Eye Trouble

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”  Matthew 7:3

Jesus was really good at asking questions; not just rhetorical questions, but thought provoking, hard, and convicting questions that skipped the usual “tiptoeing through the tulips” and went straight to the heart.  The only reliable way of solving an issue, getting to the root of a problem, or arresting a sinful heart is to examine the truth of the matter forcing one to look at his or her own motives.

Why is it so easy to see the sin in others yet ignore our own sin?  Basically it is because we are guilty of the same or similar sin which leads us to recognize the sin in others.  However our pride is like a big, old beam, let’s use the analogy of a 2×4 or, as I heard a preacher say one time, a utility pole, that blinds us to our own faults.  We don’t look deep enough into our own hearts to discover those sins, and mostly because we don’t want to know the truth about ourselves.

We point out other’s sins in order to make us look more righteous, but it really only points out our judgmental attitude, and no one is fooled by it, especially God.  I am reminded of “The Jerry Springer Show” which I am not sure is still broadcast on television.  I never liked to watch it because I don’t like to see people fighting with one another.  I like peace.  I think the reason that those types of programs are so popular is because people look at the extremely dysfunctional guests on the show and then feel good about themselves because they are not like that.  In other words, they think their behavior is much better and more sophisticated that the brawlers.  Unfortunately that’s what we do.  We like to point out someone whom we consider worse that we are.  That is a pretty pathetic way to measure our own behavior.

We are only effective in helping another to see his or her sin so that he or she may find relief from the guilt when our hearts are clean.  Instead of a pointing finger, we need to give a helping hand to lift him or her from the misery of sin and show them a better way.  The best way to measure our own behavior is to look into the mirror of God’s Word.  We might not like what we see, but, unlike those things that we don’t like about our physical appearance, we can change from one who judges to one who rejoices in the truth.