Sermon - February 7, 2010

Here Comes the Judge
Proverbs 9:10-12,  James 5:7-9, Matthew 7:1-6

       A few years ago a congregation in Oklahoma demanded  that a  woman leave their church because of her immorality.  She filed a lawsuit against the church that made headlines and streaked across the media. On his show, Phil Donahue summed up the attitude of most of the audience by quoting with the words “Judge not that you be not judged!”  That interpretation of Jesus' words is indicative of our society's  current infatuation with tolerance. That interpretation is mistaken.
    What did Jesus mean when He said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged?” Does He mean, “live and let live?”  How do we harmonize those words with His statement five verses later, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.” On one had, Jesus is telling us not to judge anyone, but on the other, He tells us to make a distinction, a judgment call, about people and behavior!    So what does Jesus mean, “Judge not.”?  The Word interprets the Word. The Bible upholds civil courts and due process of law.  Titus 3:1 reads,  Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities.   Romans 13:1  Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Jesus upheld this spiritual truth when he faced the judgment of Pilate: John 19:11  You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above.” Jesus' command to “Judge not” does not pertain to the court system or to our civic duty to serve on jury.
   We are instructed to judge every teaching according to the Scriptures. Hebrews  13:9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.  We are to protect ourselves, our thinking from false teaching. 2 John 1:9-10  Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God;  whoever continues in the teaching has both the father and the Son.  If anyone one comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.  Are you surprised to discover that the Bible does not teach tolerance when it comes to teaching? It teaches discernment and scrutiny.
      So if Jesus is not talking about legal process, or rejection of those who spread false teaching, what does He mean by “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”?  Jesus saw the religious condition of the people of His day: particularly the Scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite, those who kept the law as perfectly as possible, and condemned anyone who did not.  Jesus told His disciples, that they were called to a greater righteousness than that of the Pharisees. Matthew 5: 20  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
    Jesus calls forth a different kind of righteousness from the superficial legalistic righteousness of the religious elite of His day. The righteousness of the believer is founded upon Christ's saving work on the cross and grows from a heart committed in love to God the Father. It is not so much what we do but whom we love that determines our righteousness. We can have no pride in that whatsoever, but simply, humbly receive His mercy and love.
    Do not judge, or you too will be judged, targets the human tendency towards a critical spirit; a hasty, unloving,  finger-pointing, fault-finding, knit-picking “holier-than-thou” attitude.  That attitude is the hearth on which gossip and rumor are kindled.  Jesus wasn't saying that we never assess people with some discernment, but rather that we should not have a harsh, judgmental condemning spirit.
    No matter what we think of an individual, we do not see what God sees, or know what God knows, about that person or their circumstance.  For example, a person raised in a Christian home cannot begin to conceive of what it is like to grow up, live, and be influenced in a home that has never known Christ. From the Native Americans we have a saying, “Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins.
    The story is told of a newspaper reporter that wanted to write a piece about the laziness of workers in the South. He saw a man in a field sitting in a chair hoeing some weeds. Assuming this was the perfect picture of the laziness he wanted to feature, the reporter rushed back to his car to begin his story. When he happened to look back  a second time what he saw completely changed his point of view. He saw that the pants on the legs on the farmer hung down loose  - the man had no legs. What seemed at first the image of laziness turned into a story of great courage and fortitude.  1Samuel 16:7 God tells it straight out;  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
    We are not qualified to sit in judgment of others, even in our own hearts, because we cannot be impartial. Our human judgment is marred and distorted by our own sin. We don't see or know everything. By assuming we do, we presume to put ourselves in God's place. Putting ourselves in the place of God is idolatry.  It is the sin the serpent seduced the first human couple to commit,  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Gen.3:5 The sin of idolatry evicted Adam and Eve from the Garden.
    Jesus gives us a humorous but power image of condition. He says, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  Jesus is speaking as a carpenter, and as the Son of God.  That plank is self-righteousness. We tend to notice and knit-pick faults in others that we fail to see in ourselves. Sometimes it is out of jealousy.
    I had a professor in seminary that I could barely tolerate. I didn't know why I didn't like her, I just knew that she irritated me no end. She was teaching Pastoral Care and because I wanted to do well in her class, I prayed to the Lord, to help me see what it was that disturbed me so much about her. I soon discovered it was because she was a lot like myself, but had made choices, I  had chosen against, and  she had become very successful in their outcome. I was jealous. Once I realized it, confessed it, repented of it, and laid it at the cross, all the resentment dissolved. I grew to admire her and enjoyed her class very much.
    The plank in our eye prevents us from seeing not only the speck in the eye of the other, but the gift they bring in themselves as well. Jesus tells us to take the time to examine and unload our judgmental self-righteous attitudes. Not doing so is costly - in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
    Back in the 70s the comedy show Laugh-In regularly aired routines of Here comes the judge. At the time, the antics were funny. But in truth, we are accountable to God as our Judge. If I am critical, others will be critical of me.  If I knit-pic, it's open knit picking season on me. It is a simple spiritual truth Jesus summed up in the positive, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When we judge others harshly, we err certainly by lack of love, but also by a false sense of superiority. When Jesus died for each and every one of us, He leveled the playing field. We are all sinners in need of His mercy and grace.
   We are not to be critical of others because we ourselves are sinful,  but if we do not discriminate against sin, we err on the other end of the measuring rod. If we say sin doesn't really matter, we discount the grace of God.  The apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  We are clay. fragile, easily broken. Nonetheless, God has deposited His Spirit, the very Life of His Son into each heart that receives Him. That life grows and glows and transforms from within and without. It is a treasure of eternal weight. Those things associated with our life in Christ are precious, more so than gemstones and gold. We are not to take that lightly. God's grace is free, but it didn't come cheap.
    We are not to judge others, and particularly should  reach out to those to whom Christ is unknown. At the same token, neither are we to regard Christ's life in our hearts as fodder, thrown to those who have no repentance, no desire, no interest in the riches of God. This is why when  Jesus  was arrested stood silent before Herod the King. Herod had hoped Jesus would prove himself by performing a miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” Luke 23: 9
    Imagine for a moment, a person  who has served time for child molestation has come regularly to worship for about two months and asks to join this church. Do I snub this person and say “No way, go away”?  No.     Do I listen to what this person shares,  and address what needs I can? Yes. Do I ask this person to teach Sunday School?  No. Do I pray with and for this person to repent and turn to Christ?  Yes.  If that person feels no need to confess or repent, do I offer Holy Communion?  No.
    Jesus tells us to neither be harsh with others, nor to be cavalier about His life dwelling in us.  We need to be careful not to go on a fault finding hunt, or look down on people from a position of self righteousness. But neither are we to devalue the gift of Christ by underestimating and compromising sin. We are not to judge persons, but be discerning.  James, Jesus'  half-brother wrote, Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:7 When some one says, “Here comes the Judge”, it must not be one of us, but the only One worthy to Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God Almighty.    

 

EXIT to Sermons Page