Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 7:3-5

"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 cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother`s eye." — Matthew 7:3-5 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Lord, having admonished us about hasty and unjust judgment, then addresses those most prone to it. These are people who judge uncertain matters and who prefer to speak evil and condemn rather than to heal and correct—a fault that springs from either pride or jealousy. He therefore adds, Why do you see the mote in your brother’s eye, and not see the beam in your own eye?¹

St. Jerome: He is speaking of those who, though guilty of mortal sin themselves, do not forgive a trivial fault in their brother.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For example, perhaps someone has sinned in anger, and you correct him with settled hatred. The difference between anger and hatred is as great as the difference between a beam and a mote, for hatred is anger that has become ingrained. If you are angry with a man, you may want him to amend; this is not so if you hate him.

St. John Chrysostom: Many people do this. If they see a monk with an extra garment or a plentiful meal, they break out into bitter accusation, even though they themselves daily seize, devour, and suffer from excessive drinking.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, this is spoken to the teachers of the Church. For every sin is either great or small according to the character of the sinner. If the sinner is a layperson, the sin is small—a mote—in comparison to the sin of a priest, which is the beam.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, the beam represents the sin against the Holy Spirit. This sin is to deny God His effective power and to deny Christ His eternal substance—for it is through Christ that God came to man, and so also through Him that man shall come to God. Therefore, just as the beam is much greater than the mote, so the sin against the Holy Spirit is much greater than all other sins. This is like when unbelievers criticize others for carnal sins while hiding within themselves the burden of this ultimate sin: namely, that they do not trust the promises of God, their minds being blinded as if by a beam in their eye.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: In other words, how can you have the audacity to charge your brother with sin when you yourself are living in the same or an even greater sin?

St. Augustine of Hippo: When we find it necessary to find fault with anyone, we should first consider several things. First, is it a sin we have never committed? Second, we must remember that we are still human and could fall into it. Third, if it is a sin we once had but are now free from, let our common frailty come to mind, so that pity, not hatred, precedes our correction.²

If we find ourselves guilty of the same fault, we should not reprove the offender, but groan with him and invite him to struggle alongside us. Reproof should be used seldom and only in cases of great necessity, and even then, only so that the Lord may be served, not ourselves.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, consider the words, How can you say to your brother... That is, for what purpose do you say it? Is it from charity, so that you might save your neighbor? Surely not, for you would save yourself first. Therefore, you do not desire to heal others, but to cover up a wicked life with good doctrine and to gain the praise of men for your learning, not the reward from God for building others up. And so you are a hypocrite, as it follows, You hypocrite, first cast the beam out of your own eye.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For to reprove sin is the duty of the good, which when the bad do, they are playing a part, dissembling their own character and assuming one that does not belong to them.³

St. John Chrysostom: It should be noted that whenever He intends to denounce a great sin, He begins with a term of reproach, as in the passage, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt (Matthew 18:32), and so here, You hypocrite, first cast out... He does this because each person knows his own affairs better than the affairs of others, sees great things more clearly than lesser things, and loves himself more than his neighbor.

Therefore, He commands the one who is guilty of many sins not to be a harsh judge of another's faults, especially if they are small. In this, He is not forbidding us to challenge and correct others, but forbidding us to make light of our own sins while magnifying those of others. For you must first diligently examine how great your own sins are, and only then address those of your neighbor. This is why it follows, and then you will see clearly to cast the mote out of your brother’s eye.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For once we have removed the beam of envy, malice, or hypocrisy from our own eye, we will see clearly to cast the mote out of our brother’s eye.

1. Serm. in Mont., ii, 18
2. Serm. in Mont., ii, 19
3. Serm. in Mont., ii, 19