Go Away from Me!

During the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Luke, Jesus tells the parable about the man who tries to remove the speck from his brother's eye. All the while, this man has a LOG sticking out of his own eye. The strange thing is, this man doesn't even realize that he has a log in his eye. All he can see is the speck in his brother's eye. I think Jesus' point here is that, to us, our sin must seem larger than our neighbor's sin.  We have to see it for how offensive it truly is.

"Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." This quote comes to us from Peter in Luke 5.  Jesus has just commanded the fisherman to go back out and fish again, even though Peter was exhausted.  He had fished all night long and had caught nothing.  But Peter obeyed Jesus and went back out in the deep water.  He pulled in so many fish that they had to call over another boat.  In the end, both boats were so full of fish that they almost sank.  When Peter realized what had happened, he fell on his face and gave the above quote.  He is confronted with the power and holiness of God in the person of Jesus.  As many others before, when confronted with the holiness of God, he realizes his own sinfulness.  He is unable to hide his sin from himself any longer.  

In the passage that follows, we are told that Jesus ate and hung out with tax collectors and sinners.  The pharisees are offended at Jesus' behavior.  Jesus tells the pharisees that "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but the sick." He hung out with those who knew they were sinners and longed to be forgiven.

Jesus later rebukes those around him.  "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?  Jesus is preaching truth to all around him.  Yet he says that most of those listening do not hear what he is saying.  They have no ears to hear.  They have a log sticking out of their own eye and do not even see it.  They are self-righteous and "well" and have no need of a doctor.  They cannot and will not repent of their sin, because they do not see their sin.

The Pharisees will not, like Peter, recognize that Jesus is God in the flesh.  They will not recognize his holiness and therefore recognize their own sinfulness. "They loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

He later tells another Simon, the Pharisee, that he who has been forgiven much loves much.  When we begin to understand the depth of our own sin - and accept the forgiveness that God extends - then we will love God all the more for his grace.  

We must recognize that God is Holy.  In light of that, we can truly recognize our own sinfulness (our own LOG).  It is Jesus' longing for each of us that we will understand the depths of our own sin, repent of it, and then live in obedience to God.  Jesus says that, when we do this, we will be firm on the Rock.

It is my prayer today that we will recognize both the Holiness of God and our own sinfulness so that we can receive the grace of God.