The Parable of:
“The Eye With A Beam In It”
(Matthew 7:1-5)
Think About The Physical:
Matt.7: 1-3 PARAPHRASE:
1 Judge not, that ye 1. If you judge
be not judged. others you will
be judged.
2 For with what 2. The standard
judgment ye judge, which you use to
ye shall be judged: measure, will
and with what measure become the
ye mete, it shall be standard that you
measured to you again. are measured by.
The punishment
you handout will
become your
punishment.
3 And why beholdest 3. Why do you
thou the mote that is in look at the tiny
thy brother’s eye, but splinter in your
considerest not the brother’s eye and
beam that is in thine yet not think
own eye? about the huge
log in your own
eye
(Continued on next page)
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Think About The Physical:
Matt. 7: 4,5 PARAPHRASE:
4 Or how wilt thou 4. Why do you
say to thy brother, say to your
Let me pull out the brother, Let me
mote out of thine eye; pull out the tiny
and, behold, a beam splinter out of
is in thine own eye? your eye, while
a huge log is in
your own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first 5. You hypocrite,
cast out the beam out first remove the
of thine own eye; and huge log out of
then shalt thou see your own eye and
clearly to cast out then you will see
the mote out of thy brother’s clearly how to
eye. remove the tiny splinter from your brother’s eye!
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Think About The Physical:
Conclusions:
1.The main subject is judging others.
2.Our “eyesight” is not clear. There is something in our eyes. That prevents us from seeing clearly.
3. Because “our eyesight” is so poor, (huge log in our eye) we cannot see clearly to judge anyone else.
4. Our own “eyesight” needs to be improved (remove huge log) before we can help someone else with their “eyesight”.
5. Our “brother” with the tiny splinter in his eye will actually see things clearer than we do if we have a
huge log in our eye!
6. We are not to judge others because we are not capable of seeing things clearly as they really are!!
I Cor. 13:12
12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
7. If we insist on judging others in spite of our “poor eyesight”, then we will be judged and the standard we use for measuring and the punishment we hand out will be the same for us.
8. Since it is physically impossible to have a huge log in our physical eye, the parable must be meant to be understood Spiritually.
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Think About The Spiritual:
Conclusions:
1.The main subject of the parable was “eyesight” and our lack of eyesight being the reason we should not judge others.
2. Since it is physically impossible to have a “huge log” in our physical eye, then the “eyesight” being discussed must be our Spiritual “eyesight” and the “brother” being discussed must be a Spiritual “brother“.
3. (Spiritual)
Eyesight = Spiritual Understanding
Brother = Fellow Believer or Church Member
Matthew 12: 49,50
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
So, Spiritual “eyesight” represents our understanding of Spiritual things and a Spiritual “brother” represents a fellow believer or Church member.
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4. In the parable neither person had “perfect vision” or “clear eyesight”. Thus, the parable is telling us that none of us have perfect understanding of Spiritual things!
5. In the parable the one that thought he had the best eyesight and was trying to improve the eyesight of the other person, in reality had the poorest eyesight himself!
Thus, the parable is telling us that we may think that we have a better Spiritual understanding than someone else when in fact they may understand Spiritual Truth better than we do!
6. In the parable they were both “brothers” so the parable is meant to relate to those who are “Spiritual brothers” or Church members, who are at different stages of their Spiritual growth or at different stages of Spiritual understanding.
7. In the parable both individuals had objects in their “eyes” which prevented them from seeing clearly.
One individual had a “mote” or piece of straw (#2595) in his eye and the other had a “beam” or piece of timber or wood (#1385) in his eye. We need to discover the Spiritual meaning of “straw” and “wood”.
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BIBLE TEXT PARAPHRASE:
I Cor. 3:11-13 Gold, silver, precious
11 For other foundation stones and wood, hay,
can no man lay than stubble represents a
that is laid, which is persons work of
Jesus Christ. building upon the
12 Now if any man foundation that Jesus
build upon this Christ has laid.
foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work
shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be The “fire” will test
revealed by fire; and or try every man’s
the fire shall try every work. Spiritual “fire”
man’s work of what represents God’s Word,
sort it is. the Bible.
(Spiritual)
Fire = The Bible
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Physical “fire” would physically burn up or remove physical straw or physical wood. Similarly, then Spiritual “fire” (the Bible) will remove the Spiritual straw and Spiritual wood that is in a persons Spiritual “eyes”.
Straw = Stubble - (What’s left after cutting the straw)
Exodus 5:11-12
11 Go ye, get ye straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
Stubble
Or = Wicked People or Wickedness
Straw
Malachi 4: 1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
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Wood = Wickedness Or Wicked People
(Not Seeking The Lord)
Psalms 83: 13-16
13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.
Jeremiah 5: 14
14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
So Spiritual “straw” or Spiritual “wood” represents wickedness or sin. Thus, the “objects” in the “eyes” of the individuals in the parable represented the sins or wickedness in the lives of the individuals. As the “objects” of “straw” and “wood” in the “eyes” prevented them from seeing clearly, so wickedness or sin in our life prevents us from clear Spiritual understanding. As the objects of “straw” or “wood” are removed by “fire” so in our lives sin or wickedness is removed as we study the Bible and understand truth more clearly.
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Doctrinal truth (Taught by Jesus in the Parable of
“The Eye With The Beam In It”)
1. No one in the Church has perfect understanding of Spiritual things.
2. The reason that we do not have perfect understanding is because of sin in our life.
3. The greater the amount of sin in a persons life, the less they will be able to understand Spiritual things.
4. As we study the Bible our understanding of Spiritual things is increased, and as we follow its teachings, sin
is removed from our life.
5. Because of sin in our own life we cannot see clearly to judge the sin in another persons life.
(Only someone without sin (Jesus) could judge fairly).
6. If we insist on “judging the sin” in the lives of others, we will be judged by the same standard we use and the same punishment we hand out will become our punishment.
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The Parable of:
The
“Right Hand Cut Off”
( Powerful Leaders must sometimes be
Removed from Church Leadership positions )
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The Parable of:
“The Right Hand Cut Off”
(Matt. 5:30)
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Let’s look at this text “Physically” first:
Our (physical) “right hand” is used to (physically) care for the individual (physical) “members” (feet, arm, etc.) of our whole (physical) “body”.
In the text the “right hand” “offends” the body, instead of taking care of it. The word “offend” we previously learned in the parable of the “right eye plucked out”, means to sin against or cause to sin. Thus the “hand” is doing something (sinning) that causes the “rest of the body” to physically suffer.
For instance a “hand” could be used to hold a bottle of alcohol that would cause the rest of the mind and body to lose control and have a car accident, which could cause (physical) pain or suffering to the whole (physical) body.
Physically it would be better for a person to have their “right hand” (physically) cut off so that they were unable to hold a bottle of alcohol, instead of having a car accident which could kill them and thus effect their whole physical body!
Thus, on the surface the text says literally or physically:
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Paraphrase:
If our “right hand” causes us to sin against (offend) our own body, then it would be better for us to remove our right hand (cut off) than to have our whole body suffer physical pain and die, because of our “right hand”.
Physically, this parable teaches us that what we physically do with our hands will affect our entire or whole physical body. We can take care of our physical body or we can abuse (offend) our physical body.
What we decide to do with our “right hand” will affect our body now and later and will determine if we are cast into hell or receive eternal life.
This agrees with statements that Paul made:
I Cor.6: 19
19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
I Cor. 3: 16,17
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
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Now let’s look at the “Spiritual” meaning of this parable
Matt. 5: 30
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Our (physical) “right hand” is used to (physically) care for the individual (physical) “members” (feet, arm, etc.) of our whole (physical) “body”.
Similarly a (Spiritual) “right hand” is used to (Spiritually) care for the individual (Spiritual) “members” of the whole (Spiritual) body.
In the previous parable about the “right eye” being plucked out, we discovered the (Spiritual) meaning of everything in this new verse except the (Spiritual) meaning of the “right hand”. We will quickly review the results of the previous study and then discover the Spiritual meaning of the “right hand”.
Review:
(Spiritual)
Body = The Church I Cor.12: 27,28
(as a whole) 27 Now ye are the body
(Spiritual) of Christ, and members
Members = Individual in particular.
Persons
(in the Church)
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(Spiritual)
Hand = Work or a Worker
Right hand = Power or a Powerful Worker
Mark 10: 36, 37
36 And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
Thus, (Spiritually) the “right hand” represents a position of “honor and power” or of “greatness” in the Church.
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Since (Spiritually) the “body” and its “members” represents the Church and individual persons in the Church, then the “right hand” would represent an individual in the church who holds a position of “power and honor or even”greatness”.
(Literally), the “right hand” is the hand “able to do the best and most work”
(Spiritually), the “right hand” represents a person in the Church in a position of Power who is capable of doing the most and best work for the Lord.
In the Parable, The “right hand” “offended” and so was to be “cut off”.
Similarly, if a person in a position of great Power and honor “offends”, they are to be “cut off” from the body, or removed from the Church.
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Conclusions:
1.The “right hand” represents a person in the Church who is in a position of Power and great influence over many people.
2.The “body” represents the whole Church.
3.The “member” represents an individual person in the Church.
4.To “offend” means to sin or openly break one of God’s Laws and to cause others to sin by their example.
5.To “cut off” the right hand from the body, means to “remove” a powerful person from their position in the Church.
When Jesus said; “And if thy right hand ‘offend’ thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell”.
He was (Spiritually) saying:
Paraphrase
If a person in a powerful position in the Church openly breaks one of God’s commandments, and causes others to break that commandment, that person should be removed from the Church, otherwise he could cause the entire Church to be lost or “cast into hell”.
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