"Actions Speak Louder than...."

Luke 6:37-49

Snap Judgments (37-42)
Are we really not supposed to make judgments about the actions, words, character and motivations of people? If we don't, aren't we setting ourselves up for everyone to take advantage of us? If we don't, aren't we coddling the people who are doing wrong? Often children and others use this very passage to avoid accountability for their words and actions. When we read the entire set of verses, what Jesus is countering is hypocritical judgment, which includes: 1) condemning the behavior in others for which we are guilty ourselves, 2) condemning the behavior and seeing ourselves as better than others when there are other behaviors for which we are just as guilty, 3) condemning the behavior of others without knowing the full picture, and 4) condemning the person as well as the behavior, not passing on the forgiveness we have been given by Christ. We are not to be indiscriminate and ignore the wrong behavior of others, but we are to be very aware of our own hypocrisy.

Two principles are given by Jesus to moderate our tendency to judge others. The first is that what we give we get back. If we are judgmental, then we should expect to be mercilessly judged by others and by God. In fact, the illustration of the lap garment that cannot hold all its wheat gives the idea that what we give in judgment comes back to us overflowing. Of course, the reverse is true. If we offer mercy and forgiveness, that comes back overflowing in our lives as well. The predominant style of religion in that day was clearly judgmental. In many ways, it still is. In fact, it seems that we are one or the other, overly judgmental or overly permissive. There is a Christ-like balance we need to follow in which we "speak the truth in love" from the disposition of honesty and mercy (holiness and love).

The second principle is that we make our judgments based on a keen self-awareness of our own humanness. One of the key skills that people must have for effectiveness in ministry (or in relational work of any kind) is self-awareness. Jesus uses hyperbole to talk about our tendency to be blind to our own faults. The judger points out the speck of sawdust in someone else's eye, but fails to see that he has a plank in his own eye. Yes, go ahead and picture, a person with a plank protruding from his or face and you get Jesus' picture. The hypocrite is a blind judge, unaware of the biases and the limitations from which he or she judges. There is a real practical aspect to judging. In most cases, you and I will not be able to change the attitudes and behavior of others very much. The one we have the most ability to change (and only by the grace of God) is ourselves. We "first take the plank out of our own eye..."

Bad Fruit - Bad Tree (43-45)
We have seen this before. As we humbly see our words and actions, what is revealed is the condition of our own hearts. That's why it is so important that we take time for self-examination (an "examination of conscience")to ask ourselves why we say what we say and do what we do. It is not enough to just clean up the behavior (which will only work for the short term most of the time). We need to ask, "What about my relationship with God (or with others) is not where it needs to be?" Then we can claim grace to become new from the inside out.

Practice, Practice, Practice (46-49)
We have sung the song in Sunday School. "The wise man built his house upon the rock...the foolish man built his house upon the sand." We then tell the children that they need to learn God's Word so they can be strong in the tough times. Or we might tell them that believing in Jesus is like putting your house on rock; not believing in Jesus is like putting your house on sand. That only gets to the smaller part of what Jesus is saying. Knowing God's word is not the issue; putting what Christ has taught us into practice is the issue. There is a strength and integrity that becomes part of our lives when our actions and words line up with Christ's actions and words. We then are not defined by the whims of our feelings or whatever is popular in the moment, we are defined by who we are in our growing relationship with Christ.

Just as in Matthew's version, I come to the end of Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" and I am keenly aware of how high Jesus sets the bar for our attitudes, words and actions. I am nowhere near what I must become in order to be a full follower of Jesus Christ. I have much to learn and I am in need of more grace than I even realize. The same is true for those around me. For me, that is a call to humility, openness to God, and mercy with those around me. How about you?