Context No. 4068 of 4322 · Matthew

Matthew 7:1-5: in context

1“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 4Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Jesus gives a memorable warning against a hypocritical, fault-finding spirit: do not judge, or you too will be judged, for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And he sharpens it with a vivid picture: why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the log in your own?

Jesus is not forbidding all discernment or moral judgment; he is confronting the hypocrisy of eagerly pointing out others' small faults while ignoring our own larger ones. Two things stand out. There is a mirror in how we judge others. The measure we use will be measured to us; the harsh, critical eye we turn on others is the standard by which we ourselves will be judged. And there is an order Jesus insists on: first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's. He does not say never to help a brother with his fault, but that we must deal with our own faults first, and honestly. It is far easier to see and condemn the small failings of others than to face our own larger ones.

Am I quick to spot and condemn the small faults of others while ignoring my own larger ones, or do I heed Jesus and deal honestly with the log in my own eye before I presume to remove the speck from my brother's?

Sources

Matthew 7:1-2: "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged... with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you."
Matthew 7:3: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye?"
Matthew 7:5: "First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye."