Matthew 7:1–6 contains a well known teaching about hypocritical judging. Jesus presents us with a warning about harbouring an overly critical spirit towards others and challenges us to see the hypocrisy of doing so. Rather, we are to learn to see clearly so that we may be a help to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Only once we have learnt to see ourselves clearly will we be able to clearly discern between good and evil. We unpack this section in four steps:

A warning (vv. 1–2)

A challenge (vv. 3–4)

Learning to see clearly (v. 5)

Clearly discerning (v. 6)