Saying 26

English

Jesus said, ‘You see the twig in your brother’s eye, but you do not see the beam in your eye. When you throw out the beam from your eye, then you will be able to throw out the twig from your brother’s eye.’

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Interpretation

As in the synoptic gospels, Saying 26 commands the disciple to avoid the hypocrisy of criticizing someone for a lesser fault/sin while the disciple is guilty of one larger. The sequence of Sayings 24–26, if their present order is not mere chance, seem to lay out an ethical foundation for Jesus’ followers: the disciple is to be full of good works which brighten the world (24), which should be guided by love for their comrades (25), rather than condemnation (26). Curiously, the latter two sayings make reference to eyes, a detail lacking in Saying 24, but found in its synoptic parallels.

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Parallels

Matthew

7.3–5 ‘Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.’

Luke

6.41–42 ‘Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,” when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.’