Rapper Theology - Matthew 7 and 2Pac

The year was 1996. The Spice Girls had just released their debut single. Everybody Loves Raymond launched its first episode. Motorola introduced a groundbreaking piece of technology that would never become obsolete: the flip phone. What a time to be alive!

Everyone in my circle, however, was bragging about how exceptionally we had handled the transition from diapers. We had our collective eye on upgrading to a booster seat, and a select few of us were able to put on our Velcro shoes without the nagging hands of our progenitors.

The world was our oyster and the sky was the limit - I was three years old and I was getting it done.

At the same time, a very different cohort of people was beginning to consume and repeat the now famous words of Tupac Shakur: “Only God Can Judge Me.” Just seven months before his early death, reflecting on his upbringing and the subsequent worldview that had developed, Tupac penned his own version of one of the most oft quoted Bible verses of modern times: Matthew 7:1.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

It might be that I am a product of my own age, but it would be hard for you to convince me this is not one of the premier quotations of our society. We live in an age where being accused of judgmental-ism, or any flavor of intolerance is akin to denying someone’s personhood.

“Who are you to judge me?”

“How dare you tell me that I am wrong! You don’t know me.”

One of the most popular singers in America released an LGBT anthem in 2018, called “Born This Way.” The explanation is simple: I was born the way I am, and you cannot judge me if you disagree with my lifestyle and personal choices.

The proof is in the pudding.

Forgive me for the suggestion, but could it be that we have gotten ahead of our skis on this one? Might it be possible that we have misunderstood, misapplied, and mistaken the meaning and intent of this passage?

Hear me say this clearly: I am not bullying those outside the church only, I wonder if I personally have missed this as well.

The simplest, broad-brush retort to non-believing, Bible novices might be as foolish as the self-defensive shot that was intended to protect from a perceived fundamentalist attack on their identity.

Maybe all of us bear the guilt of mischaracterizing this famous phrase from the Savior. (And I can feel your discomfort as I point an inquisitive, yet judgmental, finger in your direction!)

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your bother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
                                                                                                                                                   - Matthew 7:1-6

First, let me look into your eyes (metaphorically speaking, I don’t know who you are; or if you are even reading this) and make some assumptions about how you divide this passage. Ready? I will rapid fire:

Being judgmental is bad, so do not judge others. If you judge, then you will be judged. If I am not judging then nobody else can judge me; at least they shouldn’t! (Quick interjection: that’s a judgment, in case you missed it).

God should be the only One that judges, because He knows my heart, and what I really mean. He also knows what I’ve been through and how I got to this point. He made me this way, so why would He judge me? (Your assumption is a judgment).

Judging is very often seriously hypocritical - the people that are the most judgmental are frequently the ones that do not realize their own despicable failures. (One more time: my hypothetical reader, that is a judgment). I would be happy to listen to anyone’s critique that is without fault - if they take out their plank, they are welcome to thumb out my speck (if they can even find one).

I definitely should not say anything critical or conflicting to anyone else, because I am not perfect either. (Psst… another judgment!)

As soon as we know ourselves and our faults we can get to the business of helping others… but gently… and (realistically) maybe someone else can do it instead!

Lastly… Why is this verse about sharing the gospel with non-Christians added into this section?

How did I do? If I didn’t create a degree of discomfort for you, did I, at least, help bolster that caricature that you have of someone else? I think I know the answer.

Although I am certainly a fan of Tupac (am I allowed to say that next to a Bible verse?), let’s be straightforward: a clever rhyme scheme and a discography of impressive work does not negate his bad theology here.

Jesus says “Do not judge…” but He does not mean to suggest you cease making any judgements. (As I write this, I wonder if this makes me incoherent, heretical, or correct.) Jesus neither lied, nor contradicted Himself; we just lack the ability and willingness to read in context!

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Allow me to break your heart and boil your blood: You will judge. You will be judged. There is no if in the matter. You judge the quality of the cup of coffee that you are drinking, and the skill of the person who made it for you. You judge the quality of writing in this article: you judge how often the author has typed the word judge.

Judgement is not only inevitable, it is purposeful. Man is made in the image of a Judge; One who has decided what is right and wrong and has trickled down some degree of clarity to His image-bearers. Murder? Not good. Clean water? Good. Spice girls? Not good.

If you judge, you will be judged. Turns out, you are going to judge, so that means you will be judged.

…Now what?

“If you are going to judge,” Jesus points out, “you had better judge in a certain way…in the correct way” Therefore, you’d better make sure your judgment is:

1…ready to be applied to you
Prepare yourself with sobriety and calculation. When there is one finger pointing at someone else, there are four pointing right back at you (or more likely, three, unless your thumb is out of joint. There is no question about if you will judge, but you’d better make sure that you are prepared to be weighed on the other side of the scale.

I hate being wrong about trivial things. I get embarrassed and frustrated when I think about spelling words incorrectly in the 5th grade, or misusing/pronouncing a word incorrectly. One of the reasons I hate it is because I have a quick trigger to poke fun at others. (I dare you to say “expecially” around me). The chief currency of friendship in my bank account is light-hearted joking, and trapping other in the silly things they say and do is the ATM. But, like a balloon being over-filled with air, there is an exploding point; there is a threshold whereupon people pop. I often live on this tipping point when it comes to my own omniscience.

It was a normal day; there was nothing that would set it apart or hint at my demise. But on the horizon, my wife was about to dismantle me and document it. I cannot recollect whether we were in the middle of a legitimate disagreement, if I was sharing a story about someone else, or (most likely) flirtatiously chiding her about something small. And then it happened. Like the tides of a monsoon breaching the shores of an unexpected village, I made the horrible mistake. Like a fool, I used the word “argue” in the middle of a trite sentence.

She stopped me in my tracks, asking me to repeat the word. “Argue”, I said (pronouncing it as I always had: “ar-you”). Arrogantly I doubled down; she must be the mistaken one! With three decades under my belt, and a host of meaningless debates in my rearview mirror, there was no way I could slip up on something so menial. My bride, the one to whom I had entrusted my entire life, and well-being did the unthinkable: she pulled out her phone, took a video of me and posted it to the internet, completely negating the “g” in the word “argue.”

I lost an argument, while mispronouncing the word that defined what we were doing. I could have choked on the irony. No one has ever had a greater judgment judge their judgment than I had when I mispronounced the word “argue” as I argued so argument-ally.

I was not prepared to have my standard of judgment set upon my own shoulders. The measure of my own judgment was not ready to be applied to myself. Nor was it:

2…self-aware​
Jesus takes His next step in regard to this point. He asks a question — Jesus’ questions are always so spot on. His word picture is absurd: “Why do you try to pull out an almost imperceivably-small speck of sawdust from your friends eye, while you’ve got a the entirety of a log sticking out from your face? How can you say this? Don’t you realize how insane this scenario looks?”

I have come to the conclusion that those who claim the highest degree of self-awareness actually possess the least understanding of how they present themselves to the world. (I get it - that’s another judgment that is staring at me in a mirror). But really, doesn’t it seem like the people who cut you off in traffic tend to don a “Be Kind” or “Jesus Loves You” bumper sticker? Am I the only one who has observed it is frequently the people with the “Tolerate” t-shirt who most-malign organized religion and its adherents?

Isn’t it those who mispronounce words like “argue” that are most ready to jump down your throat for spelling “busyness” like “business”? (Gulp).

Jesus knew what He was. He knew who He was. He knew Who’s He was. It was not His unwillingness to judge that changed lives and struck a chord with those around Him; it was His authority in judging and communicating that struck His hearers. Not only was it is authority, it was the fact that He could point out the truth in someone’s soul, and remain personally faultless.

Jesus did not level judgment to make Himself look better, He made judgments on the world, knowing that He was not hypocritically closing His eyes and throwing darts. He was self-aware of His own nature, and He called His listeners to judge with an awareness of their own nature. Jesus’ call was not “stop judging”, it was, “make certain that you are not using accurate judgment to ignore the fact that you deserve it as well. Humbly attack the things that need to be worked on in you.” (See Paul’s approach in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Judge from a sober position of self-awareness, and make sure you do it:

3…accurately
The word accurate has a couple of definitions. Two perspectives apply here:

First, accuracy is inherently correct; it is factual. You cannot say that up is down and remain accurate, because it is incorrect and fictitious.

Second, accuracy is precise and exact. A pitcher is not accurate if he throws in the correct general direction; he is accurate if he can hit the strike zone time and time again.

Judgment has to be accurate!

Jesus expresses the absolute necessity for our judgment to be correct. If judgment is not rooted in reality, then there is no room for it. If you want to bake cookies you need to add the right ingredients. When you judge (remember… continuously), you are going to make some disgusting and deadly baked goods if you don’t read the ingredients.

Remove the log. Know the truth. Move forward.

Jesus presses the need for precision in our judgment. I have a case of Ommetaphobia, the fear of my eyes being touched or harmed — do me a favor, and don’t even look at my eyes for too long.

Picture this scene again, there are two men that have been woodworking (whether a vocation or a hobby, I do not know). Both of these men have run into a predicament; one of which is an inconvenience, and the other one makes me so uncomfortable that it keeps me from sleeping. A speck of sawdust in one eye (I shutter), and an entire plank of wood in the other’s eye (game over, put me in a casket).

Jesus does not say, “Leave your brother to figure out that there is some sawdust in his eye.” Instead, He is expressing what it will take for the severely debilitated man to be an effectual friend: get that 2x4 out of your retina and then deal carefully with your brother. A wooden stud impaled in one’s head will have obvious repercussions, but an eye polluted by a speck of wood can deteriorate as well. The second eyeball also needs attention, but it will require great specificity and care to help. If the second man is dealt with aggressively, hastily, or inaccurately, more harm will actually be done - he will be jammed with a thumb, an unaddressed plank of wood, or something worse. The man with the speck in his eye still, however, needs help!

Be accurate (both kinds) in your judgment, and then make sure that your judgment is:

4 …applied to the right people
I have a bit of hesitance with the conventional interpretation of this final verse. I have always heard that it boldly states Christians are not to waste the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection on those who don’t want it or can’t handle it. Shake the dust from your feet and find someone who is worth sharing the pearls of salvation with (a la Matthew 10:14).

Could it be that there is not less to this verse, but more? Perhaps there is a link to how we should offer the good news, but what if the point is more local to Jesus’ current conversation rather than a sweeping deviation?

The context is judgment… don’t do it. Or wait… do it, but do it the way that it should be done. What a strange change of direction for Jesus to then pivot to a how-to share the Gospel (or not share the Gospel) with the dogs and the swine. Math was never my strong suit, but doesn’t add up for me.

Picture the image once more with me. You know the details by now: bad woodworkers, one is now uncomfortable, the other one is maimed for life. Now picture two-thirds of these Three Stooges being approached by the third. All he wants to do is help his fellow stooges. Mo, or Curly, or.. Stuart (never watched the show), approaches his brothers, but they will not receive his help. They are either unwilling to have their eyes touched —again, I get it— or they don’t see the necessity. “Maybe there is wood in my eye, but that’s how God made me; at least it’s not as bad as the guy down the street. He has an entire home in his eye.”

Cue the goofy music… The helper, with sound judgment, chases the two former fools around the yard. All he wants to do is help, but his help is unwelcome. He offers comfort; he is in turn poked in his own eye (you remember the move, with the two fingers). He attempts to hold down the guy with the giant log, but he is fought. He tries to blow in the less serious patients eye, the man shoves him away. (Good, that’s emasculating). He offers help again and again, but what is the result? His judgment is unwanted; and although what he offers is best for everyone, the other two men have no interest in receiving it.

Zoom out. If you are reading this, the assumption is that you believe in Jesus and His way of life. You acknowledge that He has the keys to eternal life and His hope is to offer access to the abundant life right now. He has done this in a number of ways, but all of which could fall under the umbrella of some kind of divine judgment. He has offered laws, commands, lessons, and on and on, but most importantly He has offered His own life. He looked, assessed the situation and offered the solution.

Read this clearly…. Most people do not want any of this. However, you and I find it asinine to forcefully baptize unwilling unbelievers like Nacho Libre. There is no way that shoving a person’s head into a bowl of water will change their hearts, so why are we surprised when we throw God’s logic on them and receive critique. And hatred. And attack. Once more, that is bad math.

Jesus does not tell us to cease living with judgment, nor does he tell us to abandon others to figure it out on their own, but He does call us to use judgment in how we judge. The pearls of Godly correction are to be used on those that have agreed to submit themselves under the loving guidance of His Divine Hand. What is sacred is for those who yearn for the sacred. Do not throw pearls to swine.

This means that it should not be our expectation that the school’s teach our kids the 10 Commandments, because they don’t believe them already. It suggests that we should expect to be maligned for our willingness to take a stand on the clear definition of marriage, but we should not expect others to fall in line with our moral judgment. It means that when someone cuts you off on the highway and gives you the middle finger you should not be offended, but use God’s clear judgment to know that this is the world that you live in - then take a second to pray He makes reality clear to them. That they might see the pearls of God’s love and correction in light of the value that they truly possess.

In a sense, “Only God Can Judge Me,” is a very accurate statement. That being said, God’s judgment has decided that we are called to use His judgment to help His children walk more closely with Him. God will be the One that gives the final sentence, but He has placed the discernment for what is right and wrong in the hands of His people. We are to use His judgment as we view ourselves with self-awareness, accuracy, and a loving head on a swivel to help His people do the same. His judgment has made it clear that we are to feast on His judgment and gently feed it to His children.

Here are some questions for you to consider as you self-evaluate your own judgement:

1. Why are you judging?
2. How are you judging?
3. Who are you judging?
4. Who is judging you?

Lastly, consider that Jesus might be referring to you in verse 6 (dogs and swine) if you are the one taking verse 1 (“do not judge”) out of context.