It was just a speck, a tiny foreign object flying through the air on a
windy day while I was cutting the grass. Somehow that speck made its way into
my left eye.
For the next few hours that little speck caused quite a bit of
irritation. I tried washing it out. My friend, a nurse, tried everything she
could think of. Finally, we went to a Med Center, where the medical personnel
on duty couldn’t get it out either. Only after applying some ointment and
waiting several more annoying hours did I get relief from the speck.
This tiny, nagging irritant made me think anew about Jesus’ teaching in
Matthew 7 about criticizing others. My first thought was to be impressed with the
practicality of Jesus’ illustration. Using the effective literary tool of
hyperbole, or exaggeration, He explained for His listeners how foolish it is
for a person to criticize someone without seeing that he or she is also guilty
of error. If you can find someone else’s little speck while ignoring the hunk
of wood in your own eye, something’s wrong. It should be unthinkable to ignore
our own faults while pointing out someone else’s.
An attitude of self-righteousness has no place in the Christian life. That
should be plain to see.
Inspect your own life before you look for specks in others. (RBC)
