Specks and Planks.

It's happened to all of us. There you are, in the middle of a conversation with someone. You say something, and the person you are talking to corrects you. You said "is" and you should have said "are." The grammar Nazi. And you sit there and think, who is this person to correct my grammar? Her grammar isn't perfect either. And if you're like me, you might even remember some vivid examples where this exact person said something improper, and you wanted to point it out, but didn't. You resisted, because you know you're not perfect either. And now you want to point it out. But then you would be that annoying person who constantly drags up the past. It's so annoying! I mean, don't correct my grammar when I know for a fact yours isn't perfect, either.

I was reading in Luke 6 last night. What I want to point out is not necessarily some grand insight. But something stuck out to me that I'm not sure I had ever noticed before.

Pharisees were often doing "righteous" things, just to be seen by men. They were obsessed with law keeping, and pointing it out when anyone broke the law. They were all about the check-list, while not always having the heart to go with it.

In Luke 6, beginning in verse 6, it is the Sabbath day. And Jesus comes to the synagogue to teach. There was a man there, who had a withered hand. Verse 7 says, "And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him."

This jumps out at me because it is a clear description of the attitude these scribes and Pharisees had. It wasn't just that they noticed when someone broke a law. It was that they were walking around looking for people to break it, just so they would have a reason to point a finger! What a terrible way to be!

Jesus, speaking in his Sermon on the Mount, says "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the plank that is in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:35) These Pharisees were walking around trying to find specks in other people's eyes. But they sure had an ugly plank in their own eyes!

We need to constantly be evaluating ourselves to see if we have any planks we need to get rid of. It's so easy to become judgmental and to be just like these scribes and Pharisees. Especially when it's in an area that we are experts in. We feel we know all there is to know about it, and we look for others to make mistakes so we can point it out to them. But there are plenty of mistakes we ourselves are making.

James warns us against judging our brothers as well. "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:11-12)

If you are constantly judging others, you may want to question if you are really practicing Christianity or not. You may very well be a "judge of the law, but not a doer of the law."

This stuff about judging your brother or sister is serious business.

I am challenging myself, and readers. Next time you start to judge your brother or point out their wrongs, stop yourself. Stop yourself, and immediately do a self-evaluation. Evaluate your own heart and your own mind. After all, only when you are perfect should you throw the first stone.