You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the speck out of your brother's eye.
All Commentaries on Matthew 7:5 Go To Matthew 7
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Many do this, if they see a Monk having a superfluous garment, or a plentiful meal, they break out into bitter accusation, though themselves daily seize and devour, and suffer from excess of drinking.
Otherwise; This is spoken to the doctors. For every sin is either a great or asmall sin according to the character of the sinner. If he is a laic, it is small and a mote in comparison of the sin of a priest, which is the beam.
That is, with what face can you charge your brother with sin, when yourself are living in the same or a yet greater sin?.
Otherwise; “How sayest thou to thy brother;” that is, with what purpose? From charity, that you may save your neighbour? Surely not, for you would first save yourself. You desire therefore not to heal others, but by good doctrine to cover bad life, and to gain praise of learning from men, not the reward of edifying from God, and you are a hypocrite; as it follows, “Thou hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thine own eye.”.
And it is to be noted, that whenever He intends to denounce any great sin, He begins with an epithet of reproach, as below, “Thou wicked servant, I forgavethee all that debt;” and so here, “Thou hypocrite, cast out first.” For each one knows better the things of himself than the things of others, and sees more the things that be great, then the things that be lesser, and loves himself more than his neighbour. Therefore He bids him who is chargeable with many sins, not to be a harsh judge of another’s faults, especially if theybe small. Herein not forbidding to arraign and correct; but forbidding to make light of our own sins, and magnify those of others. For it behoves you first diligently to examine how great may be your own sins, and then try those of your neighbour; whence it follows, “and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
