Episode Transcript
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Did you realise that, when you point the finger at someone,
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you actually point three fingers at yourself.
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As more than one commentator on life has observed,
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when you judge somebody,
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you speak more about who you are
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rather than who they are.
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Jesus uses humour to make this point to his hearers.
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You can’t help but smile when you envisage the image of a one blind person
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trying to lead another,
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let alone somebody who is also blind;
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or a person with a plank sticking out of their eye.
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Our criticisms can often come out of
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how we have been conditioned,
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which may be blind,
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or trying to disguise our own weaknesses.
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I am sure you’ve heard the saying,
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me thinks he protests too much.
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In other words,
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what is he trying to cover up by complaining?
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We all have our blind spots.
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Which is why it is always best when we feel the need to criticise another,
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to stop and ask why and where we are coming from.
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After all, as the readings this weekend tell us,
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our words are a revelation of who we are,
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not of what somebody else is.
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I am reminded of the story of the five blind people who go to a zoo
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and are introduced to an elephant for the first time.
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When asked what they think it is like,
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one who is holding its tail remarks,
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“It reminds me of a snake”.
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A second, grabbing one of its legs, says,
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“Not at all. It is like a tree trunk”.
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To which a third retorts,
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“I think it is closest to a knife!”
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He is holding a tusk.
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While, beside him, swinging its trunk, the fourth adds his bit,
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“You’re all wrong. It is a hose.”
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Meanwhile, from on the ground,
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a fifth voice from one who has run into the
side of the elephant and fallen, pipes up,
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“Well, none of those things would have knocked me over.
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I am sure it is like a barn.”
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We all have our own perspective on life
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and nobody sees it all.
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So next time you feel like criticising somebody,
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can I suggest you pause and ask yourself,
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what's the elephant in the room?
