A sermon on Luke 6:36-42 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity. Delivered by Pastor Caleb Strutz.

Everyone’s favorite Bible verse is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Right, I didn’t even need to recite it, you probably already knew it. I’ve seen John 3:16 on license plates and on signs at football games, it’s everywhere.

But if John 3:16 is the favorite verse of the Christian, Luke 6:37 must just be the favorite verse of the non-Christian, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” So often that verse gets thrown up by unbelievers wanting to protect themselves from any criticism. “Well, you can’t tell me that what I’m doing is wrong, ‘Judge not…’” Is that what this verse is really saying here? Can we never call out sin or make a judgment call? What’s Jesus getting at when He tells us not to judge?

Well, in this section, Jesus addresses judgment, among other things, in connection with mercy. The first verse of our Gospel lesson really sets the stage, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” As Jesus instructs us on the Christian life, we’ll distinguish between right and wrong kinds of judgment and see that Christians are to be motivated by mercy, not by judgment.

I. Judgment

So in order to address this difficult topic, we need to let Scripture interpret Scripture, look at other places the Bible talks about judging. Because there are many places where we are, in fact, commanded to judge.

Certainly the government and courts and secular judges are to pass judgment as God’s representatives, to punish what is wrong and maintain a well-ordered society. The Church is told to admonish and correct, to point out sin for what it is and to keep people from it. Christians are told to judge between true and false doctrine. Parents, as they raise up their children to live a godly life, are to pass judgment and correct. Judging isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Jesus says in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” We can make a distinction between an unrighteous judgment and a God-pleasing, righteous judgment. So when Jesus says, “Judge not,” He’s obviously talking about the former, judging “according to appearance.” Maybe another way to put that would be “Don’t be judgmental.” Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t assume the worst, don’t judge arbitrarily or unlovingly or without any reason.

“Judge not” doesn’t mean you can never criticize or call out sin, that would be righteous judgment, the judgment of God, but it does mean that we shouldn’t be critical and pass our own judgment.

Jesus is touching on a sensitive subject here. There’s a reason “Judge not” gets thrown around so often, because so often we do judge “according to appearance” and not “with righteous judgment.”

We can make the distinction between the judging we’re not supposed to do and the judging we are supposed to do, but so often we get those categories messed up. The type of judgment that Jesus commands us not to do is more often than not the judgment we do do.

We see someone do something, we’re quick to jump to conclusions instead of putting the best construction on everything. So often, we assign the worst possible motive when only God can see and know the heart. We keep receipts, we make records of ways that people have wronged us, so that when they mess up again, we can jump down their throat, and allow it to validate our critical spirit. We are quick to judge, more likely to talk about someone behind their back than to that person to seek clarification. And if that’s the kind of spirit we have, we can only expect to be judged in turn.

And if it wasn’t bad enough, not only do we so often commit unrighteous judgment, we also shy away from the righteous judgment that God would have us make. We tear people to shreds for their quirks, but then we don’t address someone living in sin. We know the truth of God’s Word and the damning effects of sin, but having that conversation would be too awkward, so we just drop it. We fail to pass the righteous judgment that God’s Word would have us make and we leave sinners drowning in their sin, because it would be too comfortable to attempt to rescue them.

We fail our Lord’s command on both counts. So often we are judgmental like He condemns while we shy away from righteous judgment. Those charges and many others stand against us and for our sin, we deserve nothing but wrath and punishment.

II. Mercy

But judgment does not have the final word before God. Judgment is not really what this section is about. Christ’s command “Judge not” extends from His command for mercy, just as our Father has been merciful to us.

Although we stand before God condemned for our sin, we do not face or suffer the punishment we deserve. God is a just judge, His justice must be satisfied, He cannot let sin go unpunished. But Christ has endured that punishment on your behalf. God’s righteous judgement against sin has not been passed on us, but has been placed on Christ.

Jesus bore God’s judgment unjustly, He committed no sin of His own, so that He could give you the credit for His perfect life. He bore God’s judgment justly, because our sin has been placed on Him. He suffered the hell that was waiting for us, He died the death we deserve. He suffered God’s judgment to show us mercy.

God is a merciful judge. He does not punish us as our sins deserve, but forgives on the basis of Christ and what He has done. On the cross, we see judgment and mercy combined. We see God punishing sin and God forgiving sin. We see the death we deserve and the new life that has been given us. Christ crucified is this great paradox, this great exchange of our sin for His righteousness, the turning point in our lives as we are brought from death to life.

And sure, that’s not really what Jesus is talking about here. We need to read all this in and bring a lot to this text in order to understand it properly. Because here, Jesus isn’t talking about how we’re saved or the mercy and forgiveness that God has shown us. That’s assumed. He’s talking to His disciples, speaking to us as Christians who have already received God’s mercy and forgiveness. He’s teaching us how to live life in conformity to that truth.

“[B]e merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” is not a word that condemns. Yes, we will never be able to reach that perfect standard, but that’s not the point. He says this to encourage us. To show us that the same mercy which we have received, we are to extend to others.

And that’s where judgment enters the picture. Our relationship with God is not one based on judgment, but on mercy. That is to be the motivating factor in our lives since it is the very basis of our relationship with God. It means that we are to be slow to judge but quick to listen and ready to forgive. It means that we may need to address sin, since we love people and want them to be saved, but that we can do that without being judgmental. The motivation is love and mercy and forgiveness, not judgment.

And mercy and forgiveness are on both sides. That’s something we need to bring to this text as well. God’s mercy is the source of our mercy, His forgiveness leads us to forgive others and then when it’s all said and done, we get that back from God again. “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” We don’t judge others in the ways that we’re not supposed to, and then God, in turn, does not judge us. Not that we have to work for that, but because we already stand acquitted in God’s sight. “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” We forgive others and God, in turn, forgives us. Not because we have earned it, but because God adds mercy upon mercy. He rewards us for the good works that He accomplishes through us. God’s mercy is the source, motivation, and reward for us to be merciful.

So although “Judge not” is perhaps the most famous verse of this section, this text isn’t really about judgment. It’s about mercy. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we have seen how God is merciful to us. And now we extend this same mercy to others, not by judging or being judgmental, but by giving and forgiving. When the truth of God’s Word would have us pass judgment, we do not do so from ourselves but from God and we do not do so in order to judge but in order to show mercy. Our Father’s mercy to us is the motive for our mercy to others. Amen.