Splinters and Beams

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?  How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,' when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.

Hypocrisy runs rampant in Washington, D.C.   Of course, hypocrisy is not reserved just for our Capitol.  It’s everywhere, so our Bible passage is relevant to everyone and in every place.

It’s human nature to point fingers while ignoring our own guilt and narrow-mindedness.  We need to clean up our own act before criticizing others.  Here’s a story about a minister who wouldn’t be a hypocrite.

The story is told of two brothers who were well known around town for their crooked business dealings and underworld connections. They were as mean and cold-blooded as you could imagine. Eventually, one of the brothers died, and the surviving brother wanted to give his dead brother a funeral fit for a king.

He called the funeral home and made all the arrangements, then he called the town’s minister and made him an offer. He said, “I’ll give you $10,000 to put that new roof on the church if, in eulogizing my brother, you call him a saint.”

The minister agreed. The whole town turned out for the funeral, and the minister began: “The man you see in the coffin was a vile and debauched individual. He was a liar, a thief, a deceiver, a manipulator, a reprobate, and a hedonist. He destroyed the fortunes, careers, and lives of countless people in this city, some of whom are here today. This man did every dirty, rotten thing you can think of. But compared to his brother, he was a saint.”

Deacon David Pierce