OCTOBER 20, 2026 – SPLINTER AND BEAM

READ: Luke 6:37-42: Judge not … Give, and it will be given to you … First remove the beam from your own eye …

The Lord Jesus continues His teaching to His disciples and to all who are willing to receive Him. Do not judge another person if you have not been appointed to do so. Jesus does not forbid the administration of justice or church discipline here. He is speaking about our relationships with one another.

Obviously, you may, and indeed must, form an opinion about another person (cf., among others, Phil. 3:2; 1 Thess. 2:15; 1 Jn. 4:1; 2 Jn. 10), but this does not give you the right to write him or her off. When you refrain from condemning another, you show that you yourself are humble and leave judgment to the Lord (Rom. 14:10-13; Jas. 4:11,12).

‘Release, and you will be released’ (v.37). This means: forgive another, and you yourself will be forgiven. This concerns the forgiveness of guilt. In this way you show that you have understood that God is a gracious God who also forgives your own guilt. See the Lord’s Prayer.

In Matt. 6:14 Jesus says in connection with that prayer: ‘For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ If you give generously, the Lord God takes notice of it and will reward this in His own time and in His own way (cf. Rom. 12:8; 2 Cor. 9:6,7).

This teaching of the Lord is so different from that of the scribes. The parable of the blind man leading another blind man points to this. How can scribes who do not understand God’s Word when it comes to God’s grace, the necessity of atonement, and living out of gratitude, teach another person? This leads to the downfall of both..

If you now follow Christ and learn true wisdom from Him, you will, just as He did, undergo hardships. Yet His suffering is incomparably greater (v.40; cf. Matt. 10:22-26; Jn. 15:20). The required humility must become evident in the way you deal with the shortcomings of your neighbor (the splinter). Remember that you yourself are far from perfect (the beam).

This certainly applies to hypocrites and scribes, but also to every believer: let each person examine himself first before he begins lecturing another.

Must you forgive the other person without acknowledgment?

Sing: Ps. 37:3