Matters of Faith: Take off the Mask!

Matthew 7:1-5, 7
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Hypocrite is a Greek word that was used to describe those who wore masks, mainly actors. They intentionally engaged in deception, wearing masks to conceal their true identity. They were play acting. They were not the character they played, they only acted the part of that person; just masquerading. Good actors will make you believe that they are their character.

I remember well the actress Susan Lucci who played the role of Erica Kane on the long-running soap opera, “All My Children.” Erica was a sexy, sassy, beautiful, yet villainous woman who everybody loved to hate. She played her character so well that even when she took off the mask, people would see her on the street and call her ”Erica ” while hurling insults and other lewd remarks.

In the text, Jesus is sharing the Beatitudes. He is telling the multitude who gathered to listen to Him that they should not judge because it would come back to them the same way it went out of them. The inference was clear; we spend an exurbanite amount of time judging the defects and faults in others while ignoring our own. In fact, Jesus says that they are hypocrites. He tells them that the thing they criticized, judged, and condemned in others was nothing in comparison to the things wrong in their lives.

Pointing fingers is one way to hide behind our masks. As long as we’re focusing on the errors, the faults, and the sins of others, we don’t have to a knowledge “the saint we are abroad and the devil we are at home” (Bunyan). The directive from Jesus is for them and us to remove the plank from our own eye, then we will be able to see clearly to help others remove the speck in their eye. We’ve got to first remove our mask before trying to take off the mask of others.

There is a reward for taking off our masks. It is found in the final verse of this aphorism: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” The Lord wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but that can’t happen as long as we wear our masks.

Decide what you want. Stop criticizing and judging others. Commit to taking off your mask! Then, take an introspective look at yourself and make a decision to being your real, authentic self. It might help if you keep this quote in mind “clean up your own back yard before you try to sweep around mine.”

Take off the mask!

Be Blessed +++

Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at both Goodwill and The Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial &. Strategic Consulting, and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio, Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. Listen by phone” at 626-226-1448. Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on Facebook and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The Book at Book Blues.

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