"Are We Not to Judge?" (Luke 6:27-38)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:36-37).

 

These words of Christ are often quoted. They are rarely ever misquoted. But what we may think of these words are often the opposite of what Jesus is saying here. I’m sure you have heard those words,“Judge not, and you will not be judged” even in Christian conversation. And often unbelieving pagans will use these words of Jesus to us Christians as a way to say, “You are in no position to judge!” So, what is Jesus meaning by those words: “Judge not, and you will not be judged”?

 

Well, first thing to note here is that these words of Christ have been misunderstood for centuries, but for different reasons.

 

In the Middle Ages, the people had a much different wrong understanding of these words of Christ than the popular wrong understanding of today. But both wrong understandings have a common misunderstanding. They are both taking Scripture out of context by cutting and pasting these words of Christ to fit what these false teachers want these words to mean.

 

First, let’s look at the old misunderstanding. In the Middle Ages, these words of Christ, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” was taken by many in the church to mean that we must do something to earn salvation. In other words, Christ’s atoning death wasn’t enough for you and me to inherit salvation, so we have to do something. 

 

These words of Christ were stern law that the Christian had to do so God would love them and then in turn receive His forgiveness. These words were used to scare Christians into submission so that they would get right with God to receive His divine mercy. Luther fought against this wrong interpretation, since there is nothing we can do to ever merit God’s love. We could never get right with God. It is only God who is able to get right with us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

For most Christians today, we rarely think about that interpretation. But if you know any Roman Catholics, they still hold on to that way of thinking.

 

But most likely, you have heard those words of Christ “Judge not, and you will not be judged”meaning something entirely different. In this post-modern era, those words have become to mean that we are forbidden to recognize the sins of others and even our own sins. Those words have become to mean that we are to not judge at all, that we are not to discriminate between right and wrong.

 

So, is Jesus forbidding us from engaging in any kind of judgment? Well, if that is the case, then Jesus words here make no sense whatsoever. If we are not to judge, then what do we make of these Scriptural texts?

 

§  Jesus says in Matthew 18: “If your brother sins against you …” (Matthew 18:15a). How would we know what sin is without judgment?

§  Jesus says in John 7: “Do not judge by appearances…” (John 7:24a). Ok, this fits with the idea of never judging. But wait, Jesus isn’t finished, “But judge with right judgment” (John 7:24b). So, how would we know right judgment?

§  Jesus says in Luke 12: “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Luke 12:57). So, what is right?

§  Jesus says in Matthew 7: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a). How do we know false teachers from true teachers without judgment? How are we to recognize fruits of faith without first judging the fruit?

§  St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes in Romans 13: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1). But don’t governing authorities judge?

§  And what are we to make of the Bereans in Acts 17? “They received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11b). How are we to know the validity of what the pastor says without studying the Scriptures?

 

So, clearly, the idea of never judging is not the case, since we are to judge. You see, the Bible is full of judgments between good and bad. Just think of Cain, Babel, David’s sexual sin, John the Baptist’s preaching, and Jesus judging the seven churches of Revelation.

 

What are the Ten Commandments? They are but God’s Law of judgment, which shows us our sin and serves as our guide in the way we ought to live and want to live. 

 

Another way to think of judging is this: How can you be a judge of a court and not judge the law? How can you be a referee and not judge if play is fair? How can you be a teacher and not judge their student’s homework? How can you pick out which fruit to buy at the grocery store without placing judgment upon that fruit? How can a pastor not judge between false doctrine and true doctrine? How can you be a parent and not also discipline your child?

 

Clearly, we know the difference between right and wrong. We know that truth is different than fiction. So, what is Jesus saying here? Well, Jesus is not forbidding judgment, but when we judge we must think the way God thinks. Jesus is teaching us to become merciful just as God our Father is merciful.

 

You see, God is the ultimate judge, so we are not to judge according to our flawed way of thinking, according to our flawed understanding of things, but we are to think and judge like God. We are to think like God the Father. But how can we do that?

 

Well, when we make judgments, we must do so in the view of the mercy and grace of God. So, when we make any judgment, it should never be toward harsh condemnation or the rejection of the sinner – we never condemn anyone to hell, but we always lead the sinner toward forgiveness and reconciliation. God doesn’t show us our sin because He hates us. He shows us our sin, because He loves us. He shows us our sin, so that we would turn from it and receive His forgiveness.

 

So, we interpret “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” in light of what is said before them, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

 

So, we speak what’s right for the sake of your neighbor. True love is always to speak the truth. So, if your child did something wrong, it is your duty to judge his wrongdoing in order to save him.

 

God’s inerrant Word speaks of judgment all the time. But whenever God speaks, He speaks judgment in order to save. He speaks of judgment as a warning. He speaks of judgment out of His love.

 

For Jesus says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20a). Likewise, St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit writes, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

God is the judge. And He warns us against those evil things that come from the sinful flesh and the sinful heart.

 

Now, none of us here today are as pure as the wind driven snow. We are all filthy as we are stained with sin. And yet, God calls on all of us to judge ourselves and to judge one another. But, again, we don’t judge using our flawed reason and thinking. We judge only as God judges as He has revealed in His Word.

 

So, what does being merciful like God look like in practice? Well, it looks like this: When you judge, first recognize your sin, fully acknowledge your sin, since your first judgment must be upon yourself, but out of your love for the other, it is your responsibility to help the other by speaking of their sin so to lead them to repentance and forgiveness. Now, speaking of judgment is never easy, since no one ever takes delight in speaking words of judgment. So, we speak as sinners to fellow sinners with always in mind the gospel that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

 

At one time, we were all God’s enemies, and we all deserved what was coming to us – eternal death and hell, but He gave us Christ instead, who took upon Himself our judgment as He suffered and died our punishment as He hung on the cross. Because of that judgment, we are now forgiven and reconciled to God. By faith in His Son, God the Father has given us forgiveness out of His divine mercy! So, when we judge, we judge like God our Father, who is merciful, as we confess our sin, speak God’s Word of judgment, and proclaim the forgiveness won for everyone in Christ! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Easter 6: "I Perceive You are Very Religious" (Acts 17:16-31)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

America is very religious. Yes, you heard that right: America is very religious. But what about all those studies that say that the United States is becoming less religious?

 

What about this 2022 Gallup survey that found that those who believe in God in America has dropped from 98 percent in the 1950s to 81 percent today? What about the Gallup survey of Americans under 30 that found only 68 percent believe in God? What about the 2021 Gallup survey that found that fewer than half of Americans – 47 percent – were members of a church, a synagogue, or a mosque?

 

Still not budging. America is very religious.

 

America is so religious that we even build temples with tax dollars. What?! What happened to the “so-called” separation of church and state? Good question! Well, it doesn’t exist in the U.S. Constitution. You have likely heard it said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This lie has been repeated so much that it is appearing as fact in textbooks.

 

Now, that I have caught your attention, where exactly are these temples being built by tax dollars? With likely the lone exception being Lambeau Field, every NFL stadium is taxpayer funded. In the recent years, each newly constructed stadium was built to make a statement. The Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium was built to be the largest domed structure in North America. The Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium was built to showcase a retractable roof and retractable windows. Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium was built to be the first stadium with a retractable playing field. The Vikings’ US Bank Stadium was built in the style of a Nordic temple. The Rams’ and Chargers’ SoFi Field was built to have the first “Infinity Screen” that is an ovular, double-sided video board that is suspended from the roof over the field. Each NFL stadium built is more impressive than the last. The game field hasn’t changed, but the amenities have changed. The same goes with baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer, but to a lesser extent than the NFL.

Along with the stadiums comes the liturgy within these temples. For example, the Vikings bang a war drum, fans clap their hands over their heads as they yell, “Skol!” It’s as expected as the Kyrie, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer in the Church. Attending a game in these temples, for many, is a religious event.

 

Now, I’m not here to turn you away from professional sports, but they can become an issue of idolatry when they become more important than the one true God. But, stadiums are not the only temples. Public schools from elementary to post-graduate schools are also places of religion. Instead of worshipping the true God, there are many false gods, including the earth with doom’s day prophecies, as well as gender confusion.

 

In our reading from Acts, St. Paul is walking about Athens. It appears that he had some sort of righteous indignation to what he saw, but he did his best on keeping it to himself. He noticed that the Athenians were highly cultured and sophisticated people who were deeply steeped in idolatry. Paul saw statues, altars, and shrines dedicated to a great number of deities. In fact, it had been said of Athens, that in that city there were more gods than men. It was customary to dedicate an altar to unknown gods so that they would not offend some deity by omitting it.

 

After Paul worked among the Jews and many devout Greeks in the synagogue and the marketplace, he began to strike up the conversation on many subjects, and eventually on Jesus and His resurrection. Notice that Paul didn’t begin by evangelizing. He began by gaining friendship and trust. He spoke in ways that would get the crowd around him interested enough to ask him questions. Now, some hearing Paul speak about Jesus and His resurrection just dismissed him as a mere babbler. Although most Greeks wanted to tell or hear of something new, some did not. But most did. They were intrigued because Paul was talking about a God that they had never heard about.

 

These Athenians were intrigued, so they soon escorted Paul to a meeting of their High Council called the Areopagus. There, they asked Paul to tell them more about the strange new ideas he had advanced, so that they would know what to make of them.

 

So, Paul begins saying, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22-23).

 

This is intriguing to the Greeks. They thought, “Tell me more about this unknown god!”

 

Notice what Paul says, “what therefore you worship” rather than “whom you worship.” This altar was dedicated to an unknown, impersonal “something.” Paul would make this unknown, impersonal “something” into the known: the living, personal God, the Creator of the universe and the judge of every human being.

 

By trying not to offend a forgotten god, the one true God used the Athenians’ pride to His advantage. Nothing happens by chance. This all led to this moment. Finally, after all this time, the triune God would use Paul to proclaim the one true God. No longer would they have to build state of the art temples to appease the false gods. For on this day, Paul speaks of the one true God, the one they ignorantly worshipped as “the unknown god” who is in reality the only true God. He, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the preserver of all men and all things, cannot be confined to man-made temples, nor is He dependent on man’s worship.

 

Through the creation of one man, Adam, God created all the descendants of Adam. The nations who cover the earth in all their variety descended from a single ancestor, Adam. Each migration and accomplishment are in God’s hands. Empires rise and empires fall according to His will. Civilizations and cultures and the geography and history of nations are ordered by Him.

 

The triune God demonstrated His power and intelligence in creation and in the history of nations so that people would realize that an intelligent and powerful being is in charge of the universe. It is God’s intention that people should seek Him, reach for Him, and find Him. The Athenians built an altar to this God.

 

For the Athenians, this would take some time to sink in. For in Pagan religions, they confuse the Creator with His creation by teaching that everything is god. As America has become more Pagan, we see this with the worship of creation, instead of the Creator. Paul used their mistaken beliefs as a starting point from which to go on and to preach the gospel of the one true God.

 

Being then God’s offspring, how can a god come from us? So, if we build a temple with gold or silver or stone, it is just a structure formed by the imagination of man. Nothing more.

 

But what is most important is to know this unknown God, who is the one true God, is the judge and He calls everyone to repent of their idolatry. In the past, God had tolerated ignorance, but ignorance is not innocence. He chose not to destroy them. Now, God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, and He calls on all people to turn from idols and to Him. The times of ignorance are over, God is calling His hearers to repentance.

 

Now is the time to turn from every false god to the living God and to His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

The question for us this morning is how does Paul’s speech talk to us today? Our text is from Paul’s second missionary journey. But we are not from Athens, and we don’t worship some nondescript god. Or do we? We know who we are. We have the assurance that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Aren’t these words just for those other “religious people” out there? You know, the ones who aren’t worshipping here.

 

Like the very religiously Pagan world around us, we too, can find ourselves caught up in false idols – money, sports, celebrities. The list goes on and on. Like the Athenians of Paul’s day, we too need to repent of our sins. But unlike the unbelieving world, we have the Holy Spirit as our guide. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, we acknowledge our Savior from sin, Jesus Christ, who is the known God. He leaves an assurance in our heart and a peace that the world and its temples could never offer. 

 

We are never left alone and we don’t have to search for the proper God. Just as Jesus says, He does not leave us as orphans. He has given us His Means of Grace. These Means of Grace is how Jesus reveals Himself now in Word and Sacrament.

 

Like Athens then, America today is very religious. It’s all a matter of who or what is our trust. What is the most important to you? What earthly thing can you not live without? Jesus knows that we may not always be loyal to Him, but He doesn’t hold that against us. All He says is “Repent and believe.” Jesus lovingly obeyed His Father for you. He lovingly obeyed all the way to the cross – since He knew that we needed saving. His resurrection appearances are proof to that. Salvation has been won and is freely given to all who believe in Jesus. In Christ alone, we have forgiveness, life, and salvation. We have the peace that those other “very religious” people need. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: "Not Left Empty Handed"

(To watch the sermon, click here)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

A young woman who purchased a book and read a few pages laid it aside as not interesting. But some time later, she became acquainted with the author. Soon, tender friendship sprang up. Then the book was no longer dull. Every sentence had a charm for her heart. Love was the interpreter.

So, why is the Bible – for many people – uninteresting and even distasteful to the human heart? Because it knows not the Author.

But when by the Spirit of God the heart learns to know and love Him who gave the Bible and who reveals Himself in the Scriptures, then the pages of this Book become most interesting, and every sentence is interpreted by the Spirit of love.

[If You Love Me…]

This morning’s Gospel lesson is all about love. But, you may have noticed that Jesus speaks a lot about the Law. Does this shock you?

He says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Then He says: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21a).

Where is love with the Law?

The world around us says that Jesus hung out with sinners.

The world sees Jesus reclining at the table surrounded by tax collectors and prostitutes partying with sinners. The world sees Jesus watching people sin.

The world never says that Jesus tells us to follow the Commandments! This sounds so Old Testament! Aren’t we New Testament people?! Isn’t God always loving?

Yes, Jesus was around sinners. Afterall, He was around people like you and me. But, Jesus wasn’t passive just kicking back and saying, “Sin all the more!” No! He was calling sinners to repentance!

Again, we hear Jesus saying: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

The sinful world may question these words from Jesus. But this is the true Jesus. It all depends on how you are taught about Jesus. Are you taught by the world, or are you taught by His Word?

For us – God fearing people – we are taught by His Word.

By saying “If you love me…”, Jesus is speaking to us saying that He expects our love. This is agape love, or the love of purpose. The grammar tense here is present. You see, Jesus desires that we love Him constantly.

We show that we love Him by keeping His Commandments by fearing, loving and trusting in Him above all things (The First Commandment). And, as the Apostle Paul writes: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

Paul continues saying: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life” (Romans 6:12-13a).

Now, none of us are perfect at keeping the Law, but we know one Person who has: Jesus Christ.

So, how can we show our love to Jesus? It’s actually rather easy. We do our best to follow and keep His Commandments. And when we fail, we repent to God and ask for His forgiveness. Instantly, we are forgiven, not by our sake, but by Jesus’ sake.

The idea of loving Jesus is all about obedience. Afterall, Jesus was obedient to His Father to the point of death – His death for us! You see, Christ’s earthly life was a life of obedience. The question for us is this: Who are you obedient to? And: Who do you trust?

As Martin Luther wrote: “For [Jesus] does not mean to be a Moses to drive and to plague you to threats and terrors, but to give us commandments as you can and will keep without commanding, if you, indeed love Him.”

The idea here is to give watchful care, to cherish and to hold as a treasure, to take all pains not to lose, or to let others violate Christ’s Commandments. We are to hold ourselves to God’s moral standard.

Thus, whoever cherishes the Commandments will “keep” or “obey” them. This is not by force, but by love.

[Idols]

Again, who are you obedient to? Who do you trust?

During this COVID-19 Pandemic, have you trusted in God, or have you trusted in the government?

In the past, plagues and pandemics would have been understood as either sent by God or allowed by Him for a purpose. In a general sense, the affliction would be a call to repentance.

Not so much today. We are people of science and reason and we try our hardest to remove God from our life. Today, plagues and pandemics have causes that can be explained. God is removed from the equation.

As one governor put it:

“Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus. The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Fate did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that.”[1]

So, did we cause COVID-19? This governor is leaving that for us to decide. But, it is more likely that this pandemic is a call to repentance and a call to trust and love in the one true God.

You see, everyday we are tempted to replace the one true God with feeble idols that promise us safety, but these idols never fulfill what they promise.

In our First Reading from Acts 17, the Apostle Paul noticed that Athens was a city full of idols. The Greeks were curious about Paul for some said: “What does this babbler wish to say?” (Acts 17:18)

You see, many Greeks enjoyed spending their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new (Acts 17:21).

So, Paul took this opportunity to preach about the crucified and risen Jesus. He said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you…” (Acts 17:22-23)

This unknown god is actually the one True God who has revealed Himself as the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is the Creator of all and He has redeemed us all through the obedience of the Son by dying and rising for us.

God accomplished salvation for us. We didn’t do it. He did it for you and me.

This is portrayed in stanza five of Luther’s hymn “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”:

      God said to His belovèd Son:
    “It’s time to have compassion.
Then go, bright jewel of My crown,
    And bring to all salvation.
From sin and sorrow set them free;
Slay bitter death for them that they
    May live with You forever.”

(LSB 556, stanza 5)

Text: Public domain

[Orphans?]

Returning to the Gospel lesson, Jesus also gave the disciples a sure and certain hope that they would never be alone. He says to them: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16).

This Helper is the Holy Spirit. Although Jesus would soon leave them, He would not leave them empty handed for He says, “I will come to you” (John 14:18b).

You see, the Holy Spirit is not a substitute for Jesus, because Jesus says, “I will come to you.”

It will only be a little while that the disciples will be orphaned. You see, the death of Jesus will not be like that of a father whose little children are then left orphans. Instead, His death means His return!

Yes, for three days, the disciples would be alone. But He would return! And He did! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

But, what about Christ’s upcoming Ascension into heaven? Did He leave them and us as orphans? No! For Christ says, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19b).

We are never alone, because Christ is living! He lives! With Jesus living then and now, anyone who loves and trusts in Him will never fall into eternal death! Instead, we receive eternal life!

What Jesus is saying is that He lives although He dies. He is saying that He is very Life itself. He swallows up death, so that those who trust in Him shall live!

With Jesus saying “I live,” we can also speak those words in the face of our death!

In fact, we actually sang those words in our opening hymn:

      Jesus lives! And now is death
    But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
    When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense:
Jesus is my confidence!

(Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won, LSB 490, stanza 5)

[We are Not Alone]

Again, Jesus says: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

Here we are again. The test of love is always obvious and simple: a true disciple is one who really loves Jesus. The true disciple does more than just say it. The true disciple cherishes and guards every command of Jesus by holding it to their heart and living by it.

Yes, our Gospel text has a lot of Law, but there is also love. You see, we are not alone. We are not left to fend for ourselves.

The opening verse of our text sounds as if our keeping Jesus’ commandments is the proof of our love for Jesus – and it is saying that. The closing verse repeats that same point, but then it introduces Jesus and the Father’s love for us as the Gospel power to energize our keeping of the Commandments.

Here, in the Divine Service, God does not leave us alone. He is here! He is here leading us to eternal life! Remember, none of us are perfect at keeping the Law, but we know one Person who has: Jesus Christ.

By grace through faith in Christ alone, He makes us perfect! Through Baptism, Confession and Absolution, hearing His Word proclaimed and in receiving the very Body and very Blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, the Triune God sustains us through our life with His boundless love!

It is God the Father who does not leave us empty handed. He gives us all we need through His Son Jesus Christ, who with the Holy Spirit, continue to guide us through His Word to eternal life! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen!

 T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

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[1] https://www.christianpost.com/news/ny-gov-cuomo-on-plateauing-of-covid-19-cases-god-did-not-do-that.html