On Specks & Logs // Luke 6:41-42
Luke 6:41-42 (NLT) |“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
Today’s Bible lesson comes from one of Jesus’ most famous teachings on judgement. The world wants to try and convince us that the Jesus follower has no business judging others. That is incomplete. Jesus wants us to be mindful of the things that can cause people to slip up in their faith journey and slip off of the godly path. Jesus’ intent, as we read today, is we must be mindful of (A) our tendency to judge with self righteousness, and (B) to remain mindful of our own blindspots.
Jesus used hyperbole when He talked about specks and logs. We can get caught up in worrying more about the specks in others’ lives while ignoring, overlooking, and justifying the logs in our own. Ouch. Yep, but when I say, ouch, that really comes from the other person who gets smacked in the head by the logs we carry as we try to get close enough to judge their specks.
I recently had to go somewhere I didn’t want to go and do something I didn’t want to do. I prayed to the Lord and asked for help. His answer came to me in the verse I chose for today. I’m glad. What He reminded me is when I am inclined to pass judgment on people with whom I disagree (and fervently at times, too!) I must be mindful of my personal judgmental approach and the blindspots in my own faith life/perspective.
I think that’s what Jesus wants from all of us. May we be obedient and faithful to the Lord’s call. It isn’t that we are to completely ignore the issues in others’ lives, but be mindful of our own before we try to offer correction. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:1, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restorethat person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” This is vital, because the temptation could either be to join in the other’s sin or to judge them self-righteously. Don’t. Trust Jesus and ask for His help so you don’t become something He dislikes or oblivious to your own problems. Remember, humility helps prevent hypocrisy. How about it? Let’s tackle the day, shall we?
