I Spy With My Little Eye

I Spy with My Little Eye

Luke Chapter 6:37-42

We live in a world that has lost its moral compass. The line between right and wrong, truth and a lie have become blurred. This kind of thinking is called relativism. I remember an old movie where a young man (Alfred) was giving advice to a store Santa in Miracle on 34th Street.

The young man ALFRED said: A lot of bad isms floating around this world...but one of the worst is commercialism. Make a buck. Make a buck. Even in Brooklyn, its the same. Dont care what Christmas stands for. Just make a buck.

We could go on to list all the isms that we deal with that are a conflict with our life. Communism, Socialism, Individualism, Capitalism and on and on but today Jesus is pointing us to Criticism.

Do you know some fine upstanding Christians who keep their fine up standing position by criticizing others in order to make themselves look better? Well that is part of what Jesus was explaining to the crowd that day.

In Jesus day the Jewish faith was embedded into the very fabric of society much like Christianity is today. Practicing Jews took great pride in being able to demonstrate their moral superiority over others. They looked down on other people who did not meet their standards.

We have a lost world out there that needs clear and defined boundaries not moral ambiguity. We find ourselves in conflict with the problem of relativism everywhere we go. It is especially hard to raise children in our society today and expect them to hold to and honor the moral lessons we as their parents impart. We are in a war of ideas.

Every day the world offers its spin on right and wrong it offers time and time again an explanation or exception to the rule much like the Jewish priest of Jesus time were offering up daily sacrifices to appease Gods wrath.

The book of Hebrews tells us that kind of offering is futile; it is empty and weak unable to cover over or erase the sins of the people. Hebrews 10:11-14

There remains only one perfect sacrifice, one perfect covering for the sins of all mankind.

11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

I work with a lot of young people who have a different perspective on work and the rules of work while they are they. Some think nothing of bending the rules now and then as long as they do not get caught. They seem to think and worse believe that it is O.K. to break the rules right until you are caught and only then should you apologize and only because you got caught not because you broke the rule.

That kind of thinking gets my blood boiling and makes we want to point out to my bosses what these kids are up to behind their back. But I have a problem. I am not their boss and it is not my job to point out the faults of others. As a Christian I have to be careful not to judge or I run the risk of being labeled judgmental or self-righteous or at the very least overly critical.

So I went to them and told them that their actions could get them in trouble. I told them I would not tell on them but that I would not lie for them if they were caught. I still think they saw me as judgmental and out of step with the way things are today but there was one young person who seemed to appreciate my honesty and my conflict. To the rest of them Im sure they will see me as someone who can not be trusted.

I was not looking to take advantage of their actions for my personal gain; I was trying to explain how their actions reflect badly on all of us. This is the same behavior that we in the church are up against with the world when they see one of us act less than Christian.

It is then that the fingers come out pointing at us as being self righteous and religious and imposing our moral precepts on them.

In Luke Chapter 6:37-42 Jesus lays this whole problem out for us.

37 Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.