Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? … First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 

(Matthew 7:3–5 NIV)

During a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney turned to a witness and thundered, “Isn’t it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?”  The witness didn’t flinch.  He just stared out the window.

Again, the lawyer barked, “Isn’t it true you accepted five thousand dollars?”  Still no response.

Finally, the judge leaned forward and said, “Sir, please answer the question.”

Startled, the witness replied, “Oh, I thought he was talking to you.”

That sounds like something you might hear on a Sunday morning, doesn’t it?  When a convicting message is preached, our first thought is often, “I hope she’s listening to this” or “I wish so-and-so were here today.”  We nod, we smile, we might even say “Amen” — but we’re directing the truth outward instead of inward.

Jesus saw this tendency in the human heart and spoke directly to it.  In the Sermon on the Mount, he warned against spotting a tiny flaw (a speck) in someone else while ignoring the glaring issue (a plank) in our own lives.

The point isn’t that we should never help others grow — it’s that we can’t help others see clearly unless we’re first willing to see ourselves clearly.  Jesus isn’t asking us to be perfect before helping others, but he is telling us to stop pretending we’ve got it all together while pointing our finger.  Real spiritual maturity begins when we listen as if God is speaking directly to us — because he is.

So, the next time a sermon hits close to home, resist the urge to focus on someone else.  Ask yourself the question, “What if this is what I needed to hear today?”  God’s truth isn’t meant to be used as a weapon against others.  It’s meant to be embraced in our own hearts — to transform us from the inside out.

Prayer: Lord, I confess that it’s easier to point out what’s wrong in others than to face what’s broken in me, but I want to grow.  Help me listen to your Word with an open ear and a soft heart.  Show me what needs to change in me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day