Genesis 50;15-21; Romans 12:9-16; St Luke 6:36-42
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
One of the most misquoted texts in all of Holy Scripture is from our Gospel today. Judge not, lest ye be judged. It’s often said in the King James to sound more regal and authoritarian. I’ve had it used against me numerous times. No doubt you have as well. It first happened for me as a high school and young college student. I don’t remember the context of our conversation. It was probably something having to do with sin. But the first time it was thrown at me as a conversation stopper I was caught off guard. I paused to reconsider what I had just said. Was I speaking from my vocation in right judgment? Or was I being judgmental and under the condemnation of Jesus?
Try talking to a heterodox Christian about human sexuality, life issues like abortion or euthanasia, or racial issues and the person might retort, Judge not, lest ye be judged. The expectation is that this stops the argument and that somehow homosexuality is no longer against God’s design. Or abortion isn’t the murder of a human being. Or destruction of personal property or riotous rage are justifiable.
Is this what Jesus means? Are we not to speak about right and wrong? Truth and error? Good and bad? You are catechized, so you know that’s not what He’s saying, otherwise He’d be contradicting what He says elsewhere in the Scriptures. And because you are catechized you know that Scripture does not contradict itself. But how do you know that Jesus is not prohibiting all forms of judging?
Consider some exceptions. Firstly, under the Fourth Commandment, parents have not only the right, but divine duty, to judge their children’s behavior. God has also given the government the right to establish just laws, judge wisely, and punish criminals. Jesus told Pontius Pilate that his authority as governor was given to him from above. That is, from God. St Paul wrote that the civil rulers are God’s servants when they exercise the power of the sword (Rm 13). If no one had the right to judge criminals, they would get away with their crimes, and innocent people would be hurt. There would be no order in our society. State and national laws are supposed to keep the strongest from oppressing, hurting and killing the weaker.
Yet it is not just parents and the civil authorities who have the right to judge. Only a few verse later in both Luke’s record of Jesus’ Sermon and Matthew’s parallel Sermon on the Mount, Jesus catechizes us to Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Mt 7:15-16, 19-20). We are to discern the fruit to see whether is is good or bad. And you are called, dear Christian, to accept the good and reject the bad.
Every Christian has the duty to judge doctrine and outward words and actions of those around them. For by right judgment we understand. We discern truth from error, right from wrong. Jesus said, Beware of false prophets. You cannot beware of false teachers unless you judge what they teach. These are their fruits. Do they agree with Holy Scriptures? Does it align with the Small Catechism? The man known as the "American Luther," CFW Walther, said that every Christian is obligated, on pain of losing his salvation, to seek out an orthodox Christian Church and go there!
Pastors, especially, have the responsibility to judge doctrine and to warn those under their spiritual care of threats against the truth. St Paul repeatedly urges pastors to teach and preach only pure doctrine. This necessarily entails judging what is and is not false doctrine. The Apostle concludes a list of qualifications for a Pastor in his Epistle to Titus with these words: He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in healthy doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).
Judge not, Jesus says. He is not denying parents or civil authorities the right and duty to pronounce judgment. Neither is He denying ministers of His Church or any Christian the right to judge doctrine according to the Word of God within their vocation. This kind of judgment is necessary and even demanded by our Lord. Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them (Rm 16:17). If we could not do this we would be swept away by the latest, trending, worldly opinions. Not only in theological matters, but in all things.
So what is our Lord teaching us by saying, Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned? It all hinges upon the sentence that comes before it and follows after it. Therefore, become merciful, even as your Father is merciful. And Forgive and you will be forgiven. With this you see why the Old Testament for today is the account of Joseph forgiving his brothers.
Twenty years earlier he was hated by them, stripped of his clothes and humiliated, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. They covered up their sins and deceived their father into thinking he was mauled by a wild beast.
Yet God highly exalted him. He made him the most powerful man in Egypt. And when he had his chance for revenge later in life, when he had the chance to at last berate them with indignation, to get revenge. He instead showed them mercy. They were expecting harsh words, but he spoke kindly to them. He cried tears of joy and embraced them not as servants, but as brothers. He showed them mercy! A better example could not be found in all the world.
But we need more than an example, dear Christians. When Jesus says, Judge not, we are judged. When He says, Condemn not, we stand condemned. We need a Savior. We need someone who forgives our sins. Someone to remove the planks from our eyes. So the Father sent One better than Joseph. He sent Jesus, His beloved Son, true God to become Man. He was hated by His brothers too. Stripped of His clothes and humiliated. He was sold for the price of a slave and betrayed into the hands of men, and thrown into a pit of death.
Yet after three days in the tomb He was raised from the dead, highly exalted into the highest heavens and enthroned at the Father’s right hand. This was not so that He could exact revenge on those whose sins put Him on the Cross. That is, to get even with you, to indignantly berate you. Rather it is so that He can announce to you reconciliation.
Our Judge, the One who can judge us guilty of breaking His Law, has Himself been judged guilty instead so that you might be acquitted. Our Judge, who alone could condemn us, was condemned in our place and instead absolves us. The One who alone can get you back and treat you like He Himself was treated, instead treats you not as servants, but as royal sons and daughters.
Joseph could only say to his brothers, Am I in the place of God? But Jesus says to you, “I am God in the Flesh. In Me you have the kind of mercy that deals with all your sins. It removes your neighbor’s specks and your own planks so that you may see more clearly according to My Word. I have taken your ever-present pride and all your sins upon Myself and died for them. Not only that, I rose again so that you could be given new life from above by water and the Word in Holy Baptism and be adopted into My family as brothers and sisters. And as a family, I give you the right to sit at My Table and share in My eternal inheritance. This is how My Father is merciful toward you. You, dear child, are likewise to become merciful."
Therefore, Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Or, as Jesus says, Become merciful as your Father is merciful. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. He is not saying “Overlook one another’s sins and pretend they aren't sinning. Accept people no matter what they do or say.” No, what He’s teaching you is to acknowledge right and wrong, truth and error, according to His Word. But to first recognize that you are a sinner in need of the Father’s forgiveness. That by repentance and faith you take the log out of your own eye. Then, by His Word and Spirit, do you see more clearly to not be judgmental, but to judge rightly.
For as the Father shows you unfathomable mercy in Christ Jesus, you are to be merciful. You have been freed from your sin. You are now free, even commanded, to forgive those who sin against you.
This is what the Christian Church is all about - being forgiven and forgiving. Being loved and showing love. This is what it means to desire and seek after the dwelling in the House of the Lord all the days of your life as you sang in the Introit. Judge according to the vocation in which God has placed you. Yes. But always have mercy and forgive just as our Father in heaven is merciful and forgives you.
And in that peace and joy we come today to receive mercy and forgiveness against under bread and wine, the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
One of the most misquoted texts in all of Holy Scripture is from our Gospel today. Judge not, lest ye be judged. It’s often said in the King James to sound more regal and authoritarian. I’ve had it used against me numerous times. No doubt you have as well. It first happened for me as a high school and young college student. I don’t remember the context of our conversation. It was probably something having to do with sin. But the first time it was thrown at me as a conversation stopper I was caught off guard. I paused to reconsider what I had just said. Was I speaking from my vocation in right judgment? Or was I being judgmental and under the condemnation of Jesus?
Try talking to a heterodox Christian about human sexuality, life issues like abortion or euthanasia, or racial issues and the person might retort, Judge not, lest ye be judged. The expectation is that this stops the argument and that somehow homosexuality is no longer against God’s design. Or abortion isn’t the murder of a human being. Or destruction of personal property or riotous rage are justifiable.
Is this what Jesus means? Are we not to speak about right and wrong? Truth and error? Good and bad? You are catechized, so you know that’s not what He’s saying, otherwise He’d be contradicting what He says elsewhere in the Scriptures. And because you are catechized you know that Scripture does not contradict itself. But how do you know that Jesus is not prohibiting all forms of judging?
Consider some exceptions. Firstly, under the Fourth Commandment, parents have not only the right, but divine duty, to judge their children’s behavior. God has also given the government the right to establish just laws, judge wisely, and punish criminals. Jesus told Pontius Pilate that his authority as governor was given to him from above. That is, from God. St Paul wrote that the civil rulers are God’s servants when they exercise the power of the sword (Rm 13). If no one had the right to judge criminals, they would get away with their crimes, and innocent people would be hurt. There would be no order in our society. State and national laws are supposed to keep the strongest from oppressing, hurting and killing the weaker.
Yet it is not just parents and the civil authorities who have the right to judge. Only a few verse later in both Luke’s record of Jesus’ Sermon and Matthew’s parallel Sermon on the Mount, Jesus catechizes us to Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Mt 7:15-16, 19-20). We are to discern the fruit to see whether is is good or bad. And you are called, dear Christian, to accept the good and reject the bad.
Every Christian has the duty to judge doctrine and outward words and actions of those around them. For by right judgment we understand. We discern truth from error, right from wrong. Jesus said, Beware of false prophets. You cannot beware of false teachers unless you judge what they teach. These are their fruits. Do they agree with Holy Scriptures? Does it align with the Small Catechism? The man known as the "American Luther," CFW Walther, said that every Christian is obligated, on pain of losing his salvation, to seek out an orthodox Christian Church and go there!
Pastors, especially, have the responsibility to judge doctrine and to warn those under their spiritual care of threats against the truth. St Paul repeatedly urges pastors to teach and preach only pure doctrine. This necessarily entails judging what is and is not false doctrine. The Apostle concludes a list of qualifications for a Pastor in his Epistle to Titus with these words: He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in healthy doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).
Judge not, Jesus says. He is not denying parents or civil authorities the right and duty to pronounce judgment. Neither is He denying ministers of His Church or any Christian the right to judge doctrine according to the Word of God within their vocation. This kind of judgment is necessary and even demanded by our Lord. Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them (Rm 16:17). If we could not do this we would be swept away by the latest, trending, worldly opinions. Not only in theological matters, but in all things.
So what is our Lord teaching us by saying, Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned? It all hinges upon the sentence that comes before it and follows after it. Therefore, become merciful, even as your Father is merciful. And Forgive and you will be forgiven. With this you see why the Old Testament for today is the account of Joseph forgiving his brothers.
Twenty years earlier he was hated by them, stripped of his clothes and humiliated, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. They covered up their sins and deceived their father into thinking he was mauled by a wild beast.
Yet God highly exalted him. He made him the most powerful man in Egypt. And when he had his chance for revenge later in life, when he had the chance to at last berate them with indignation, to get revenge. He instead showed them mercy. They were expecting harsh words, but he spoke kindly to them. He cried tears of joy and embraced them not as servants, but as brothers. He showed them mercy! A better example could not be found in all the world.
But we need more than an example, dear Christians. When Jesus says, Judge not, we are judged. When He says, Condemn not, we stand condemned. We need a Savior. We need someone who forgives our sins. Someone to remove the planks from our eyes. So the Father sent One better than Joseph. He sent Jesus, His beloved Son, true God to become Man. He was hated by His brothers too. Stripped of His clothes and humiliated. He was sold for the price of a slave and betrayed into the hands of men, and thrown into a pit of death.
Yet after three days in the tomb He was raised from the dead, highly exalted into the highest heavens and enthroned at the Father’s right hand. This was not so that He could exact revenge on those whose sins put Him on the Cross. That is, to get even with you, to indignantly berate you. Rather it is so that He can announce to you reconciliation.
Our Judge, the One who can judge us guilty of breaking His Law, has Himself been judged guilty instead so that you might be acquitted. Our Judge, who alone could condemn us, was condemned in our place and instead absolves us. The One who alone can get you back and treat you like He Himself was treated, instead treats you not as servants, but as royal sons and daughters.
Joseph could only say to his brothers, Am I in the place of God? But Jesus says to you, “I am God in the Flesh. In Me you have the kind of mercy that deals with all your sins. It removes your neighbor’s specks and your own planks so that you may see more clearly according to My Word. I have taken your ever-present pride and all your sins upon Myself and died for them. Not only that, I rose again so that you could be given new life from above by water and the Word in Holy Baptism and be adopted into My family as brothers and sisters. And as a family, I give you the right to sit at My Table and share in My eternal inheritance. This is how My Father is merciful toward you. You, dear child, are likewise to become merciful."
Therefore, Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Or, as Jesus says, Become merciful as your Father is merciful. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. He is not saying “Overlook one another’s sins and pretend they aren't sinning. Accept people no matter what they do or say.” No, what He’s teaching you is to acknowledge right and wrong, truth and error, according to His Word. But to first recognize that you are a sinner in need of the Father’s forgiveness. That by repentance and faith you take the log out of your own eye. Then, by His Word and Spirit, do you see more clearly to not be judgmental, but to judge rightly.
For as the Father shows you unfathomable mercy in Christ Jesus, you are to be merciful. You have been freed from your sin. You are now free, even commanded, to forgive those who sin against you.
This is what the Christian Church is all about - being forgiven and forgiving. Being loved and showing love. This is what it means to desire and seek after the dwelling in the House of the Lord all the days of your life as you sang in the Introit. Judge according to the vocation in which God has placed you. Yes. But always have mercy and forgive just as our Father in heaven is merciful and forgives you.
And in that peace and joy we come today to receive mercy and forgiveness against under bread and wine, the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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