Matthew 7:1-5 TLB
[1]“Don’t criticize, and then you won’t be criticized.
[2] For others will treat you as you treat them.
[3] And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own?
[4] Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own?
[5] Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother.

We’ve all tried at some time to fix someone or something we think needs fixing and felt it was our responsibility to fix them.
We are a nation and society that sets standards for all things for others to follow but do not submit to our set standards.
We express and demand our expectations from people but dance to our tune without conforming to that demand.
We are a generation of “do as I say, not as I do!”
We are so focused on trying to shape people into our standardized mould that we often don’t see the hypocrisy in our action-that we are either worse than the person we’re trying to change, or we fail to see that what we want to change is a reaction from what we expressed.
The metaphor of a log in your eye is an overstatement, of course, it’s impossible to have a physical log in our eyes, then will we see clearly to take the speck out of other peoples’ eyes. Jesus is saying here that only the person who feels grieved and humbled over his sin can help remove the “speck” from others.
“Take the speck off your eyes…we know how discomforting it is when something gets in our eye, even dust, and we know how desperate we get to get it out to see clearly. Unfortunately, this is the state of so many who think they have a sound vision to see those who they believe need to be fixed or changed, without realising that they are the issue.
Fix yourself before you try to fix me! Others!
Who says you or I need fixing?
Who determines what and why we need to be fixed or changed?
Everyone is trying to tell us how to think, speak, dress, act, and look. Work wants you to fit into the set mould. Family and friends try to direct your very existence and the body of Christ (the church) wants to be the one directing you.
Everyone is a critique! If we go with Romans 2:1 and combine it with our text, we’ll notice how judgemental we are as a person and a society. Yes, God wants us to judge, but righteously, rebuking what is wrong and evil that encourages sin and unrighteousness and not from a place of condemnation, self-righteousness, and superiority.
Our judgment of others is very harsh and wounding, it comes from an unkind and hypocritical spirit based on appearance, and external expectations.
We want to fix those who appear broken without fixing the roots. We want them to fit our mould and therefore, make them worthy of our attention and love, when what we should be doing is examine ourselves to know why we want them changed.
I say remove the huge plank in your eyes, to see clearly, before you try to remove the toothpick in someone else’s eyes!
If we are not willing to evaluate ourselves honestly and accurately, we’ll undermine our right to scrutinize the lives of others. Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For, in the same way, you judge others, you will be judged”
It is judgmental however you look at it when we feel fixing people in whatever capacity is what is required for them to associate with us. Check yourself, fix yourself before you fix others!
Shalom