Romans 14:10-12

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then, each one of us will be held accountable.

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, and, as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.  But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’  Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.  When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.  Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’  And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.  So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The Man on the Bus

There’s a story perhaps you’ve heard about a man who gets on a city bus. His three children are with him, and they all get on the bus at the hospital bus stop. The bus is full of people. It’s rush hour, and everyone is tired and ready to get home. The man sits down quietly and looks out the window while his three kids jump around wildly. He doesn’t notice them but seems lost in a daze looking out the window. People on the bus start to look at him. Finally, someone asks, “Could you please get your kids to sit down?” The man wakes up out of his daze. “I’m so sorry,” he says. “We have just come from the hospital. My wife, the mother of these children, has been sick for several months. This morning she died.”

At first, when we don’t know the whole story, it’s easy to pass judgment. But later, when we understand what’s going on with compassion, the picture changes.

The importance of forgiving

This is a sermon on forgiving. Yesterday someone asked me what I was preaching on today, and I said forgiveness. He said, “Are you going to talk about forgiving yourself?”

As we get older, I think forgiveness becomes more and more important because of death. We all know we are going to die. But we don’t know when. We could die at any time, even today. It could happen. And so, when I talk to people, especially people who are sick and, in the hospital, I often ask, “Are you ready to go back to God? How are your relationships? Is there anyone you need to talk to? Is there anything you need to forgive?” Someday we will go back to God, and if we have prepared for that moment, it will be a peaceful death. We will be able to let go of everything and fall back into God’s loving arms. So this is why forgiveness is so important.

Forgiveness and the judgmental mind: the readings.   

Last week we talked about forgiveness, and how forgiveness is related to grieving. In our readings this week we take another look at forgiveness, specifically, how forgiveness is related to our judgemental mind. In our first reading from Romans 14, we find the apostle Paul encouraging his audience to refrain from judging one another. And in the second reading, we have the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant: a servant who is forgiven turns around and does not forgive.

Spiritual communities.

A church is a spiritual community, a place where people gather to study and practice a spiritual way of life. There are many types of spiritual communities and many forms of spirituality. There is Jewish spirituality, Christian spirituality, Islamic spirituality, Buddhist spirituality, Hindu spirituality, to name the big five, the five major world religious traditions. And while there are some important differences between these traditions, there is a great deal that is shared, a great many values and practices that are shared in common. For example, forgiveness. Forgiveness is a teaching found in every spiritual tradition.

Forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity.

But I think that in Christian spirituality, perhaps more than any other, forgiveness is given special emphasis. This is because Christian spirituality begins with Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Without the cross, without the death and resurrection, without Christ’s sacrifice, there would be no Christianity. God’s forgiveness is expressed in these terms. And so I think we could say that forgiveness is the central element, the uniquely defining element, the central teaching of Christian spirituality. The basic teaching goes like this: God is love. God loves us. But we are not perfect. We make mistakes. And because God loves us, God forgives us. We are forgiven through Christ Jesus. This is the basis of all Christian spirituality. Forgiveness is where Christianity begins, and forgiveness is a defining practice in the Christian way of life.

So let’s take a look at our first reading. Paul is writing to the church in Rome. And in that particular congregation there are people from various backgrounds, Jews and Gentiles both. It’s like our church here in Searsport. We are a congregation of many different backgrounds. And so, in Rome, there were a lot of different opinions, you know. Lot’s of opinions on how to do things. And so, the people were arguing.

Exhortation to Agape.

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul encourages agape. The letter contains an exhortation to agape. Now, those are big words, but they are important words, so let’s look at this. Agape means unconditional love. Agape is a specific kind of love, not an emotional or reactive feeling, not romantic or passionate, but agape is intentional and unconditional. Agape is a deliberate choice, a sacrificial choice to seek the well-being of others. Agape is principled, benevolent, and not based on merit, but given freely, without expecting anything in return. So Agape is the highest form of love.

An exhortation is a thorough encouragement. To exhort means to strongly encourage, advise, or urge someone to do something. And literally, it means to call one to one’s side, to summon someone closer to you. So an exhortation happens in close community, like in a family, or within a team or a close group. In a choir, or in a classroom, or in a church, for example. The leader exhorts the group, encouraging the team. And this is what Paul is doing in so many of his letters, and we see it here in the letter to the church in Rome.

In Romans chapter 14, there is a conflict in the church concerning festivals, when to celebrate them, what to eat, what to drink, and the congregation is divided. The two sides are judging each other. But Paul does not take sides. He exhorts the congregation to not judge one another.

Judging others is arrogant.

Judging others is, to put it bluntly, arrogant. When we judge other people, we assume a position of superiority. I am better than you. I know more than you. I am a better person than you are. I’m smarter, more cultured, more travelled, more sophisticated, whatever. I am better than you. This is basically what we are saying when we judge other people. But as Paul points out, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” “We will each be accountable to God.” This is the most important judgement, the one that each one of us will face. Or, another way to think about it, if you don’t like the last judgment seat idea, think of it this way: when we stand in front of the mirror at the end of the day, we will have to look in the mirror and face ourselves. I will have to face myself. I will be accountable. I will have to live with myself. So this is something to consider.

The mind of Christ.  

Our reading from Romans 14 is only two verses long, but Paul packs a great into these two verses because he quotes from Isaiah: “For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

The significance of this quote from Isaiah becomes more clear when read it in Philippians. Paul quotes the same passage in Philippians 2 when he exhorts the congregation in Philippi to take on the mind of Christ.

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with god as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Christ pattern.

Paul describes the mind of Christ and encourages the congregation to follow Christ’s example of humility. Although he was God, he humbled himself. And then, because he humbled himself, he was exalted, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend.

This is the Christ pattern. The Christ humbles himself, even to the point of death, and then, he is exalted. And Paul is making this point. That as Christians, this is our path, too.

Our judgmental mind.

Human beings judge. We are constantly judging others. Take a look at your own thoughts, just notice, how many of your own thoughts have to do with judging others. And how much of your conversation has to do with judging others. Gossiping. You know? When you really start to notice this, it can be startling. How much of our conversation would simply disappear if we cut out all the gossip? Gossiping, speaking critically of others, judging others who are not in the same room, talking behind others’ backs, these things are harmful.

Furthermore, we cannot forgive if we are judging. A judgmental mind is not a forgiving mind. A judgmental mind cannot forgive.

The purpose of the spiritual life.

The purpose of living a spiritual life, of practicing a spiritual path, of participating in a spiritual community, is so that we can become what God intends for us to be. To become whole, healed, free, joyful, peaceful, and loving, to create the Kingdom of Heaven, to enjoy the life God has given to us, and to give back to others so that they may find wholeness and healing as well. And then, when we have done the work, to go back to God, peacefully and joyfully, letting go of everything, and falling into God’s loving arms.

May God give us grace to forgive, as we have been forgiven.

Amen? Amen.