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Homily for Trinity 4
Luke 6:36-42 + Genesis 50:15-21 + Romans 8:18-23
You’ve heard the Latin phrase quid pro quo. Literally, something for something. You give something in order to receive something in return. You do something for someone, in order for someone to do something for you in return.
There are a number of quid pro quo’s in our Gospel today pronounced by Jesus himself, and each one deals a crushing blow to our flesh.
Judge not, and you will not be judged. Oh, but we’re so good at judging others. And I don’t mean judging according to God’s Word whether something is right or wrong. We’re called on to make those judgments. But each one likes to play the judge by nature, to look at someone or listen to someone, whether or not you know the facts or the reasons behind the situation, and you play the judge, to decide whether what they did or said meets with your approval or not. You do it when you watch how others drive a car. You do it when you critique how someone is dressed, the way someone talks to you or the tone of voice they use. Sometimes you may approve. Sometimes you may disapprove. In either case, you like to play the judge, don’t you? But Jesus says, judge not — quid! — and you will not be judged — pro quo! Uh oh.
Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Whom exactly will you condemn? Who has placed you in a position to carry out what you think is justice toward someone else? It doesn’t have to be judicial condemnation, though. When you come across someone who doesn’t meet with your approval for some reason and you decide in your heart, “I will have nothing to do with that person. I will not associate with him or her. I will not speak kindly to him or her or defend their reputation or help them in their need. When I feel like it, I will ignore them, and I may encourage others to treat them the same way— horrible people that they are.” When you do that, you have condemned another. But Jesus says, condemn not — quid! — and you will not be condemned — pro quo! Uh oh.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Oh, dear. We even pray that in the Lord’s Prayer, don’t we? Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Think back to how that worked in the Old Testament Lesson with Joseph. I mean, his brothers took him, threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery to Egypt where he was further mistreated and imprisoned for awhile. They lied to his father to cover it up for years and years—until they were caught. And when they finally came to Joseph on their knees in repentance, asking for his forgiveness, he didn’t hesitate for a moment, did he? He forgave them, comforted them, spoke kindly to them and promised to provide for them in the future. Now think about the person who has hurt you the most in your life. Are you just waiting anxiously for that person to come to you in repentance and ask for your forgiveness so that you can forgive him, forgive her, and comfort them, just like that? Is that how ready you are to forgive everyone who has hurt you? Jesus says, forgive — quid! — and you will be forgiven— pro quo! Uh oh.
Finally, Jesus says, give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Let’s see. With the patience you have given to others, that’s how patient God will be with you. With the time and energy you have given to others, that’s the time and energy God will give to you. With the generosity and love you give to others, God’s generosity and love will be given to you.
Now, tell me that sounds good to you. Tell me a day goes by when you consider the people around you and you don’t critique how they’re dressed, how they act, and especially how they treat you. Tell me a day goes by with your heart and lips free of condemnation toward your neighbor, when your greatest desire is for the one who has hurt you most to come in repentance so that you can forgive them their sin against you and treat them kindly.
Friends, this is not good news. These are crushing quid pro quo’s that ought to humiliate us before God. Jesus says, if you want to criticize your neighbor for the speck in his eye, you’d better get that log removed from your own eye first.
But we can’t remove it. We’re so sick. Only God can remove it. “O God, be merciful to me!” we cry. Oh no! But I haven’t been merciful. In fact, when I look at myself, I see no capacity for mercy or compassion or humility. I think I deserve to be treated better by God and by man than I am. O God. What will I do now?
I’ll tell you what you should do now. Go find out what mercy looks like. Run to the cross and see the amazing quid pro quo that God offered there, the blood of his Son for the salvation of sinners! The righteousness of His Son for the unrighteousness of sinners! Forgiveness from God to sinners in return for—nothing at all from sinners to God.
All the quid pro quo’s we heard from Jesus are crushing, but go back to the first thing he said. What was it? Be merciful, NOT so that your Father may be merciful to you. Instead, be merciful even as your Father is merciful. Oh. You don’t need to buy his mercy with your behavior. In fact, you dare not try. God’s mercy is always shown only to those who don’t deserve it.
So when you are crushed by the knowledge of your sin and lovelessness toward your neighbor—and you must be crushed by that every day, because it happens every day—flee to the place of God’s mercy. Flee to the cross and seek refuge there. But what do we mean by that? Where do you go, really? Do you imagine a cross in your head with an imagined Jesus hanging on it? No! It isn’t far to the cross. It’s here in the Word of God. It’s here in the body and blood of Christ. If we really believed that this is the place where we sinners receive mercy from God, I wonder if we wouldn’t be jumping out of our seats with a spring in our step, to come running to the Sacrament or at least to wait anxiously in the aisle until it’s finally our turn to receive mercy from the hand of our Father. The mercy of God is Jesus. Here there is forgiveness for the wicked and for the unmerciful who repent of their wickedness.
And here in Christ, here in the Gospel, here, for the forgiven, there is strength to show mercy, because here you have seen what mercy looks like. Here you have found mercy for yourself. Here you find a reason to forgive the crimes of those who have hurt you, because in the cross of Christ you see the mercy of God, how the Father crushed his Son in place of crushing you, the ultimate quid pro quo that purchased our salvation.
Now, the one who is not moved by God’s compassion to have compassion on others—to judge not, to condemn not, to forgive and to give— has no part in God’s family. He is not your Father if you have no remorse for being so unlike him in your flesh, and no desire to be like him in your life.
But the one who is moved to mercy by the example of God the Father will find that much more mercy with your Father. So when your heart condemns you for your sin, hear his Gospel and look to Christ for mercy and you will find it every time. When it comes time to interact with people or to deal with others, remember to be merciful. Remember to withhold judgment, to withhold condemnation, to be ready to forgive the ones who sin against you and to freely forgive them when they come to you for forgiveness, to give generously of your wealth, of your time, of your energy. And you will receive from God many blessings in return, though heaven itself and the favor of your Father are already yours as a gift through faith alone in Christ. But be aware that the blessings you receive from God—the good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over—may not be visible to you now and may not be the kind of blessings you can count off on your fingers. No matter! Believe Jesus’ words. He doesn’t lie to you. There is great reward in being merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful. Go and practice mercy, even as you have been shown mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
