Something in My Eye

"Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do." ~ Philip Yancey

 

The person in my office was very annoyed with something that I had said in a recent Sunday morning sermon.  It was a very minor theological difference, but they were very frustrated that I had said it, and were getting a little nasty about it.  Rather than “agreeing to disagree,” they wanted me to retract the statement and issue a public apology.  When I said that I didn’t feel the statement warranted such a reaction, they told me that I was too young, too inexperienced, and too “worldly” to be a pastor. 

 

Years later, I still stand by my original statement, and although the words hurt at the time, I have long since let them go.  I do, however, revisit the conversation from time to time, often when I’m wrestling with how Christians should speak to one another, and the questions of when is it OK to criticize/raise a concern, and what is the manner in which we do it?

 

Jesus had this to say:

 

^“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?   How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?   You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Mt 7:3-5)

 

So, a few things to point out here:

 

1. This is not a passage about ranking sin (“Clearly planks are bigger than specks!”)  The point is that, whatever sin we may see in another is miniscule compared to the responsibility we have of working on our own garbage. 

 

2. Our own sin blinds our vision.  Very rarely, I get a migraine headache, which is always preceded by about 30 minutes of my eyesight starting to “shimmer,” (called an “aura”), where the best way to describe it is that everything kind of goes wavy. 

The point is, when my vision is thus altered, it’s hard to do anything – I can’t read, I can’t drive, I can’t watch TV...everything is too blurry.  I just can’t see clearly.

 

So it is with a “plank” in my eye.  I never feel like I have blind spots, but of course this isn’t the case.  My vision is skewed by my own sin, making my judgment of others never fully accurate.  Jesus warns us about jumping to conclusions about others, because doing so can only be presumptuous for those of us who can’t see clearly.

 

 

3. Clearly, these verses teach us about hypocrisy of focusing on others without focusing on our own faults. (I can say that confidently, on account of Jesus using the words, “You hypocrite!” in there!)  However, as much as it is about “taking the plank out” of one’s own eye, what it’s really about is working on yourself so that you can be a help to others.  Get rid of what’s blinding you, so that you can see clearly to help your friend. 

 

One of the main reasons that programs like AA are so successful is that the people leading are recovering alcoholics themselves.  They have been there, so they have a real perspective on the struggle, and they know how to help.  The person who has practiced self-plank-removal is well-suited to help another clear their eye out. 

 

This also shows us that the only reason I can ever point out a fault in another is if I’m willing to commit myself to helping them get rid of it.  There is absolutely no place in the Kingdom for criticism without commitment to fixing the problem.  In other words: if we want to raise a concern, but aren’t prepared to dedicate ourselves to the solution, we had best keep our mouths shut!

 

As well, the eye is supremely delicate and sensitive.  You can’t just jam your finger into someone’s eye socket and try and dig that speck out.  It takes gentleness, care, planning, and finesse.  In the name of “telling the truth,” some have done incredible damage by the WAY that they have shared it.  We should always speak the truth, but we can’t ever do it in a way that isn’t loving, gentle, and kind. (Gal 5:22-23)

 

We should probably also invest in some kind of safety-goggles....seems like a lot stuff getting stuck in eyeballs is happening around here...