Bible Studies
It is a strange world we live in. A world where Christian believers and non believers alike site Bible verses to make their points and make their arguments to support their viewpoints. Strange, strange, strange indeed. I have no problem with Bible verses being tossed or flung in my direction. In fact I quite welcome it. There are no more powerful thoughts and/or ideas on this earth than the Word of God.
One verse that quite often gets flung at me, I've noticed is Luke 6:42 (or the similar verse in Matthew 7:5).
Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
Luke 6:41-42 NASB
http://bible.com/100/luk.6.41-42.NASB
This made me look more seriously at this verse. God's Word is SO Amazing!
When one looks at any verse in the Bible, what a person should do is look at what exactly a verse is saying, and what it is exactly that a verse is NOT saying. Also what helps to give the verse a more rightly applied context, is to look at the verse immediately before, and the verse immediately after the inspected verse. In ALL of these instances of analysis , it becomes a great bit of pure enlightenment.
Firstly, what is this particular verse NOT saying? It is NOT saying : " Since you will NEVER be able to remove a plank or a log from your own eye, you will NEVER be able to remove a speck, or sawdust,or mote out of your brother's eye". Yet, this exact "helplessly ignorant" idea seems what most people are trying to say when they site this verse.
The verse DOES say "first remove the plank or log from your own eye , and then you can remove the sawdust, or speck, or mote out of your brother's eye.". This verse comes directly after Jesus spoke of a student/ teacher (teaching not to be blind in this instance) relationship, which would then further support the " process" that Jesus spoke of :.
And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher."
Luke 6:39-40 NASB
But God's Word becomes even more incredible when you break down what Jesus says even further. Why did Jesus use the terms " plank"?, and some smaller part of a plank?, " a speck", or what is often thought of or called "sawdust". I suppose he could have used other illustrative things, like "Boulder and sand", or "a tree and a branch", or even "an elephant and an ant". The possibilities are endless. But He chose "plank and sawdust".
Why did Jesus use the exact language that He did?
Looking further into these ideas, what exactly is a plank and what does it mean to have this said "plank in one's eye"? The KJV uses the word 'beam.".
What exactly does a beam do?
Well it is said to be a structure that holds up or supports something. So, in this light what is it that a plank is holding up in relation to our eyes?, and why is it so important for us to to, as Jesus says
"cast it out" ? It is interesting that the KJV uses the phrase "cast out". This phrase is quite often used in the Bible in relation to Satan (Lucifer), or the evil one AND for sin and evil. In this light it seems obvious that this plank is speaking of our perception of things that are blinding our eyes and our understanding .Perhaps blocking our perception of how evil, evil can truly be.
And then, what happens as a supporting plank that is blinding our eyes becomes destroyed? Might it result in some sawdust in our eyes? Quite interesting conjecture I think.
This also follows very strongly with the "process" of teaching, or leading the blind "student" concept of the preceding verse. Or, it could be said that a blind student, that is so enticed or taught to remove the blinding plank from his own eye, now has the cleared vision to become the teacher to entice another to remove the blinding plank from THEIR own eye.
It could be, and probably is true that this "plank in our eye" relates to an infinite number of things in regards to our perceptions and our vision and understanding of things. And I am quite sure that I still have many planks in my eye in regards to many different things.
But, when I say that I have THIS particular plank removed from my eye, in regards to our foundational understanding of "Who Lucifer is, and what exactly he is up to, brought forth by my being a student of others who taught me these things. ( Or helped me to remove the plank from my own eye) I think I stand on a strong Biblical foundation.
Notice too that the teacher can't remove the plank from your eye, only YOU can do this. But once you do, then the teacher's cleared up vision can be used to clear up your vision so you can go on to clear up another's vision (Teach).
I might even say that THIS kind of "plank free vision " ( discerning good from evil) may have ultimately been Jesus' most pressing reason for the use of this language, because looking at the very next verse that Jesus very strongly connected ( through the strong connecting word "for") to this "vision" concept He immediately says:
For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Luke 6:43-45 KJV
Now, this all begs the question:
Who exactly might be a hypocrite? (Besides the hypocrisy of a non believer quoting scripture) when a non believer brings forth Bible scripture, with a plank in their own eye ( a blinding foundation of their perceptions, of good and evil), to a partially seing brother with only the sawdust or speck in his eye.
Again, God confirms to me, in another most astounding way how truly powerful and applicable His Word always is!!
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God bless you brother!
Karl