22nd Week OT (F)
Paul isn't worried about being judged by those he serves. He's happy to let the Lord weigh the evidence against him and announce a verdict. While he's confident of his innocence, he's not putting any serious money on the outcome of his heavenly trial. He'll rely – like we all do – on God's mercy. Paul ends this preface with an admonition: “...do not make any judgment before the appointed time.” A familiar reminder – almost routine – about the futility of pretending to be a judge of the law. As familiar and routine as this reminder is, it's telling that Paul thinks a reminder is necessary. And it is. We'll hear tomorrow about the divisions in the Church of Corinth. Divisions drawn along economic lines. Ideological lines. Moral lines. All sorts of lines that mean nothing in the life of Christ. What these lines represent is the intrusion of Pride into the life of the Church. One faction judging another. Pride leading this group to condemn that one. Paul holds himself and Apollos up as examples of how not to worry about judgment from anyone but Christ. He writes, “[Christ] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts...” Before you judge, ask yourself: am I ready to have the motives of heart made manifest?
Here's the problem with judgment: it is always motivated. That is, any judgment we make – no matter how serious or benign – is moved by our intellect and will, by our assessment of the True and the Good. If your intellect and will are perfectly, purely aligned and you possess all all Truth and Goodness, then your judgment will also be perfect and pure. But we know that no human person can possess perfect Truth and Goodness while remaining a human person. It follows then that any and every judgment we make is going to be flawed. If you judge your roommate or your classmate or your professor or your priest based on an imperfect Truth and a tainted Goodness, then what comes forth most powerfully is your motivation – that which is most deeply moving you to make such a wrecked judgment. That – whatever it is – is what's going to be made manifest. Imagine your unfiltered, unflavored motivations being splashed all over Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, talk radio, and the network news. Complete with a pic, a bio, an address, and a map. If you are confident that your motivations can withstand that kind of raw scrutiny, then maybe you should go right ahead and pass judgment on That Sinner Over There. However, if there's the slightest doubt in your mind that you are not yet perfected in Christ, then you might want to hold off and let the One Who is Truth and Goodness do the judging. Surely, it's enough for now that you and I confess our own sins and let the Lord search our hearts. Our mercy can be mean and sour. His mercy endures forever.
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