"Pot calling kettle black"

While we were discussing about something - someone said this to a mocking friend.. "Pot calling kettle black". 

Though i've heard this phrase before - it's worth to try and discern what this truly means for the pot to call the kettle black..  There are two situations that i can think of regarding this and two possible applicaton:

1. black pot - black kettle

In this case:

For the pot to call the kettle black - can and do sound very harsh and hypocritical of the pot. Yet just like the pot and the kettle both are black - means that both have no means to look a themselves clearly. They've only got one another to tell how the other looks. 

If used rightfully, having the pot calling the kettle black can turn to iron sharpening iron. If the pot never tells the kettle that he's black - how would the kettle knows that he is black. And hopefully this kettle is not one that is a silent and patient sort - because only through the kettle's reply that the pot can know that he too is black. 

Only then can they both start to fix their problem.

That is the same in Christian life isn't it? If the pot keeps on being silent and so is the kettle. How would they both know that they've got a serious problem that they need to fix? There is no painless way to do this other than to be honest, rebuking and building one another for the better. 

And of course, they have to do this in love. There is nothing more useless and wasteful than arguing about which one got the thicker dirt on them. The point is, BOTH are black. And if they don't start trying to clean one another, there is no way they can be clean. 

Wait... actually there is one way - and that is for either kettle / pot to stop arguing, and leave the defensive party alone and try to clean oneself. Only then can (at least one of them) be clean. 

This leads me to the second condition and that is 

2. black pot - silver reflective kettle

When it gets to this, pot can be so nasty and kettle can fall into constant depression. 

Because the pot is so black and dirty and kettle is so clean and shiny, both are now in a completely different state. Kettle can only reflect what is in front of them, and pot can only see what it sees in front of it. And if what pot sees is black on kettle body - which is reflected from pot's, pot can then get arrogant and boastful. Pot can think that its body is like kettle, so silver and shiny, but only, unlike silver, pot got no black markings on its body. 

Pot keeps on calling kettle dirty and worst of all - dirtier than black pot. 

This is a very sad situation. Pot became proud and kettle, knowing that his current condition is the cleanest as he can be, became depressed. 

He said to himself "What more can i do? this is the best i could do, the silverest i could be. I'm such a failure!" 

or even worse, when Kettle starts to think that to begin with - he IS NOT made out of silver. That he was a born rock to begin with. 

If we analyse this situation - we can see everything that is wrong with this. Pot's pride refuses to admit its own blacknessl; and, blinded by his own reflection, he starts to thinks that he is the best of them all. He sees nothing wrong with him - but rather everything wrong with the other. 

And kettle. oh, how do we deal with poor kettle? So poor that he started to doubts his own nature! He started to get depressed over something that is not even true. The result is that he could not be the best that he could be. He could not use his reflective nature to help his friend pot to realise that his condition is bad!

As you can see, i've given the other sides to both stories. But there is one very crucial thing that i haven't mentioned - and that is - how do they know that they are meant to be un-black? If by any means pot and kettle always sees one another as black - why would they care if they're black? This whole incident is then invalid and nullified by the fact that both are happy with their current state and see no use or need to change. 

What do they truly need? 

1. Obviously, they need an outside party to say that they were created to be sparkling silver, rather than dull black. 

2. They need something other than themselves to measure themselves with

3. They need something other than themselves to see their current condition

4. They need something greater than themselves to be the judge

Yes, using one another to do this is one way to fulfill their needs. But one question still remains - how can black pot and black kettle fulfil one another's needs if they both need the same thing? Obviously they both needs something greater and better than them. Something that would not need what they need. Something that could give them what they need. A mirror maybe? 

Of course, i don't just write this post without the intention of pointing it to my God. Jesus Christ and the Scripture. Where can we find the mirror that we need? Where can we find the answer as to who we were supposed to be and how we are to be one?

It's all written in the Word of God. And only Him can open our eyes which had been darkened by our sin. 

I'm sure there are many other sides to this story that i haven't realised or know yet... but yeah... I suppose this helps me to use the prase in a more appropriate way now.. or to consider the consequences of my own statement.