Reach Out Before Judging
by Fr. David M. Knight
June 13, 2024
Tenth Week of the Year Thursday
Lectionary No. 362
In 1Kings 18:41-46 Elijah knew that when God gave him victory over the prophets of Baal the drought was ended. But God still put his faith to the test. He had to send his servant seven times before a little rain cloud appeared, “small as a man’s hand.” Then “the rain fell in torrents,” and Elijah ran ecstatically before Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel.
Christ won his victory on the cross. But it is slow to appear. When we read the New Law Jesus is giving in Matthew 5:20-26, we should not assume we or others in the Church have accepted it.
People perceived the Old Law as God in heaven making rules to guide human behavior on earth. The New Law is for people who share in the life of the Trinity. It calls us to base our behavior on the interaction of Father, Son and Spirit. It is a law of relationship.
The Old Law said, “Do not kill.” The New Law says, “Whatever disrupts relationship between you and your brother or sister in Christ is sin” (hamartia, to “miss” or “fall short”).
When we think we perceive sin or error in others, the procedure Jesus mandated is: 1. Try to talk out your differences face to face and one-on-one. A level playing field promotes fair dealing. To express one’s thoughts honestly to another is to accept vulnerability. This is ministry in the surrendered spirit of “Thy will be done.” 2. If that fails, use “facilitators” who can help you understand each other. 3. As a last resort, submit the issue to authorities.
In practice however, people do not “go first and be reconciled” with the brother or sister they are judging. They don’t even try. They first talk to others they think will agree with them, backing themselves up with a potential lynch mob. Then they jump immediately to what Jesus reserves as the “last resort”: they denounce the alleged offender to the authorities. And too often the authorities, being of the same non-relational mind-set, condemn the accused without allowing them to confront the accusers. This means that if there is a hearing, the authority must take the role both of prosecutor (presenting the charges) and judge. Any lawyer will tell you that in a process like this the outcome is predictable: the “defense” does not have a chance. This violates natural justice.
To be Trinitarian; that is, Christian, our interaction with each other must be always interpersonal—like that of Father, Son and Spirit—not adversarial.
Decision: Judge yourself before judging others. Who is guilty of the “greater sin”?
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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