Jesus did a lot of His teaching in parables. A parable is a short story that gives us a picture of who God is and how He wants us to live our lives. He once told a parable about two men who each decided to build a home. One built on a rock while the other built on sand. When a storm ripped through, the house built on sand crumbled because the foundation was weak. But the house built on the rock stood. Jesus’ point is that what we build our life on matters. If we build it on the firm foundation of who God is and what He has done, we’ll have His strength to endure the hard times. But if we build it on anything but Him, our foundation will be weak and we won’t be able to endure.

The Pharisees were basically the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They were zealous about obedience to God – which was good! But they had a problem. Their behavior didn’t match their hearts. That is, they weren’t obedient for the right reasons, and Jesus called them out on it. God wanted their good deeds to flow out of grateful hearts. He wants the same for us.

Jesus had a lot to say about those who are quick to criticize others without looking at their own faults first. He said that doing so is like trying to remove a speck a sawdust from your friend’s eye when you’ve got a plant of wood sticking out of your own. That would be crazy, right? That’s exactly Jesus’ point. It is crazy! This week we’re learning to deal with our own sin before trying to address it in others.