The Way of Mercy and Judgment
Luke 6:36-42
July 5, 2020 anno Domini– Redeemer
It’s your first day on the job. You’re a car salesman at the Dodge dealer. A nice young family with three children comes in looking for a minivan. They have $10,000 to spend. The only van on the lot at that price has 180,000 miles on it and likely won’t give them a year’s service. But you’re in a good mood. You want to make a sale, so you sell them a brand new top of the line van, $48,000 sticker price, for $10,000. When the manager throws you out the door you try to defend yourself saying, “Well, I was being merciful, as my Father in heaven was merciful to me.” It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? No business can run by God’s economy, yet many Christians are taken in by false interpretations of being merciful and not judging.
By the mercy of God we are His children. By the blood of Christ we are judged righteous before our Father, therefore we are to be merciful and we are not to judge. To understand what that means we need to listen to Jesus, because they are His Words and He defines them.
First, let’s deal with the false definitions and false beliefs. If you don’t judge anyone God won’t judge you or if you are merciful God will be merciful to you. Basic grammar tells use these beliefs are both wrong. Jesus did not speak either verse in a conditional form, “If you are this then God will be that.” Scripture also contradicts this interpretation. If God’s mercy is dependent on your mercy and His judgement on your judgment then your salvation is completely up to you. If you believe that then you might as well erase the Old and New Testaments. You don’t need Jesus dying for your sins. It’s up to you to save yourself.
Another misuse of these verses is when these passages are used to demand the Christian to be Joe or Jill Doormat. If you accuse me of sin or any evil I’ll pull out the “judge not” card. When these verses are used to defend sin or evil they are being misused. If you find out your husband is having an affair with pornography and he says, “Don’t judge” he is justifying his sin. He’s also beating you up with the Law by wrongly accusing you of sin. That is not Godly or Christian.
The right use of these Words is to hear them from Jesus. They aren’t given to be used against others. Jesus speaks them against you. The proper and first use of these words is to hear them as the damning law they are. We fail to be merciful. We judge the motives of others. We convict them, avoid them, and punish them. Don’t tell me you have not murdered someone with your anger or bludgeoned them with your words or shunned them with your actions. How do I know you have judged and are not merciful? Because I have judged and I am not merciful. I am an expert in sin. I could get my Ph.D. in sin without even studying. So could you.
If we hear these Words correctly they are going to cost us and they will benefit those around us.
You are merciful because God has been merciful to you. You do not judge because God is the only judge of the human soul. Because God is merciful you are alive today. He keeps the sun shining, the earth spinning and the climate conducive to your life. He makes the seed sprout and grow so you could have your peanut butter toast this morning and your Raisin Bran and banana. He made your car, your house, your bed. He provides air conditioning. All this He does in mercy. Not one of us deserves it. If we got what we deserved the earth would stop spinning and we would go flying off to be scorched to death by the sun.
This great daily bread from our Father’s hand is nothing compared to the mercy He has shown us in His Son. He forgives all your sins at the cost of Jesus. There is absolutely no advantage for Him to save you. He gains nothing and it costs Him His Son. That is mercy. Christ Jesus died on a cross outside Jerusalem for the forgiveness of your sins. That’s free to you. You’re forgiven. Every sin. Thoughts, Words. Deeds. Secret sins. Youthful sins. Stupid sins. Nagging sins. All forgiven. And forgiven, you are a child of God. Forgiven, you will live after you die. Forgiven, you will rise with a glorified body and a sinless soul. In the resurrection every cell of your body will be selfless – directed completely to God in faith and to your neighbors in love.
Jesus tells a little parable to teach us His way. Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into the pit? A blind man cannot see where he is going and therefore cannot lead others, but you are no longer blind to God’s ways. His Word has revealed His way to live – that way is the mercy of God the Father toward you in His Son Jesus Christ. You know where that Way leads. On the last day God will judge the wicked. Until then there will be injustice. The righteous will suffer and the wicked prosper, but it’s not up to you to judge. Jesus will judge the living and the dead. On the last day the mercy you have received by faith will overwhelm you by sight – you won’t be able to contain that mercy. It will be a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.
Since we are not blind to God’s way we lead others in that way. When someone sins against you or does something evil call him on it. It is not merciful to let someone get away with sin and harm themselves or others. It is merciful to desire their repentance and forgiveness before Christ. If they don’t repent you still love them and are kind to them. You don’t judge them and cut them off. At the same time you don’t disregard their sin or its consequences. This is especially important in the roles of authority God has given us as husbands, parents, teachers, pastors, police, and bosses.
Walking in this way means you are not Jesus. You are a saint and a sinner living in a fallen world. You are righteous because of Christ and at the same time sinful because of you. You are not always going to be merciful and you will judge. Walking in the Way means receiving the mercy of God for your sins. It means remembering the great mercy heaped upon you when you deal with those who sin around you and against you. Remove the log, before you call out the speck. Remember you still call out the speck. Call sin sin, but don’t take Christ’s place. He alone takes away sin and He alone will judge those who refuse His forgiveness. Be merciful. Don’t judge. See the way of God and walk it in the name of Jesus. Amen.