“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:24
They bought two very sharp kitchen knives, which came in strong, rigid plastic packaging, designed to ensure their safe transportation from shop to home. Reaching home both husband and wife cut into the plastic packages to “free” the knives they had purchased ready for use, taking care not to touch the blades as they did so. Unfortunately, in their efforts to avoid the knife edge, both of them cut themselves on the plastic surrounding the product itself.
The story reminds us of the humorous analogy which Yeshua used when He rebuked the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees – whom He said strained at a gnat stuck in their throats whilst, at the same time, swallowing a whole camel. This is a great example of how we can be so legalistic in the way we judge and expect far more of others, demanding a much higher level of holiness and righteousness from them, straining not to accept the slightest flaw or failing in their lives. And we do so whilst, at the same time, we forgive and excuse what can often be a much bigger degree of failure and lack of right living in ourselves.
The Scriptures tell us not to judge one another, nor offer to take out a speck of dust from someone else’s eye, whilst we have a beam of wood lodged in our own. In fact, we are warned not to judge lest we ourselves are judged because the level of condemnation we heap upon others will be heaped, in turn, on us. We ought to be as gracious and forgiving towards one another as we would like Yehovah to be towards us. There is a challenge for each of us today.