Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 7:5

"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 7:5 (ASV)

The “speck of sawdust” could be any bit of foreign matter. The “plank” is obviously colorful hyperbole. Jesus does not say it is wrong to help a fellow Christian remove the speck of dust in his eye, but it is wrong for a person with a “plank” in his eye to offer help. That is sheer hypocrisy . But when a brother in a meek and self-judging spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:31; Galatians 6:1) removes the log in his own eye, he has the responsibility of helping his brother remove his speck (cf. 18:15–20).