Luke 6:39-42

Luke 6:39-42 He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

We are made in the image of God. We are made to commune with him, to see things as He sees them. The questions is then, what does God see? That is an important question for all Christians: WHAT DOES HE SEE? When sin entered the world, man's view of things changed. He began accusing and questioning others around him, just as Satan had: Did God really say? After man left the Garden, the ultimate consequences of sin entered the picture: Abel murdered Cain because of a disputation over offerings to God. The darkness of sin occluded man's ability to see clearly. Yet even in his blindness or in the dimness of his vision (a plank in his own eye), wayward man arrogantly attempts to help others to see clearly by judging, condemning, and criticizing them.

However, the Bible says the fear, the respect, the honoring of God is the beginning of knowledge or seeing clearly. We must believe there is a God and that we are accountable to him if we are going to see clearly. If we don't believe there is a God who rewards those who seek him, and if He is not intricately involved with our lives, we are like a blind person who constructs the world in his own image. He tends to make a world that FEELS GOOD to his flesh. Lust, murder, thievery, brutality, self-centeredness, harshness, lying, and every kind of evil thrive in that kind of world. God's world is lost in his blindness. This is a dark world that loses God's light.

If we don't give mercy, compassion, and grace to people, we probably have a log in our own eyes. The Bible indicates God delays judgment because of his great love. Do we delay our judgment, our criticism, our condemnation or are we quick to give our opinions about everything to everyone? Are we the all-knowing judge? We must always question ourselves about whether we see the world through God's eyes or our own fleshly eyes. Are we willing to be a servants of God, allowing his grace and mercy to flow through us? Is God on the throne or are we on the throne? If we are truly his servants, viewing the world as He views the world, we will be lights in the world and salt of restoration to people, bringing peace, love, and grace to them.

The Bible says if we don't see ourselves as we really are, we are hypocrites, phonies, actors on life's stage. We need to know that most of the time we don't see clearly. We always need to ask God to remove the planks in our eyes before we say anything that is critical. If we actually do see clearly, we will notice more mercy, more grace, more love exuding from our lives. We will be less on the throne and more at Jesus' feet. Our spirits will grow sweeter, more accepting, rather than bitter, more condemning. WHAT DOES GOD SEE? Let that question always be on our minds before we make any judgment about others and their actions. As John wrote, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)