JUDGMENTALISM

LUKE 6.1-5

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Gospels give us opportunities to see what You said and did.

They give opportunities  to see great and good things about Who You really are. 

With the Holy Spirit opening our eyes, we will see Your grace and glory just as the disciples did.  

Luke 6.1-5 tells us of Your enjoying Your world and its abundant provision with Your beloved followers.   

You were enjoying a morning of conversation, eating bits of grain as You walked together. 

This simple act of eating grain became the focus of a major criticism from the Pharisees, as being "unlawful." 

You answered them, not with scorn or sarcasm, not with disgust and bitterness, not with superiority or anger.  Your feelings were not hurt. 

 You were not needing to be right, to be superior, to put them in their place, to tell them off, or to demand respect. 

You only wanted  humbly, kindly, gently to help them see the mistaken viewpoint they had about the rules and laws they so seriously followed. 

You only wanted them to see that You had the authority to enforce or suspend any law that You had Yourself made.

You wanted to help them see the glory, goodness, grace, greatness of Who You really are. 

James was there and saw the awful judgmentalism of the Pharisees.

 

James saw Your patience and wisdom in trying to get them to see themselves in their miserable condemnation of others, wherein they were condemning themselves. 

James would later write,

"Mercy triumphs over judgment."

James 2.12-13.

 

Faith that follows You does not use laws to condemn others.

Faith that follows You uses mercy to meet the needs of people.

Faith does not condemn.

Faith moves with compassion and mercy.

Faith sees what You see--the person behind the attitude and action. 

"The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

James 5.11

 

James saw the difference between "cursing" someone for violating a law and being "full of mercy and good fruit."  James 3.9-18

 

Seeing You here in Luke, like James did, we  can be more like You with everyone we meet.

We can look at and listen to others with patience and kindness, gentleness and humility, compassion and forgiveness, like You did here. 

This is how You treated Your enemies!

From v. 27--"Love your enemies"--You describe how You treated these Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.  No matter how angry, condemning, and malicious they became, You continued to try to help them see their mistakes. 

You gave Your newly called disciples directions to treat others as they had just seen You treating the Pharisees.  

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful…

Do not judge…Do not condemn…Forgive…

Take the beam out of your own eye…" 

Luke 6.36-49

This is what You tell me to do. 

Why do you call me, "

Lord, Lord,"

and do not do what I say?

Luke 6.46