Matthew 7:3-4 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ‘Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye: and, behold, a beam is in thine is in thine own eye?’”
If that wasn’t clear enough, Jesus goes on to say: Verse 5 “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
I was thinking about how awkward and heavy a beam would be to carry around in your arms, let alone your EYE! But imagine if when you were younger, you picked up a smaller stick and some how it grew as you grew. Your natural ability to overcome weight and awkwardness of weilding something like that would improve to the point where you would not notice it. I’m thinking of people who have lost a limb and have developed a way to overcome such a handicap. It looks awkward to us, but they have made it to be a natural part of their existence. We, on the outside, would notice at first then we would accept that this is just how this person must function.
What if “the beam” became part of us like that? We have carried it and managed to work with it for so long that the strength to do so had developed along with the grace to live with the unintended appendage. We have grown so used to this beam that we hardly notice it. BUT if someone else came into the room and they have a splinter in their eye, we would notice it right away and offer to help them with the removal of such an item.
Now think about this, how does that other person perceive your “kind” offer to help them? It would be scary for you to approach them with your extra appendage swinging to-and-fro as you magnanimously glide toward them to sweep the speck out of their eye!
First, aren’t eyes very sensitive areas? Who wants someone else to help them with their eyes? You would probably prefer to try to remove the object in question on your own . But when someone comes at you with an obvious obstacle to them, and is offering to help you, you would object and move very fast to a safer place!
Jesus suggests that we go to the mirror and take a long hard look at ourselves before trying to help someone else out with their problems. If you have to go to that person and offer your kind of help, make sure you have some testimony, some words from the Holy Spirit, not just your flesh, before you offer to help them.
Usually God works like this: you do all the work asking God what needs to be removed from your flesh, begging the Holy Spirit to help you remove the beam. And when that has beam has been successfully extricated, others with similar specks and beams will come to you and ask, “How did you get rid of that ugly part of you? I have tried for years to forgive, to love, to have peace, to be faithful, etc. and I have failed every time. Will you help me?” Then you will know that God has beautifully removed your offending awkward part and given you the opportunity to walk someone else through the process of getting before the Father, confessing sin, untying the load that you had been carrying and leaving it at the foot of the cross where it belongs. Then you can bare fruit that brings a sweet savory smell to those around you.
As I write these words, the Father is working in my heart to go back to Him to do some more deep work. He’s calling to me about another beam that has grown unknowingly to me in my eye! He had me go through this whole illustration earlier in meditating on this verse and then immediately afterward I blew up at someone that I love! God is so kind to show us gently the places where the beams are and to lovingly point out how to cast that beam out. Then, I become unencumbered to approach another with love and gentle help.
In verse 5, Jesus says THOU HYPOCRITE! Wow and ouch!
You mean if I don’t do this important work in my own heart, in my own life, I am a hypocrite?! First censor and reprove yourself. To CAST OUT means to cast forth, drive out, expel, to eject, send away. This is surgery! It’s not going to be pretty, but it will help you bear more fruit! It will hurt your ego; it might hurt in other areas too. Remember this thing has been with you for a long time! You are comfortable with it. It has been your companion; it has right to be there. It may have been in your eye for a long season. You decide the time and the place for the surgery. The sooner the better. Don’t be a hypocrite.
Jesus’ questions are craftly sandwiched here between the judgment calls of verse 1-2, and freely, irresponsibly, giving away holy advice to whosoever is in front of you in verse 6.
Jesus wants us to be perfect as his Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew5:48). He asks us to think about what we say and do.
Will you seek to know if you have a beam in your eye? The sooner you do, the quicker the healing happens. Or will you prefer to have your Lord call you a hypocrite? Ouch!
The Good News is in verses 7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Are you willing to do the work of asking, seeking, knocking? The promise is that you will receive, find, and it will be opened to you!
That’s the good news!
Please leave a comment, thank you!
A few months ago, I was praying for myself and I had asked a pastor friend to pray with me about something . He asked me to read a certain passage, and tell him what spoke to me or stood out in the passage. Almost immediately I was convicted of unforgiveness, I think that had been there a long, long time. It was amazing how fast that came.... seemed out of no where. Thanks for the encouragement to look in the mirror. God bless you Monica. <3