Mercy Trumps Judgment

James 2: 1-13

 

The Epistle of James if full of surprises.

          The same Letter that says:

                   “Faith without works is dead”

          Is the letter that proclaims in today’s lesson:

                   “Mercy triumphs over judgment”.

 

James was terrified that the church would become

          A class conscious and divided community.

                   The amazing thing about the early church

                             Was that it was class free,

                                      In many places.

          Everyone was the same in the church:

                   Greek and Jew, Slave and Free, Male and Female

                             All are one in Christ- according to the

                                      Writings of Paul and the

                                                Practice of the early church.

          We learned about the church in Philippi last month

                   That included a rich Greek women merchant,

                             A Roman jailor and

                                      A Jewish slave girl.

                             That’s about as diverse as you can get,

                                      Economically and culturally.

 

And that was important in the early church

          Because it reflected their theology.

                   Everyone in the church was the same in that

 They were all dependant on God’s mercy.

          That’s why James can declare at the end of the lesson

                   “Mercy triumph over judgment”

                             It doesn’t mean that we are no longer subject

                                      To the judgment of God.

                   We are very much under the judgment of God.

What it means is that we are judged by God,

      But only by God and not by each other.

          And God dearly loves us and forgives us in Christ.

                   The mercy of God triumph over Judgment.

That is not a testimony on God being wishy washy but rather

          A testimony to God who does not and will not give up

                   On you and me, in other words mercy is strong.

 

There is a fascinating fictional novel by Ray Anderson.

          The Gospel of Judas: Is there a Limit to God’s Forgiveness?

                   The is not the Coptic Gospel of Judas

                             With all the controversy around it.

          This book by Ray Anderson is a fictional conversation

                   Between Jesus and Judas.

                             It is actually an argument in which Judas

                                      Believes that his sin is so bad

                                                That Jesus cannot forgive it.

                   Jesus is arguing that there is not limit

                             To God’s forgiveness, that God

                                      Can even forgive Judas.

It is an interesting and controversial book in its own right

          But I think that it puts us face to face with the

                   Challenge in the Epistle of James:

                             Does Mercy triumph over judgment?

                   Or does our limited understanding and perspective

 on judgment limit the mercy of God.

          James says emphatically:

                   Mercy triumphs over judgment.

                             And the word for triumph katakochatai

                                      Actually means exults or boasts  ,

                                                So it really is emphatic.

Now of course we think that we aren’t judgmental

But the Greek word for judgment is krisis

          It has many meanings: to decide, to select,

                   To go to law, to assess, to judge.

In other words,

          Whenever we assess the value of something

                   Whenever we decide that something is good

                             Or something is bad

we are exercising  krisis- judgment.

 

And the reality is that we are all like that.

          And what James is saying here is not to stop

                   Discerning good from bad, right from wrong

                             But rather to operate with an attitude

                                      Of humility- there is good and bad

                                                In all of us.

 

We are all judged, not by each other but by God.

          We are all guilty before God and we all

                   Rely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.

          Part of James argument in today’s lesson is

                   That even in the simple act of showing partiality

                             To one person over another,

                                      We sin against God.

          The moment we judge another, we stand condemned.

                   That’s why Jesus said in Matt. 7:1,2

                             “Judge not lest ye be judged.”

In some ways the person we judged the hardest is ourselves.

          It is hard for us to receive God unconditional grace

                   And therefore it is hard for us to share that mercy

                             With others.

          But James and even Jesus say

                   That’s exactly what we are to do and be

                             As disciples of Jesus Christ-

 

          James says:

                   “For judgement will be without mercy,

                             To anyone who has shown no mercy.”

 

          Jesus says in Matthew:

                   “Blessed are the merciful,

                             For they shall receive mercy.”

 

                   “Forgive us our debts,

                             as we forgive our debtors.”

 

          And in case you missed it the first several times

                   On the cross Jesus says:

                             “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

 

Jesus wasn’t talking about somebody else,

          He was talking about everyone who participated

                   In the crucifixion:

                             The Romans who crucified him,

                             The Jewish leaders who convicted him,

                             Judas Iscariot who betrayed him,

                             Peter, who denied him,

                             The rest of the Apostles who abandon him,

                             The Crowd who called out “Crucify him”

                             And the rest who let it happen.

 

Were you there when they crucified the Lord?

We are all there somewhere at the foot of the cross.

          We are all guilty in some way…

                   And we all receive the forgiveness

                             That God offers in Jesus Christ,

                                      Even Judas I would be bold to say

Because the mercy of God is greater, more powerful,

          More awesome, more amazing, than any judgment

                   We might make.

Mercy trumps judgment

          Because it is God’s mercy and it frees us up

                   To have mercy on each other,

                             To value each other,

And to build each other us in the name of Christ.

                                      Amen.