves before attempting to correct someone else.
We often behave in exactly the opposite way.
We quickly notice even the smallest mistake another person makes and eagerly point it out. Yet we remain unaware of our own much greater failures.
When another believer displays even a little pride, we are quick to criticize that person’s arrogance. But we fail to recognize the pride and stubbornness within our own hearts.
When another Christian loses his temper, we might say, “Why can’t that person exercise more patience?”
Yet when we become angry ourselves, we justify our behavior by saying, “My anger is righteous. I have every right to be upset.”
This is precisely the hypocrisy Jesus condemns: attempting to remove a speck from someone else’s eye while refusing to acknowledge the plank in our own.
Therefore, if we truly want to help another person overcome a fault, we must first examine and address our own sins.
Our starting point must always be self-examination and repentance.
However, removing the plank from our own eye should not be understood only as an individual matter. Sometimes, the problem extends beyond our personal sins to the sins and failures of the community to which we belong.
For this reason, God’s people must also recognize and confess the sins of their community as they seek spiritual renewal.
Consider the prophet Daniel.
Daniel lived in exile, sharing in the suffering of God’s people. When he prayed for Israel’s restoration, he did not simply blame previous generations for their sins. Instead, he identified himself with the people and confessed their sins as part of a collective prayer of repentance.
In Daniel 9:5, he prayed:
“We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.”
Notice his words: “We have sinned.”
Daniel did not place himself above the people he was praying for. He approached God in humility, identifying himself with the covenant community and acknowledging its rebellion against God.
After the return from exile, Ezra and Nehemiah likewise humbled themselves before God and prayed over the sins of Israel (Nehemiah 1:4–11; Ezra 9:5–15).
They did not approach the sins of their people with an attitude of superiority. They mourned, confessed, and pleaded for God’s mercy and restoration.
Why was this so important?
The sins of the covenant community had brought devastating consequences, including exile and the loss of the freedom to worship God in their homeland.
The spiritual condition of a community can have consequences for everyone who belongs to it.
Likewise, when there is sin and corruption in our church or society, we may experience the consequences even when we have not personally committed every wrong. For example, if a nation descends into anarchy, or if a government that seizes power through a coup suppresses religious freedom, Christians may find it difficult to worship freely regardless of their individual conduct.
This does not mean that every member of a community bears equal personal guilt for every sin committed by others. Rather, it reminds us that we must not be indifferent to the sins and failures of the communities to which we belong.
This is part of what it means to take seriously Jesus’ command:
“First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
We should also remember that our purpose in removing the speck from a brother’s eye is not simply to eliminate something that irritates us.
We seek to help our brother because we belong together to the holy community of God’s people.
Therefore, we must examine both ourselves and our community, confess our sins, and seek restoration before helping others overcome their faults.
Think about the safety instructions we hear when traveling by airplane.
Before takeoff, flight attendants explain what passengers should do if the oxygen masks drop down during an emergency.
They instruct us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping a child or another passenger.
Why?
Because we must first be able to breathe ourselves before we can effectively help someone who cannot put on a mask independently.
In a similar way, we must first acknowledge our sins, repent before God, and seek His help. Only then can we see clearly and offer meaningful spiritual help to a struggling brother or sister.
When our hearts are humbled and cleansed through repentance, we are better prepared to help others rise again.
4. To Judge Righteously, We Must Examine the Fruit of a Person’s Life
Luke 6:43–45
Finally, Jesus teaches us how to discern the character of a person through the illustration of trees and their fruit.
He says:
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.”
1. The fruit of a tree reveals its nature and identity.
In spring, many trees produce fresh green leaves. Looking only at their leaves, it may be difficult to identify exactly what kind of tree each one is.
But when the season of fruit arrives, the identity of the tree becomes much clearer.
I once purchased some dates that were much larger and more attractive than the familiar jujubes I had seen in the market. They looked somewhat similar, but when I tasted them, I discovered that they were entirely different from Korean jujubes.
I later learned that they were dates, the fruit of the date palm.
The fruit helped me identify the kind of tree from which it came.
In the same way, the fruit of a person’s life reveals something important about that person’s character.
2. A tree is recognized by the fruit it produces.
Jesus says that figs do not grow on thornbushes, nor do grapes grow on brambles.
We cannot expect a thornbush to produce grapes. The nature of a tree is revealed by the fruit it bears.
Likewise, we can learn something about a person’s heart by observing the words and actions that repeatedly emerge from that person’s life.
We cannot see the hidden motives of another person’s heart perfectly. Only God knows the heart completely.
Nevertheless, we can observe a person’s patterns of speech, behavior, and decisions. These patterns provide meaningful evidence of that person’s character.
Jesus declares:
“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Pay attention to the words that regularly come from a person’s mouth.
Observe the choices that person repeatedly makes and the actions that characterize everyday life.
Over time, these things can reveal something about the condition of the heart.
Of course, we must never presume that we can fully understand another person’s motives or condemn someone hastily. Yet refusing to exercise any spiritual discernment, even when a person’s conduct consistently reveals serious problems, is not faithfulness to Jesus’ teaching either.
If we interpret “Judge not” to mean that we must never discern a person’s character by observing the fruit of that person’s life, we would contradict Jesus’ own teaching in the very same passage.
The principle we must remember is this:
Before making a judgment, we must approach others with a generous and merciful heart. Then we must discern carefully by examining the fruit of their lives.
Jesus says:
“Each tree is known by its own fruit.”
And He continues:
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.”
Here we must remember something important: we cannot make ourselves truly good by our own power.
We can bear good spiritual fruit only as we are united to Jesus Christ, the source of all goodness.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you belong to Christ, you have been brought into a living relationship with Him by God’s grace. You are called to live in dependence upon Him and to bear fruit that reflects His character.
The goodness Jesus describes includes moral goodness, but it is not limited to outwardly respectable behavior. It includes the kind of goodness that pleases God and flows from a heart being transformed by His grace.
As we abide in Christ and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, our words, attitudes, and actions should increasingly reflect the character of our Lord.
5. Conclusion: Let Us Grow to Become More Like Christ Through Righteous Judgment
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Through Luke 6:37–45, Jesus has taught us four principles for making righteous judgments.
First, we must approach others with generosity and mercy.
When we see another person’s faults, we should not be quick to criticize or condemn. Instead, we should respond with compassion, remembering the grace that God has shown us.
Second, we must carefully consider whom we follow.
Our ultimate teacher and guide is Jesus Christ. We must not blindly follow those who are spiritually blind and unable to lead us in the truth.
Third, before judging another person, we must examine our own sins and the failures of our community.
We must repent before God and seek His restoration. Only then will we be able to see clearly and help our brothers and sisters overcome their faults.
Fourth, we must discern carefully by examining the fruit of a person’s life.
We must not condemn others hastily or presume to know their hidden motives. At the same time, we must not ignore the consistent patterns of words and actions that reveal a person’s character.
Dear beloved congregation, we have been brought into fellowship with Jesus Christ, the source of all goodness, by God’s grace.
Therefore, we are called to bear good fruit.
May God, by His grace and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, help us to make righteous judgments, practice mercy and truth, and grow more like Jesus Christ each day.
May our words and actions reveal hearts that have been transformed by the gospel.
May we become a community that does not merely point out the faults of others, but humbly repents of our own sins and lovingly helps one another grow in holiness.
May the Lord grant this grace to each one of us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Word, which teaches us how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Forgive us for the times we have judged others harshly while overlooking our own sins. Deliver us from pride, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness.
Give us humble hearts that are willing to examine ourselves and repent before You. Teach us to extend mercy to others as You have shown mercy to us.
Grant us wisdom to distinguish truth from falsehood, good from evil, and faithful teaching from error. Help us to exercise discernment without becoming judgmental, and to correct others with love rather than condemnation.
Guide our church to examine itself honestly, confess its sins, and seek renewal through Your grace.
May we remain united to Jesus Christ and bear good fruit through the work of the Holy Spirit. Transform our hearts, our words, and our actions so that we may reflect the character of our Savior more faithfully each day.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.