Thought for the Week by Gus McKay, Parish assistant

HOW good is your eyesight?

I have had to wear glasses since I was about 8 years old – a long time ago now. At first, I hated having to wear them. That was because of my love for football. Wearing glasses was a nuisance especially when heading the ball. The worry was that they would fall off my face and get trampled on. Without my glasses I couldn’t follow the ball or even make out who my team-mates were. I am still very short sighted. The first thing I do in the morning when I wake up is put on my glasses to see where I’m going.

Jesus has something to say about eyesight in Matthew 7:1 – 5. However, as we know, Jesus in not speaking about our vision but judging people, judging people by what we see then pronouncing them guilty before God.

What Jesus is telling us is to examine our own motives and conduct before judging others. The things that bother us in others are often the habits we fail to see in ourselves. Our untamed bad habits and behaviour patterns are the very ones we want to change in others.

All too often we condemn the weaknesses we see in others which we ourselves have but are not willing to address or face up to ourselves.

This then, makes it very easy for us to point out the small speck of sawdust in our brother or sister’s eye while having a great big plank or log sticking out of our own eye, but we are too blind to see it.

It is therefore very intentional that Jesus uses this overstated metaphor to get his message across to the crowd.

What Jesus is doing here is exposing the hypocrisy that exists in all of us when we don’t find it easy to get on with others or don’t agree with others and are therefore always looking for their weaknesses and faults.

Believers in Christ should not possess a critical spirit but be known for their humility, recognising their own shortcomings. Believers should also be known for their helpful spirit and be willing to alleviate the troubles of others by practical help rather than adding to them by carping criticism.

Remember – “God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds.”