The Speck and the Plank: Why We Judge Others

It sure is easy see the speck in somebody else’s eye. But the plank in our own? What plank? Why do we do that? “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”Matthew 7:1-5 It’s crazy how we seem to want to divide others into “good people” and “bad people”group while putting ourselves in the good. We want to think we’re good, based on a relative standard. But God doesn’t look at the outward appearance. He looks at something we can’t see, the heart.We’re all capable of doing wonderful things, but if we’re being perfectly honest, our motives remain a mystery even to ourselves...So let’s admit it, we’re biased. We don’t see things clearly all the time. In fact, we can’t objectively see what’s driving us, or anyone else, at all. We can’t pretend we’re good when we don’t even know our own motives. We can be wrong about a lot of things.Where does this leave us? It sounds like we can’t definitively say where anyone else stands with God. It sounds like we can no longer confidently divide the world into the Good People versus the Bad People. And sure enough, it sounds like the proper response to God is exactly what Jesus was saying it should be, exactly like what the tax collector cried out in Jesus’ story, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”I’ve for sure got some areas I need to work on, do you?Be Nice Grace Wins,