Lesson 15 – The Mote and Beam

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” Matthew 7:3.

“Not until you feel that you could sacrifice your own self-dignity, and even lay down your life in order to save an erring brother, have you cast the beam out of your own eye so that you are prepared to help your brother. Then you can approach him and touch his heart. No one has ever been reclaimed from a wrong position by censure and reproach; but many have thus been driven from Christ and led to seal their hearts against conviction. A tender spirit, a gentle, winning deportment, may save the erring and hide a multitude of sins.” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 128.

JUDGING OTHERS

1.What was the fatal result of sin, and what weakness immediately appeared in the first couple? What prevented them from seeing reality?

Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Genesis 3:12. And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Matthew 7:1, 2. Judge not, that ye be not judged. ²For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

“Love, gratitude, loyalty to the Creator, all were overborne by love to Eve. She was a part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation. He did not realize that the same Infinite Power who had from the dust of the earth created him, a living, beautiful form, and had in love given him a companion, could supply her place. He resolved to share her fate; if she must die, he would die with her. After all, he reasoned, might not the words of the wise serpent be true? Eve was before him, as beautiful and apparently as innocent as before this act of disobedience. She expressed greater love for him than before. No sign of death appeared in her, and he decided to brave the consequences. He seized the fruit and quickly ate.”–Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 56.

2.What beams block a person’s vision? List them, and tell why they are so dangerous.

1 John 2:15-17. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

James 4:4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friend- ship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Luke 16:13. No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

“But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man’s physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the race was not left without hope. By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized–this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life.” –Education, p. 15.

3.According to Jesus, what disciple had a beam that made him vulnerable to the great adversary’s attacks? Why is it important to remove a beam that blocks one’s own vision before attempting to remove a speck that seems to be in another person’s eye?

Luke 22:31-34; 6:42. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³²But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. ³³And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. ³⁴And he said, I tell thee, Pe- ter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me…. ^6:42Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thy- self beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

“The revelation of Christ in your own character will have a transforming power upon all with whom you come in contact. Let Christ be daily made manifest in you, and He will reveal through you the creative energy of His word–a gentle, persuasive, yet mighty influence to re-create other souls in the beauty of the Lord our God.” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 128.

RESTORING LIVES

4.What ability did Jesus have so He could redeem the sinful race, and how did He accomplish His mission? To what does He call the repentant sinner?

Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

John 8:3-11. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, ⁴They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. ⁵Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? ⁶This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. ⁷So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. ⁸And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. ⁹And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,

5.What did God give so that His people would have clear spiritual vision to be able to build His church? Who else felt the need for the Saviour to remove beams and motes so that sinners could see?

Exodus 31:18. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

1 John 3:4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

1 Timothy 1:15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

“During the long hours when Saul was shut in with God alone, he recalled many of the passages of Scripture referring to the first advent of Christ. Carefully he traced down the prophecies, with a memory sharpened by the conviction that had taken possession of his mind. As he reflected on the meaning of these prophecies he was astonished at his former blind- ness of understanding and at the blindness of the Jews in general, which had led to the rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. To his enlightened vision all now seemed plain. He knew that his former prejudice and unbelief had clouded his spiritual perception and had prevented him from discerning in Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah of prophecy.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 119.

WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO

6.What mistake should everyone be careful not to make? What questions did Jesus ask in the parable concerning the work that must be done for those around us as well as for ourselves?

Matthew 7:3-5. And why behold- est thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ⁴Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? ⁵Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Luke 18:11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Galatians 6:3-5. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. ⁴But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵For every man shall bear his own burden.

“The Saviour said, ‘Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.’ On what ground do you call Me good? God is the one good. If you recognize Me as such, you must receive Me as His Son and representative.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 390.

7.According to the apostle Paul, what should one do so that he is not a stumbling block to souls who start on the Christian path? What should be done by all who understand and live in the light of Heaven?

Galatians 6:1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thy- self, lest thou also be tempted.

Romans 14:1; 15:1, 3. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations…. ^15:1We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves…. ³For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

“‘We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.’ Romans 15:1. No soul who believes in Christ, though his faith may be weak, and his steps wavering as those of a little child, is to be lightly esteemed. By all that has given us advantage over another, be it education and refinement, nobility of character, Christian training, religious experience, we are in debt to those less favored; and, so far as lies in our power, we are to minister unto them. If we are strong, we are to stay up the hands of the weak.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 440.

For Additional Study

“So the followers of Christ are to shed light into the darkness of the world.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 414.