Imagine going to school to learn how to speak a second language, but your teacher didn’t even know how to speak it properly themself. Imagine getting criticized by your language teacher for mispronouncing some words, while if they tried they couldn’t do it either. That would be rather hypocritical, wouldn’t it?
This short example is similar to the passage of scripture in Matthew 7. Verses 1-5 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
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 own eye?
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.”
To “judge” as used in this passage means “to sit in judgment on, or to pass sentence on; to criticize or label another person or thing.”
We are all sinners, and need to repent, but before we can begin to help others we need to take care of any issues in our own lives first. In a different part of the Bible, there is a verse that says something like, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? Similarly, how could someone condemn another person for a fault, while they themselves have their own set of problems to work on?
We need to become our own worst critic. We need to closely examine our own lives and diagnose the areas in which we need to fix. It is only after we correct ourselves that we can “see clearly” to help others.
Romans 2:21-23 “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?”
I can’t say it better than Paul did. Are you going around and telling others not to steal? Then you yourself had better not be stealing. Are you telling others to love their neighbor? Then you need to be doing the same.
It is the prideful nature of man that desires to lift one’s self over others. To feel better, or more important. To have a “holier than thou” kind of attitude. We each have our own set of things to work on, and to lift yourself over others is really just vain. Cast the beam out of your eye first. Overcome your own sins first. Become your own worst critic.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 