What Does Matthew 7:1 Mean?

Jesus commands 'Judge not, that ye be not judged' (Greek: μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε, 'do not judge, so that you may not be judged'). The verb κρίνω means 'judge, condemn, evaluate.' Context clarifies this isn't prohibiting all moral discernment (7:15-20 requires judging false prophets) but condemning hypocritical, harsh, self-righteous condemnation. The passive construction 'be judged' (divine passive) indicates God as judge who will judge us by the standard we apply to others. This establishes reciprocity principle - the measure we use determines the measure applied to us. The command targets censorious judgment that ignores one's own failures.