Passage Insight: Speck in the Eye
Watch a video and learn what Jesus means in Matthew 7:3-5 when he says to take the plank out of your own eye before taking the speck out of another’s.
Script
If you think someone is behaving poorly, should you confront them? Jesus offers a vivid parable about how to and how not to judge others.
Imagine you can see a piece of dirt in your friend's eye. Before you sternly point it out to them, take a moment to do some self-evaluation because you might just have a huge beam sticking out of your own eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)
Humans tend to exaggerate the faults of others while minimizing our own failings. So take that impulse to judge others as an opportunity to make sure that you are seeing things clearly. If you refuse to acknowledge or even deal with your own character flaws, you're probably not the best candidate to point out the shortcomings of others.
And this habit of self-examination, it will change how you judge. You'll be less likely to look down on others and more likely to approach them with humility and gentleness, giving people the benefit of the doubt and being transparent with your own faults, that is, you will be able to see clearly.
There is a time to point out the speck in another person's eye. The final line of Jesus' parable is about seeing clearly to help your friend. But the emphasis is not on correcting others. It is on evaluating yourself.
When our character has been shaped by confronting our own failures first, we are more likely to have wisdom to gently help others see clearly.
