Matthew 7:3-5
Ps Paul Cheng
“…usually misquoted or misapplied by those people who are living in sin…”
~5 min read
We are living in a time when people tend to hate absolutes, especially doctrinal and moral absolutes. They hate those who have strong convictions about right and wrong. In the name of love and unity, they would rather embrace uniformity and ecumenism, which in reality is a wicked compromise. Sometimes they would cite Matthew 7:3-5 (usually misquoted or misapplied by those people who are living in sin), to state that it is wrong to judge.
Nothing is further from the truth. The Bible explicitly commands us to judge. For example, we are to judge between truth and error, righteousness and sin, true and false prophets, holiness and hypocrisy, etc. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). How can we reprove, correct, rebuke, instruct, unless we judge! Jesus is not against judging, but rather unrighteous and hypocritical judgments. He wants us to judge righteously. So, before we judge, we need to understand the difference between hypocritical and righteous judgment.
Hypocritical Judgment
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is 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 own eye?” (Matthew 7:3-4).
Now, a mote is a tiny stalk, twig, or dust, while a beam is a stick, or log. With such a monstrous log in the person’s eye, his vision will not only be impaired but blinded! For such a person to have the idea of lending a helping hand to someone who has a speck in his eye is not only comical but impossible. The word “beholdest” means “to discern, perceive, consider”, and conveys the idea of a serious attentive examination. Here, the focal point is that the sin of the critic is greater than the sin of the person he is judging! When a person only considers the sins of others while overlooking his own sins, he is a hypocrite who is both self-righteous and having a double-standard!
Danger Of Self-Righteousness
The self-righteous person sees himself as more superior than others. He thinks he is qualified to judge, believing that he is godly. He thinks he knows the whole truth, all the facts, circumstances and even motives involved. He is like the scribes and Pharisees who had developed their own standards of spirituality and morality, judging everyone by those self-made standards. We have a clear Scriptural example highlighted by Jesus when He “spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (Luke 18:9-14):
“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Danger Of Double-Standard
The “double-standard” person, in reality, only judges others but not himself. He will turn a “microscopic eye” on another person’s sin while looking at his own sin through “the wrong end of the telescope” – or missing it altogether. He will magnify and amplify the faults of others while minimising or obliterating his own faults.
A classic example is found in the infamous account in David’s life. He had committed adultery with Uriah’s wife. After having discovered that she was pregnant, he sent Uriah into the battlefield to be killed. God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him, whereby he told David a story of a rich man with a huge flock of sheep who lived next door to a poor man. The poor man had only one little ewe lamb that he loved like a daughter. One day, the rich man had some visiting guests, but he did not want to take a lamb out of his own herd to feed them; instead he took the poor man’s only ewe lamb and slaughtered it. David immediately responded with great indignation: “the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold”. Then Nathan pointed his finger at David and pronounced, “Thou art the man!” (cf. 2 Samuel 12:1-12). In effect, he was saying: “David, forget about someone else’s speck, look at the beam in your own eye!”
As can be gathered from the above two Scriptural examples, both the self-righteous and “double-standard” persons are unmerciful, critical, unforgiving, unkind, and totally void of compassion and love.
Righteous Judgment
“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).
Here, Jesus is saying that He wants us to examine and judge ourselves first. Then are we able to discern others’ sins and shortcomings with our clear spiritual eyes, not hampered by our sin. Only then can we help our brothers to restore them to the path of righteousness.
Unquestionably, the procedure for removing a speck from a physical eye is extremely delicate. There is nothing in the human body more sensitive than the eye. The very instant one touches it, it closes up. What is required in clearing an eye is gentleness, carefulness, tenderness and patience. Similarly, in the spiritual realm, how much more should one apply this principle when he deals with the soul, which is most precious and valuable! To have “cast out the beam” means to have dealt with one’s own sin. It speaks of the need to confess, repent, and receive the forgiveness of sin, in line with one’s understanding of the need for God's grace.
Such a one will not judge his brother hypocritically, but will consider him as someone who desperately needs the grace of God, just like himself. With clear spiritual eyes, he will deal with his brother, being conscious of his own frailties and needs. Having experienced the love, grace and mercy of God, he will speak the truth in love and righteousness, coupled with great humility, compassion and patience. Such a person will then be able to help his sinning brother, and “see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye”. May God grant us such clear spiritual eyes in our judging of another.
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