What does Matthew 7:2 mean?

Jesus has commanded His followers not to judge (Matthew 7:1), but this statement is not meant to be ripped out of context and misapplied. Here, Christ begins giving some of the context needed to interpret those words. Christians should not take God's place in declaring some people righteous and others unrighteous, when we look only using shallowness or ignorance. They must not be judgmental—implying something unfair or inappropriate—because God has not given them this authority. Those who pass judgment on others for differences of opinion, or doubtful matters, are attempting to take God's place of judgment over His people. Those attitudes motivate people to perform righteous acts in order to be approved by others instead of God.

Jesus now offers a solemn warning. Those who pronounce judgment on others as if they were God will be judged with exactly the same force and to the same degree. Some commentators understand Jesus to be expressing a principle of human nature. Judgmental people always end up being judged by everyone else. Their attempt to hold everyone else to a higher standard provokes the people around them to measure every action they themselves take. Holding others to unreasonable standards leads to charges of hypocrisy. In that sense, this parallels the ideas of forgiveness and mercy (Matthew 6:14–15). Those who unfairly judge others lack understanding of their own limitations.

Other commentators understand Jesus to be warning about judgment from God, Himself: He will judge those who judge others. He will hold judgmental people accountable for attempting to take on His role. He will bring perfect justice by judging those who are wrongly critical with using the same exacting standards they attempted to afflict on others.