Have you ever heard the phrase “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black”? It is an expression that has its origins in Spanish literature dating back to the 1600s and its used to express the notion that a criticism a person makes of another could be equally applied to them. There is nothing more ridiculous than a person who has been saved by the grace of God, and cleansed from all their past failures and mistakes, walking around pointing out everyone’s faults and criticizing everyone’s weaknesses. There is nothing more hypocritical than a believer in Christ going around pointing out the sins of others while being completely blind to their own sin. Jesus was very clear about His feelings on this matter.
Matthew 7:1-5 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
How many times have we done something so ridiculous or hypocritical? We criticise someone for their blindness in an area of their life that we are just as blind to. We condemn the weaknesses of others while we ignore our own weaknesses. We judge each other’s faults and failures while failing to face our own. Don’t expect God to be gracious to you while you are judgmental to others. Don’t expect God to bless you while you criticise and condemn another brother or sister in Christ. And, don’t expect God to place His favour on your life when you treat other people with such dis-favour!
In Matthew 7, Jesus uses the eye to teach us how to treat each other especially when it comes to addressing such things as faults, failures and sins. The eye is one of the strongest of the five senses, but can be rendered completely useless by the littlest speck of dirt or dust. This is why it so important for us to be cleansed by the Word of God on a daily basis, so we can see clearly and help others see clearly as well. The eye is one of the most sensitive areas of the human body. This is why it is so important that when we are speaking truth to an area in someone’s life, we should use love and tenderness especially when we are revealing areas of failure or wrongdoing.
Have you ever had eye surgery before? The eye surgeon must exercise the greatest sensitivity and care when operating. They will even have instruments available to assist them in this way, so that in their attempt to help or heal the patient they won’t cause further damage to them in the process. Just like the eye surgeon, you should help others in the same way. Always remember to access the instruments available to you from God and from God’s Word. Always remember to help with tender loving care and the constant reminder that you can do more harm than good when you try to help someone with impatience, insensitivity and a judgmental attitude.