What Do You See? A Log or a Seed?

“Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:4-5 NASB

Whenever a person or group feels called by God to take a righteous stand on an issue, there is a danger that those supporting that “unrighteous” issue are attacked with as much venom as the issue itself. This often leads to tragic outcomes. The news media loves spotlighting religious groups linking the “sinner with the sin,” panning news cameras over crowds of protestors waving banners reading “God hates so and so” or “You’ll burn in hell for this and that action.” More often than not, the offended party and even the sympathetic news media become immediate Bible scholars, quoting the passage from Matthew above. This verse has become the “golden rule” for tolerance and religious/ideological pluralism. It has left the “indignant righteous” looking bigoted and unloving, and those supporting the “unrighteous” issue on the side of a sympathetic and tolerant Christ.

But sometimes a verse appears to have such obvious intention we fail to search it for deeper meaning. But God, the Writer of the “living and active” Bible, doesn’t use words randomly or arbitrarily. Unlike us, who often stumble for the right words to say, every word God placed in the Bible, no matter how small, insignificant and obvious it may appear, has monumental meaning and purpose. In this supposedly “tolerant” passage we are presented with two contrasting objects: one small (the speck) and the other large (the log). Why do you suppose, with all the possible choices in existence to represent something large, God chose a log as his metaphor for this passage?

Unlike a boulder or other large inanimate object that just “is” large, a log is organic. It starts from something small: and that something is a seed. Slowly over time and with the right amount of watering that seed grows and germinates, sprouting into a solid and permanent tree. Eventually that tree would be cut down and the final result of an initial seed would be the log. In the same way, like the log, the person we are at any moment is the culmination of that historical germination process in our own lives. Sometimes we carry a log of our own making. Other times, through tragic circumstances our log has been made for us.

But every log started as a seed. Jesus is not saying that there is no perceived speck in your brother’s eye – instead, each and every one of us has a log in our eyes. When Jesus looked at someone, he gazed on the tragedy of the seed that had been planted somewhere in their historical lives. We most often look at the log of the immediate moment. Let me give you an example. Recently, a man showed up at a revival service at our church outfitted in a flower patterned summer dress. His presence caused quite a large commotion and the next day it was the predominant topic of conversation. Unconsciously or not, we had labeled the man by his log. It was only later that I found out that this young man had been sexually abused since the age of two. That was the beginning of a seed.

If we see people through their “logs” we can easily become bigoted, unloving and exclusionary. But if we see people’s “seeds” we are compelled to be compassionate, caring, and embracing. It is important that we understand that no ideology, political affiliation or even lifestyle choice defines a person’s identity – merely his or her actions. Many of these actions confuse and harm the individual, the society, and our future generations. But because we have labeled people by their logs, those we criticize rarely see the damage of their seeds. A log mentality turns man against man. Worse, to label someone by their log is to claim their annexation from being made in “God’s image.” We must remember thankfully, Jesus didn’t see us for the log that we were.

But with a seed mentality, our righteous anger turns against both the seed, and the seed planter, the true Enemy of mankind, his schemes and his “powers.” It is his deception and his tools that we must fight valiantly against. And we expose the planter by exposing seeds. Not by attacking logs. But having a seed mentality doesn’t excuse our own logs either. Notice what Jesus says: “first take the log out of your own eye.” We are all commanded through the power of the Holy Spirit, to remove our own logs. And we must, for we will never in love see the seeds the enemy has planted, until we know the joy and freedom of the removal of our own logs.