A humorous Jesus? Catherine Brown encourages us to take the plank out of our own eyes!

Catherine Brown

Our 12 year old daughter came home from school on Tuesday with a typed letter printed on official School headed notepaper, which stated the school, would soon be transferring over to the new system of European metric measurement. It clearly laid out the conversion ratio for centimetres to the new cillimetres system and gave the recommended guidelines for using the European system and the time frame for which it would be phased in to replace the existing system. It being April 1st (April Fool's Day), my daughter merely handed me the letter without any explanation. The fact that it was April 1st had eluded me for the time being!

I read the letter and was quite shocked at this new proposal, which was being suggested for implementation without so much as a word of consultation or explanation with parents. I was in 'mid-rant' in expressing said opinion when the sides of Rebecca's mouth began to quiver and she burst out laughing. She was delighted that Mum had believed the yarn and was caught, "hook, line and sinker!"

There was, of course, no cillimetres to speak off; only silly people like myself who sometimes speak before thinking and ought to take more time to engage brain before exercising mouth! I must admit I am most impressed by the sense of humour the Head Teacher demonstrated, not to mention the elaborate planning involved in the execution of this harmless hoax on the whole school. Well done to such a high ranking practical joker in the echelons of the Scottish Education system!

Tuesday's prank caused me to reflect on how, as modern day disciples, we too are being educated in the ranks of God's army. Just as in secular education, we need a sensible balance in our education of discipline and fun. I believe that discipline and obedience are important aspects of discipleship; I am also a firm advocate that Jesus Himself displays a wonderful sense of humour in His words and lifestyle. I do not think that faith and a sense of fun need to be juxtaposed. For instance, I have never been able to think about the parable of the plank and the speck without smiling. I acknowledge it has a moral but in my humble opinion the moral is couched in potentially wry words!

One day while Jesus was out walking with His disciples He began to speak with them. The Lord's words always have something to teach us and this instance of Christ's 'Divine observations on life is no exception.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:3-5

Some people may read these words of Jesus and be convinced that this is no laughing matter! In truth, they would be quite right on one level: a huge plank of wood sticking out of a small eye ball is really nothing to giggle over. Can you imagine how potentially hazardous and also ridiculous we would all look if we walked around town with a big chunk of wood poking out of our heads? On the "cilli-metre" scale that probably ranks quite high!

But what was Jesus really saying when He dialogued with his disciples about specks and planks of wood? I'm sure the disciples must have laughed out loud at these words of Jesus, particularly when one considers Jesus was a carpenter. He worked with wood, and probably knew his way around planks, shavings and sawdust specks very well! The Lord was certainly trying to put across a point, and His words were not devoid of humour. If one was to be confronted with a person with a huge piece of wood in their eyeball, it would be obvious that person had a problem. Their predicament couldn't be confused as anything other than what it was - a gigantic plank of wood in the eye that needed to be removed.

Consider if the proverbial shoe were placed on the other foot, and YOU were that person with a plank of wood in your eye. You would not be able to see a speck in anyone else's eye let alone point to it. You would rightly desire to find an immediate solution to your most pressing problem.

There is a saying that states "you cannot see the wood for the trees"; what this means is that sometimes we get so close to a situation or person that we don't always see what is important and become concerned with minor details. In spiritual terms we might compare this as being unable to perceive truth because our vision has become impaired - a lot like having a huge chunk of cedar stuck in one eye! When the Lord speaks of the eye in this instance He is referring symbolically to our hearts. When we can't see clearly because of something in our own heart it makes it difficult to properly perceive others in the light that God would want us to. At times like that the only solution is to re-focus our vision and we do that by concentrating on Christ and allowing Him to search our hearts and remove any emotional 'splinters' be they speck-like or gargantuan...

It's all too easy to become "blinkered" in life and lose God's perspective on people and circumstances. Jesus was teaching His disciples not to judge others. The only way we can walk this path of 20-20 Kingdom vision (perfect 'heart sight') is to look at our lives and the lives of others through the lens of God's love. Then and only then, will the little specks in others such as personality traits, hurts, offences, rejections, etc. become covered in Jesus' love and instead of looking through wounded eyes (an eye with a plank lodged in it is definitely in need of healing) then we will be able to see and meet people and situations as God does.

I am certain Jesus was an accomplished wood cutting machinist-cum-joiner-cum-carpenter and knew exactly how to handle all types of wood. Similarly, as our loving Saviour, He also knows exactly how to restore each one of us in the places we have become 'blind' and heal the hurts in us so that we can walk with Him unburdened, love others and laugh at life!