Can the blind lead the blind?

And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."

- Luke 6:39-49

Over the past two readings, Jesus has been preaching what is called the Sermon on the Plain. It began with the Beatitudes, as did the Sermon on the Mount, and we get much of the same teachings that Jesus preached through the three years of His ministry, in many places and many different settings. See Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God and You will be sons of the Most High. In today's reading, Jesus continues this sermon.

And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." My study bible says, "Spoken to the disciples, these words are an exhortation to discernment and imitation of Christ in their training for the apostolic ministry." Surely we, too, fall into this category of disciple: we, too, need our Teacher to train us properly for discernment and wisdom.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye." We get our most immediate training here. We start with ourselves. It's easy to look around and see what is wrong with the world, and to understand where we may think others are going wrong. And we might just be correct about these things -- but until we are capable of looking inward and understanding that it is our own repentance, change and transformation that is asked of us first, then won't really understand or be following our Teacher. And, as He has taught earlier in this sermon, when He preached about judgment, we will not be able to practice good judgment unless we do so. I think it's also important to understand that helping a "brother or sister" to remove the speck from their own eye is an act of help and assistance, not condemnation.

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." And here is the reason why we turn first to work on ourselves, and why this is such a high priority for a Christian life. The whole notion of those who are "pure in heart" (another famous phrase from the Sermon on the Mount) comes into play in this understanding that is conveyed here. Jesus also taught in Matthew's Gospel to "clean the inside of the cup." This sense of purity is one in which we are taught that we are to be consistent, inside to outside. As we are within, so we will be without - hence the emphasis on the "heart" (the center of ourselves as beings) and what our hearts are like.

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." My study bible notes, "Hearing the gospel is not enough, according to Jesus. We must do what He says. Jesus did not preach that faith alone is all God requires for salvation. Spiritual foundations are made secure with both faithful hearing and faithful doing of the words of Christ."

We also recall here that Jesus' greatest and most scathing words of condemnation will come to religious hypocrites, and that the word "hypocrite" (from the Greek) originally means "actor." When we follow His words and turn to the inner reality of the self - and find that "plank in our own eye" before we turn to a brother or sister - then we are laying down the proper foundation for a sound spiritual life. This sense of being "pure in heart" - that is, we have looked after our own hearts, and done the work we need to there - is that which teaches us the humility required for real discipleship. Then we can help one another as well - not condemn. In this sense we build ourselves a strong foundation for spiritual work and spiritual discipleship, within which we can move forward. I think my study bible is right when it notes that we can't really separate the internal from the external -- faith and action -- because this is also, in a very deeply profound way, what Christ Himself is saying here. When we turn to the plank in our own eye, in order to better see the speck in others', then we do the work in ourselves first in order to help others who are also disciples as well. This sense of purity in heart is what makes a good disciple, someone with a good internal foundation, a consistent effort at discipleship, and the ability to follow through in the long run - because discipleship is indeed a very long run, and we will be tested with new challenges throughout our lives. St. Paul likened the challenge of discipleship over the long haul to a "race," and called it "the good fight," when he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). I know no better way than to turn for help in prayer in order to do this, and to seek the kind of guidance that comes from this relationship. We remember the rule of mercy from the past two readings in Jesus' preaching. When we turn in prayer for mercy, we ask for that grace that shows us where we need to change, in order to be better disciples, and the love that teaches us about what is in our own eye - and how to love others who seek the same help when we are prepared to give it. We must be able to see clearly first in order to do so.