Judge not so that you are not judged. These words from the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ Manifesto of the Kingdom of God are so famous that even non-Christians quote them. They are often used as a standard of judgment against Christians who hold a line of Biblical righteousness to contrast against the standards of this world. But that is not a correct interpretation of what these words mean. Today we look at what Jesus really meant when He told His followers to not judge.

Matthew 7:1-6 (NLT) 1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

What we traditionally refer to as the “Sermon on the Mount” was actually a revolutionary manifesto for a new way of life in the Kingdom of God. In today’s unsettling and polarized age, the teachings of this Kingdom Manifesto are as relevant and vital as ever.

In this multi-part series, JB Shreve and Faithful Considerations takes a deep dive into the Manifesto: Life, Politics, and Reality in the Kingdom of God.