Matthew 7:1-5
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was in my late twenties, I got really sick and had to have some major surgery. My surgeon weighed 300 pounds if he weighed an ounce… and he was a chain smoker! Thankfully, he was a really good, well-respected surgeon, and everything turned out well. But I remember him sitting behind his desk one day, cigarette in hand, telling me, “Today’s runners are tomorrow’s arthritics.” I was running somewhere around six miles a day at the time.
While my knees tell me today that he was probably right, the words seemed a little ridiculous at the time as spoken by this man who was anything but the picture of health. And while I have not always been necessarily skinny myself, I find it hard to take medical advice from a physician who is clearly not taking care of himself/herself. Even if we know the advice to stay out of the sun, lose a few pounds, or stop eating so much red meat is sound… it’s a tough pill to swallow, when we hear it from someone who could obviously do better themselves.
To put this in perspective for us, consider telling a teenager not to smoke and drink while you are holding a cigarette in one hand and a cocktail in the other. How much stock do you think a young person would put in advice from adults to work hard and be responsible, pay their bills on time and live within a budget if those same adults are either barely getting by because of careless spending habits… or these folks won’t work and depend on handouts from others for survival?
What does it say to others when we claim to be Christians (which implies that we at least want to be like Jesus), and then we are critical of those who don’t believe as we do and treat people of other races, political leanings and/or lifestyles with open contempt and/or disgust? How can we expect God to bless us with His favor when we blatantly mistreat even one of His children or creations?
We often laugh (if only nervously) at those who are openly critical of us or others while they appear to be oblivious to the fact that they engage in many of the same behaviors or opinions. But it’s really not funny… and it displeases God. In the Contemporary English Version of this passage, Verse 1 says, “God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them.” Let this soak in for a minute. Before you start to criticize, pity, or correct another person, take a good look in the mirror. It may be that you have plenty of work to do at home without dabbling in another’s business!
Ask God to show you how and where to be more compassionate, less cynical and critical… and more patient with others. Call on Him to remove the “speck in your eye”… and to temper your desire to do the same for others. Get your own house in order, and give God room to work in your life. Let Him handle the smudges on the other guy’s face!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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