John 7:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

NIV: Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

NASB: Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.'

CSB: Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

NLT: Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.'

KJV: Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

NKJV: Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

"Judge not" is one of the most over-used clichés in discussions of Christianity (Matthew 7:1). Unfortunately, it's almost always stated out of context. Popular culture gives the impression that Jesus simply said, "Do not judge." In fact, Jesus often made a point of telling others that they should judge, but only "with right judgment," as stated here (Deuteronomy 1:16; Matthew 7:2–5). Jesus' frequent teaching was that we should not be superficial in our assessment of other people. However, it is crucial that we separate what is good from what is evil (Ephesians 5:8–16).

This statement follows a direct challenge to the spiritual authority of Jerusalem's religious leaders. Despite having no formal education, Jesus is confounding his critics. He has accused them of hard-headedness (John 5:39–40), disobedience (John 7:17), and even attempted violence (John 7:19). As a result, as seen in the next few verses, the people of Jerusalem will begin to wonder: is Jesus being allowed to preach because the authorities are powerless, or because they have come to believe Him (John 7:25–26)? That crisis of confidence will spur the Jewish leaders towards drastic measures to silence Christ.

John 7:14–24 is a strong spiritual challenge issued by Jesus against the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus makes the point that obedience is a necessary aspect of learning. The resistance of the scribes and Pharisees is ultimately a matter of rebellion, not knowledge. In the same way, Jesus criticizes their hypocritical attitude towards His miracles. This concludes with a powerful statement about the need to use ''right judgment,'' rather than shallow appearances.

Six months after the feeding of thousands, and the public debate which followed, Jesus plans to attend the Feast of Booths, also called the Festival of Tabernacles. Rather than going publicly, He chooses to arrive privately, and after His family. While teaching and preaching there, Jesus once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. The crowds take note of His profound words, history of miracles, and the inability of the religious leaders to silence Him. This causes the people to openly question their spiritual leaders. This embarrassment is a milestone in the effort to permanently silence Jesus.

John chapter 7 is the beginning of the end of Jesus' public ministry. The feeding of thousands in chapter 6 was the pinnacle of His earthly popularity. That enthusiasm was dampened when Jesus explained the true meaning of His ministry. Here, in chapters 7 and 8, Jesus will confront His critics at a major Jewish festival, using metaphors drawn from ritual celebrations to highlight themes from His preaching. The following chapters include additional miracles and teachings from Jesus, as His eventual crucifixion draws nearer.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.