There are times when the law acting as a mirror is devastating. Suddenly being faced with the reality of a sin almost always makes us humiliated and ashamed (think Nathan to David, “You are the man!” 2 Sam 12:7). But other times, this same mirror reveals something so absurd and so hypocritical that it is impossible not to laugh.
The nice cool fall weather has officially arrived here in Minnesota, and I was telling my husband last night that when I went out to put chlorine in our pool, the neighbor had the air-conditioning running! I asked, “Why would you need the air-conditioning running when it’s 60 degrees out?” He agreed with me, and we moved on. However, the conversation must have been replaying in his mind this morning because as we were in the kitchen getting breakfast he said, “You know, I was thinking about the irony of what you said about the neighbor’s air-conditioning last night. You said that you noticed it when you went out to put chlorine in the pool. I mean, which is weirder, running your air-conditioning or continuing to put chlorine in an unheated pool when it is not going to get above 70 degrees for the foreseeable future?” When faced with the ridiculousness of my judgment on my neighbor, all I could do was laugh at myself.
I blame my friend, Kyle, however, for my ridiculous behavior. The sole reason for continuing to put chlorine in a pool that should be shut down for the fall and winter season is that he is determined to do a “polar plunge” in our pool, and because of scheduling, we could not find a time to have him and his family over until this Sunday. So I promised him that I would continue to take care of the pool just so that he can jump in it and freeze. See, a perfectly logical explanation! But I am, of course, absolutely certain that those neighbors with their AC running have no logical reason for their unusual lifestyle choices (if I was texting I would insert a facepalm right here).
Jesus warns the disciples about judging. He says, “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?” (Mt 7:3). This has always been a funny image to me. First of all, how does someone have a plank in their eye and pay no attention to it? I would think that this condition would make it difficult to see anything at all! And the idea of worrying about a tiny piece of sawdust in another person’s eye when you are dealing with a problem like a plank is hilarious. Anyone who thinks Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humor needs to read this lesson.
Trying to fix someone else is a dangerous endeavor. And yet we all do it! I was once out with a couple of friends for lunch and we were dipping our pizza crust in ranch (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it). I reached over to wipe off a tiny drip of sauce that had landed on my friend’s arm, accidentally bumping my entire cup of ranch right onto my lap in the process. When I think of trying to fix other people’s tiny imperfections, this is the story that pops in my mind. I am in no shape to judge or fix when I have a plank in my eye or a full cup of ranch on my lap.
I guess it is easier to notice someone else’s imperfections than our own, which is at least one reason why we need that mirror of the law. When we view the law as solely for the purpose of improving behavior, we start to fool ourselves into thinking our planks are not that bad. We start thinking that we may actually be following the law and that others should, too. We self-assess by comparing ourselves to others — and we can always find someone who is doing a little worse than ourselves in some area. But the mirror of the law forces us to face the reality of our own condition. We see that it is that bad, and actually worse than we imagined.
And when we finally see the reality in the mirror, what else is there left to do, but repent? What the mirror shows us can be devastating or it can be hilarious, but it is always revealing. Thank God for the times when we can laugh and repent at the same time.
So, after repentance and forgiveness, what do I do then with this plank in my eye? I could laugh/cry and then go through life trying to live with my blindness. The mirror of the law reveals, but it cannot fix. No tweezers are big enough to remove this giant splinter. Jesus tells one paralyzed man that he is forgiven, and after that he tells the man, “Get up, take your mat and go home” (Mt 9:6). And so I ask the One who has the power to forgive me and to remove the plank. And when he does, my restored eye is so enthralled with its healer that it no longer cares to dwell on the imperfections of others.
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2 responses to “Why We Need the Law”
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Insightful and cleverly written. There is a favorite saying of mine that this brings to mind: “People who drive too slow are idiots and people drive too fast are maniacs.” Wonder where that leaves me? Thanks for you writing brilliance, Juliette.
Good insight here! (Pun intended)