There is Something in Your Eye

Passage: Matthew 7:1-6

If you've ever had something stuck in your eye, you know how much pain it can cause and often we can't even see the speck of sand or dirt that is causing it. Sin is like that. The seemingly smallest of transgressions can have immensely painful consequences for us and others around us. However, Jesus uses the analogy of something stuck in our eye to point out how easy we are at seeing the tiniest speck of sins or faults in the life of others, while we ignore the huge planks of sin in our own life. As we turn our attention this week back to Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, he addresses the ease with which we can judge others for the smallest of sins, while letting ourselves off the hook in terms of the sin in our own life. And yet, his command not to judge others is often misinterpreted as a blanket tolerance for any behavior and a way to deter Christians from being discerning or making any judgment about sin. Once again, Jesus challenges us to go deeper than just outward behavior and consider the attitudes and actions of the heart as we confront sin, first in our own lives and also in the life of others. Join us Sunday as Jesus reminds us and helps us deal with the fact that there is something in our own eye that needs attention.