Pictures Of Grace

Luke 6:37-42

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

IN THE BOOK The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, a brother in the desert community of Scetis committed a sin, and the council invited Abba Moses to come sit in judgment against him. So Abba Moses filled a leaking jug with water and carried it to the assembly. When the others asked what he was doing, he said, “My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another.” The council then dropped their charges against the offender.^a

The father’s visual illustration reminds us of an important biblical truth that is repeated throughout the Gospels and letters of the New Testament. God has not put us in a position of judgment. He has given us a responsibility for discernment, but that’s not the same as judgment, which tends to fault others for the same sins we have committed ourselves. Jesus spoke very harshly against such condemnation, even suggesting that we will not be forgiven unless we learn how to forgive others (Matthew 6:15; 18:35). Our attitudes toward those around us are somehow related to God’s attitude toward us, even when we claim the name of Christ. That’s a sobering thought.

If Jesus was so emphatic and serious about our need to forgive others, it would be wise for us to be emphatic and serious about our judgments too. We have been called into a community of grace—not to ignore real issues, but to bring mercy into the midst of them. Our foremost thought in our relationship with God should center on how much we have been forgiven and how grateful we are for his mercy. When that is our relational baseline with God, it becomes our relational baseline with others. We extend to others the mercy we have received, and something of God’s nature becomes visible. We become living illustrations of the picture Abba Moses gave his brothers.

{Jesus, you came not to condemn but to forgive, heal, and restore. I hereby give your Spirit an open invitation to jolt my awareness anytime I let my judgments rise above your mercy. Let me embody your grace and demonstrate your nature. Amen.