Jesus provided a funny illustration dealing with a serious issue in Matthew 7:1-5. He starts of by saying “judge not” and then gives us a story to illustrate self-righteous judgment.
A man has a twig sticking in his eye. That’s not only a dangerous situation, but would be painful and potentially have serious consequences. But here’s the funny part. Here comes a man that has a 2×6 stuck in his eye. “Come here, let me help you with that problem of yours!” How much good would that man be to the other? How much could that guy with a 2×6 sticking out of his eye really see? Who is in really in immediate danger? They BOTH HAVE PROBLEMS. The point is the self-righteous judge has a more pressing issue, but doesn’t realize it. He has his own house to clean before worrying about everyone else first.
When we judge sinfully, we are blind to our own sin. When we judge others, we are justifying our own actions. When we are always looking at other’s sins, we have lifted ourselves up on a pedestal of holiness, often without realizing it. To always be critical in self-righteous judgment is to look down on other people as if they are somehow much lower than we are, and lifts us up as the standard of righteousness. The self-righteous was looking at the problem of the other man, but why? The man was looking for people’s faults. “Look at him, he is such a bad sinner. I can’t believe they would do that” When you judge self-righteously to tear down, it is usually to build yourself up.
You can spot this sin in your own heart if you look at other’s sin, but ignore your own. If you have taken up the banner of judge of others, but have forgotten your own sin problem. Or, if you have your eyes fixed upon my sin and think that you don’t have any to repent of. The self-righteous judge thinks their sins are mistakes but your sins are REALLY BAD. The self-righteous judge has an excuse for his sins, but wants to point out everyone else’s sins. He wants justice for you and your sins, but mercy for himself.
Jesus calls these people hypocrites because they are acting. They are playing the part of God. They play the part of a holy and pious person. They are playing the part of the eternal holy righteous judge. They play the role a person who “is just concerned about the person”. The man in our story pretends to help the other with the twig. It’s just an act, the point was to judge others and lift himself up. Jesus isn’t forbidding judging, but is saying that we need to remember we are sinners, saved by grace. When we need to correct or call out sin and wrong doing, we need to be both firm, and humble. We need to examine our own heart in the process.
