“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
The full verse · Luke 6:41 · KJV
beholdest the that is , the that is thine ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching His disciples on a level place with a great multitude gathered to hear Him (Luke 6:17, 20)
Asked to
Disciples: "the company of his disciples" (Luke 6:17), a wider group than the twelve He had "named apostles" (Luke 6:13), on whom He "lifted up his eyes" as He taught (Luke 6:20); He also addressed "you which hear" (Luke 6:27).; Crowd: "a great multitude of people" who came to hear Him, in whose audience He spoke these sayings (Luke 6:17; 7:1)
The Scene
Continuing the Sermon on the Plain, after "Judge not" and the warning about the blind leading the blind, Jesus turns to the way people look at one another (Luke 6:37, 39).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis question exposes a habit: noticing a small fault in someone else while missing a larger one in yourself. By asking "why," Jesus makes His hearers look at their own hearts instead of their brother's. Barnes puts it simply: "we are much more quick and acute to judge of small offences in others, than of much larger offences in ourselves." Gill describes such people as sharp critics of others, "and yet are blind to their own iniquities." It follows directly on the saying about the blind leading the blind (Luke 6:39), and Jesus goes on to say that only with the beam gone "shalt thou see clearly" (Luke 6:42).
The Response
What Scripture recordsNo reply is recorded. Jesus presses the point with a second question about offering to pull out the mote (Luke 6:42). Then He gives the answer Himself: "Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye" (Luke 6:42).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe "mote" is the Greek karphos, which Thayer defines as "a dry stalk or twig, a straw; chaff." Barnes says a mote "signifies any light substance, as dry chaff, or fine spires of grass or grain." The "beam" (dokos) is, in Barnes' words, "a large piece of squared timber." The picture is deliberately extreme: a speck of straw against a roof beam.
Two different verbs are used. "Beholdest" is blepō, to look at or see. "Perceivest" is katanoeō, to take note of or consider carefully. The person sees the speck easily but never stops to consider the beam. Matthew's parallel uses "considerest" (Matthew 7:3).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJust before this, Jesus said, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36). Harsh, nearsighted judging is the opposite of the Father's mercy. Matthew Henry writes, "Those with a very ill grace censure the faults of others who are not aware of their own faults."
Yet Jesus does not tell His hearers to stop caring about a brother's eye. He promises that once the beam is gone, "then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote" (Luke 6:42). The goal is a brother helped, not a brother condemned.
Look Closer
What two things does Jesus contrast in Luke 6:41?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, what beam in my own eye have I not been able to see, and how do You want me to deal with it before I speak to my brother?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Why do you think it is easier to notice a fault in someone else than in yourself?
- Tell about a time someone corrected you gently after being honest about their own faults. How did that affect you?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When someone else's fault catches your eye, let it be a signal to look inward first. Ask what you have not been considering in your own life.
This doesn't mean ignoring sin in others or pretending not to see. Jesus expects the cleared eye to help: "then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote" (Luke 6:42). The order matters, and so does the spirit. Be merciful, "as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36). Scripture's own application: Romans 14:10
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
“Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
“Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”