Matthew 7:1-6
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Why It Is Puzzling:
Matthew 7:1 is frequently quoted and yet also frequently misunderstood. Especially in recent years where we see the rise of a culture that seeks to avoid accountability and alignment with God’s Holy standards as spelt out in Scripture.
“Judge not, that you be not judged.” At face value, Jesus appears to issue a blanket prohibition against judging others. Some have taken this to mean that Christians must never evaluate, critique, or make any form of moral judgements about people or their behavior. Yet only five verses later, Jesus says: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs…” (v.6)
This immediately raises the question: How can Jesus forbid judging in verse 1, while requiring judgement in verse 6? After all, identifying who counts as “dogs” or “pigs” for sure, will require some form of judgment. If all judging is disallowed, then verse 6 becomes impossible to obey. But if judgment is sometimes necessary, then what exactly is Jesus prohibiting?

Alternative Interpretation:
The key lies in recognizing that Jesus is not condemning all judgment, but a particular kind of judgment. In the verses immediately after v1, Jesus targets hypocritical, self-righteous judgment – the kind that focuses on other people’s faults while ignoring one’s own. His vivid image of a man with a plank in his eye criticizing someone else’s speck exposes judgment that is harsh, arrogant, and blind to one’s own sin. Note that Jesus does not say, “Remove the plank and stop judging forever.” Instead, Jesus says: “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (v.5) The goal is not the elimination of judgment, but the purification of judgment. Verse 6 then shows what righteous judgment looks like. Perceiving someone as a “dog” or “pig” is needful to sift out people who persist in rejecting the truth, are absolutely hostile and are contemptuous towards sacred truth.

Conclusion:
Our Lord Jesus dismantles our human instinct to sit as moral judges over others while excusing ourselves. Self-reflection before judging will ensure we “judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24 – NKJV)