“A Life Shaped by God’s Grace”     2011

Matthew 7:1-5           Romans 12:9-18, 21

 

Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

 

Romans 12:9-18, 219Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

After several continuances,   on Monday, I finally served

            and sat with the jury on a case that finally went to trial.

 

It strikes me   as strangely ironic,

            that I happened to fulfill my jury duty during this week,

                        the same week,  that more than six months ago,

                                    long before receiving notice about jury duty;

                            I had planned to preach on Matthew 7,

                                    with  vs. 1 -  Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

 

Our modern culture loves to quote that verse as its mantra;

            but blind tolerance to everything and anything,

                        and acceptance of everyone’s opinion as equally true;

            … this is probably not   what Jesus intended by these words.

 

On Monday, the magistrate was very clear in his instructions

            that as jurors,

                        we were to listen carefully to all of the evidence,

                                    and then judge  the defendant’s guilt or innocence.

 

In contrast to our culture,  in his courtroom, it was assumed

            that there is an absolute and objective truth,

                that either the defendant had committed the crime or not;

            and just because someone had an opinion or said something,

               that did not necessarily make it valid and truthful.

 

In fact,

            the judge and the attorneys   cautioned and instructed us,

                   to listen with discernment to the opposing testimonies,

                                    because we, the jury, had to determine

                                                which witnesses were being the most truthful.

 

As jurors, we were expected to do the hard work    of judging,

            and determining the defendant’s guilt or innocence ----

       --- so, did I disobey the Lord’s admonition,

                                    vs. 1 -     Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  ?

 

It is obvious in Scripture that  

            Jesus was not naive, blind or indifferent or even tolerant

                        of the sin and wrong-doing that he encountered …

… so clearly Jesus did not mean that we tolerate all things,

            and that we are never to make any judgments about anything.

 

These words that Jesus spoke,

            are in a section of his sermon      that was addressing

                 the hypocrisy and legalism of the religious authorities.

 

The scribes and the Pharisees saw their role in life

            as deciding who was in and who they deemed acceptable to God-

                                    -- often imposing standards on other people

                                                that even they themselves  did not fulfill.

 

Their focus was on outward appearances, ignoring inward motivations.

            As Jesus accused them, in Matthew 23:25-26

                        Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  You blind Pharisee!  First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

 

The point Jesus was making in Matthew 7,

            is that before we rush in    to condemn other people,

                        we need to deal with our own sins and failings first…

… as he said,   vs. 3-5

            Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the

speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

 

Jesus was saying,

            don’t make harsh judgments & unloving criticisms of others,

                        but focus instead on your own faults needing attention;

            for when you have dealt with your own sins and failings,

                        you may find that you have more love and compassion

                                    for your neighbor  in their struggles and failures.

 

Oftentimes when we are negative and critical of other people,

            it is more about trying to feel better about ourselves ---

                                    since it’s far easier to tear down  someone else

                                                than to admit and confront our own issues.

 

And once we do form a bad or negative opinion about someone,

            generally, everything we observe about them from then on,  

                        serves to confirm that initial opinion

                              as we fit it all into the mold of our preconceptions…

            … for the truth is,

                   we usually see in someone  exactly what we are expecting,

                            as we’ve already set our mind and decided what to see.

 

One time during a seminary class on New Testament,

            the professor asked

                        how Jesus responded when he saw a prostitute.

            One of the students said that Jesus never saw a prostitute.

 

So the professor began flipping through his Bible,

            and showing texts where Jesus encountered such a woman;

                                    and the student stopped him and insisted,

                                                “You’re not listening to me!

                                                            Jesus never saw a prostitute ---

                                                                        he only saw a beloved child of God

                                                                                    in need of grace and a new life.”

 

When Jesus said,  Do not judge, so that you may not be judged,

            it wasn’t that we are to be naïve, blind and non-discerning,

                        but that we don’t set ourselves up   to look for faults,

                                    to attack other people, or destroy relationships…

… for we are commanded,

            to love our neighbors, and if it is appropriate to judge,

                        then it calls for mercy and love   even in our judgments.

 

Appropriate Christian judgment

            remembers that we are first commanded to love our neighbors;

                        calling us to reflect    God’s mercy and grace   for them

                                    more than   God’s wrath and judgment   against them.

 

When Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples,

            he gave them only one,  his most important commandment:

John 13:31-34

            I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

 

As always, the focus of Jesus is on truth and our relationships,

           as our lives are reshaped by God’s grace & loving kindness.

 

So, here’s the question:

            when  in a situation that requires us to make a judgment,

                 and we are called on to make a moral or ethical decision,

                                    is our judgment and how we make that decision

                                                consistent with  our Lord’s   command to love?

 

In the courtroom on Monday, the judge cautioned us,

            to make our decision based only upon the facts presented,

                        and not to decide the defendant’s guilt or innocence

                                    because of whether we liked him or not.

 

And when Christians are called to decide and make judgments,

            beyond the objective facts that we can discern,

            à         we are called to an even higher standard of behavior,

                                    of allowing for  God’s grace and mercy to flow à

                                            to others through us and our responses to them.

 

            It’s not just a matter of getting the facts straight,

                        but we also have to get the love and compassion right.

 

I believe that my greatest frustration and sorrow as a pastor

            is the number of people who do not know and trust God,

                        or are not a part of any Christian fellowship,

                                    or are not actively serving

                                                with the best of their gifts and blessings; à

 

- because they have been mistreated, embarrassed or rejected,

            and they can’t bring themselves to take that risk again.

 

We are called to love one another as Jesus loves each of us,

            and to serve as givers of God’s grace to the world …

                        … it sounds so easy and simplistic,

                                    yet the truth is, nothing is more difficult

                                        or goes more against our natural inclinations…

                        … and so, we hardly know where or how to begin.

 

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians living in Rome,

            in chapter 12, he provides

                        a very practical description of Christian love---

            --- as an authentic and self-giving love that places

                                    the best interests of others ahead of our own.

 

Paul is not describing some weak-kneed sentimentalism,

            but something that is demanding and difficult,

                        that is risky and may not even work out well for usà

à and yet he calls us to trust that God’s way will overcome evil.

 

He writes,   vs. 9~21

            Genuine love; hates what is evil, holds fast to what is good; … Rejoices in hope … Lives in harmony with others … Does not repay anyone evil for evil, … and is not overcome by evil, but overcomes evil with good.

 

Barbara Brown Taylor gives an explanation this passage

            by telling a story about her little nephew’s first birthday.

 

The family had gathered for his party,

            and he was dancing around full of joy and delight.

                        Then finally, jealous of all that attention on him

                                    was too much for his cousin,

                                                a year or so older, who pushed him down.

 

Stunned and crying, his mother hugged him and picked him back up.

            Then he tottered over to his cousin,

                        put his arms around him, laid his head on his chest,

                                    passing along the hug that he had received …

                                       … and thus ending the confrontation and conflict.

 

Now he could have gotten back up, judged his cousin guilty,

            and justifiably pushed back and hit  him in response …

                                    …but he got it right   and valued the relationship…

 

… for as Jesus and Paul both inform us,

            if we repay evil with evil, and blow for blow,

                        then we can expect to produce more evil and conflict.

 

The way of the Lord is to let mercy triumph over judgment

            by overcoming evil with good,

                        and destroying our enemies by making them our friends.

 

We come to the Lord’s Table today,

            as those who have repeatedly sinned against God,

                        yet whose love for us is far stronger and greater

                                    than even our biggest mistake or worst failing.

 

 

            As the recipients of that amazing and unwarranted grace,

                        He asks us to show that same love to our neighbors,

                                    and to reflect that same love we have received…

 

            … and I wonder,

                        what would happen if we were willing to give it a try.