Luke 6:39-42

Parabolic sayings: V. 39. And He spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? V. 40. The disciple is not above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. V. 41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? V. 42. Either, how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

The proverbial saying concerning the blind people that attempt to lead others that are afflicted in the same way is here applied to such as have neither the proper understanding of mercy and goodness nor of their application in their relation toward their neighbor. Whosoever wants to show another person the way and teach him how to walk properly must first have the proper knowledge himself. He that wants to correct the sins and weaknesses of others must have gained, the right knowledge concerning his own sinful condition.

For the disciple is not above his teacher; he cannot learn more than his master knows and practices. He that presumes to teach others should not demand more of them than he himself is able to perform. The master is the pupil's pattern; if the latter has attained to that perfection, he is satisfied. Therefore guard against uncharitable judging and condemning.

He that is always ready with blame, censure, and condemnation is as one that readily sees the mote, the tiny speck of dust, in his brother's eye, and feels the greatest concern for his brother and his brother's welfare until he has removed the insignificant dust, while he himself, during the whole process, has a beam in his own eye, which actually prevents his seeing clearly. A hypocrite, an actor of the worst kind, the Lord calls such a person, since his own infirmity and condition makes him unfit to be a fair judge. The proverbs in use today: Let each one sweep his own stoop first; and, They that live in glass houses must not cast stones, fitly give the sense of the Lord's injunction. Compare Matthew 7, 3.

"Therefore a Christian should train himself differently. When he sees the mote in his neighbor's eye, he should first, before he judges, step to the mirror and examine himself closely. There he will find such great beams that one could make pig-troughs out of them, so that he would be obliged to say: What shall this be? My neighbor grieves me once in a quarter, a half, a whole year; and I have grown so old and have never kept my God's commandments, yea. I transgress them every hour and moment: how can I be such a desperate scoundrel? My sins are all immense oak-trees, and that poor splinter, the dust in my brother's eye, I suffer to excite me more than my great beam? But it must not be; I must first see how I may become rid of my sin; there I shall have so much to do that I may well forget the tiny splinter. For I am disobedient to God, to my government, to my father and mother, to my master, and I continue herein and do not stop sinning; and yet I want to be unmerciful against my neighbor and not overlook a single word? O no: Christians must not act thus" (Luther, 13, 750).