So,
I gotta say, one of my all-time favorite sermons here at the church was the recent one on “do not judge, lest ye be judged”!
As you can tell I learned that verse a long time ago and remember it in the language of the King James Version.
The Contemporary English Version puts it a bit more smoothly “Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you.” Luke 6:37.
But here is the challenge; I like judging others!
I know it isn’t right, but it just comes so naturally. People do weird stuff! People think weird stuff! People are just weird!
And while I know my opinions often reflect some pretty bad prejudices, I still just can’t with men who wear flip flops. Call me a bad person. I can take it. But no. Just no.
And driving… Don’t get me started! Weave left to go right! Go back to driving school!
When Sue and I came to this church way, way back in the last century, I told her I was going to have to rush out and get at least one suit, because in the church I had come from in Boston, every man wore a suit to church. So I assumed…
Then on my first Sunday in the pulpit I looked out and behold, the only one in the whole congregation wearing a suit was Henry Holly, who was ancient, I’m sure he was into his 80’s by then, and said, “oh”!
My perception of how things were and how things were supposed to be, turned out to be faulty, based on faulty information, and certainly not based on my extensive study of scripture in seminary or before.
My fairly mild prejudices were based on my limited experience and my simple interpretation of them. And yes, I said Henry Holly was ancient, don’t judge me! Just because that’s another of my prejudices, doesn’t mean you can judge me, even if I choose to judge you!
So imagine, in this crazy world of ours, what it would be like, if we all stopped judging and gave up some of our cherished prejudices.
And then, consider this story of Jesus and the woman!
If only we all had “judgy” meters on, an app you could add to your phone or your smart watch, much like a Geiger counter, that would click like crazy with all the judging in this room and out in Worship Live land!
Because I know for sure some of your prejudices, and mine, and some of your jugginses and mine are light up with the story of this woman.
Because this story is about the “sinful” woman! And we all know what that means!
Except, in case you miss it, it turns out the story is really about Jesus and Simon!
Did you hear that!
The story is really about Jesus and Simon!
All of us judge. All of us are prejudiced. Sometimes it really doesn’t matter. Sometimes it destroys other people’s lives, sometimes even our own.
The reality is no matter what I think of men wearing flip flops, no one is going to change their choices because of what I think, and I really don’t think they should.
But sometimes our practicing of judging and our prejudices really do make a difference. They cause changes in behaviors. They allow us to confront other people we have no business confronting. We start demanding that the world conform to our views.
Not conform to the Kingdom Jesus teaches us about.
And sometimes, they allow us to construct a reality that excludes people God has no intention for us to exclude!
Like Simon, who thought that if Jesus was really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman was washing and kissing his feet, who then met a prophet who knew exactly what Simon was thinking, and pointed out how his prejudice against the woman put him in the position of not showing hospitality to God!
Let that sink in.
Hospitality, or the lack of it was considered a huge social and religious sin.
Not showing hospitality to God present right before him? That was devastating!
Simon’s prejudices were getting in the way of Simon being in the holy presence.
And our prejudices get in the way of God’s presence in our lives!
Seeing people doing what see as wrong, as sinful and choosing to blaming them, belittle their pain, getting mad at them, and not doing what we have been told again and again and again to do, love them as ourselves, is sin.
Standing in the way of God’s presence in our lives, in our families, in our communities, and even in our churches.
Jesus points out Simon did none of the acts of hospitality that were required of a host. He reminds Simon he didn’t kiss Jesus, didn’t wash his feet, didn’t anoint him. But the woman did.
Instead, Simon looked right past Jesus and saw your own righteousness and her sin and you judged her, and so, in doing so, you pushed me away.
Simon, you need to look very carefully at what you believe and why. And if your belief’s lead you to judge others, then you will be judged.
We live in crazy times. It is easy to see who is bad and why. We make judgments about who gets COVID and who doesn’t, who goes on peaceful protests, and who is there when looting and rioting happen.
We judge others on the basis of their color, or creed, or national background, or lifestyle. And we fail to love them.
But when we choose not to love them, we are choosing not to love God.
This is hard to hear, so hard, that some at Simon’s dinner party judged Jesus right there and then and said, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!”
Don’t be like Simon! And go in peace!
Amen.
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