Pentecost 7
Year C
July 3, 2016
Text Galatians 6:1
Brothers, ( And Sisters ) if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Gluttony certainly is not spoken highly of in the Bible. Proverbs 23:2 tells us that when we dine with a ruler we are to put a knife to our throat if we are given to gluttony. Proverbs 23.21 says that drunkards and gluttons become poor, the resulting drowsiness clothes then in rags. Proverbs 28:7 says that a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. Saint Paul in Titus 1:12 states that Cretans –People who live on the island of Crete – are liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons. They are to be rebuked sharply so that they may be sound in the faith. Our Lord Jesus is negatively referred to as a glutton and a drunk in Matthew 11:19 and again in Luke 7:34. Deuteronomy 21:20 speaks ill of gluttony and drunkenness. In Philippians 3: Paul talks about those living as enemies of the cross – their god is their stomach.
The Church – prior to the reformation – attempted to give some sins more weight than others hence the thinking behind the Seven Deadly Sins. The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins is a grouping and classification of vices.
Behaviors or habits, such as gluttony are classified under this category if they directly give birth to other immoralities which are also contrary to the seven virtues. These sins are often thought to be abuses of one's natural faculties or passions. Gluttony is the over indulgence and over consumption of anything to the point of waste. The word is derived from the Latin Gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow.
It is particularly sinful if the desire and consumption of excess food causes it to be withheld from the needy. Gluttony is seen as selfishness; essentially placing concern with one's impulses or interests above the well being and interests of others. During times of famine and war, or similar times when food is scarce, it is possible for one to indirectly kill his/her family through starvation just by eating too much or even too soon. The common table manner of beginning to eat at the same time may have had its origin in this this thinking.
Medieval church leaders, such as Thomas Aquinas, took a more expansive view of gluttony arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. Aquinas went so far as to prepare a list of five ways to commit gluttony.
Eating too expensively --- Laute
Eating too Daintily -----------Studiose
Eating too much ---------------Nimis
Eating too soon --------------Praepropere
Eating too eagerly ----------- Ardenter
Out of these, eating too eagerly is often considered the most serious. It is extreme attachment to the pleasure of mere eating, which can cause one to eat impulsively; absolutely and without qualification to live merely to eat and drink; lose attachment to health related , social. intellectual, and spiritual pleasures and lose proper judgment. A Biblical example is Esau selling his birthright for ordinary food of bread and pottage lentils. His punishment was that the unholy person – who for a morsel of meat sold his birthright,” found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears.” (Gen 25:30)
Source on Gluttony, Aquinas, deadly sin, etc WIKIPEDIA
In my opinion Aquinas and associates were a little too much into the details. Just how fast am I allowed to eat a hot dog? According to Aquinas too fast is sinful and so is too slow. Do I get points for a Hebrew National hot dog and demerits for a foot long? This is the kind of legalistic debate the Pharisees seem to love.
Now that I have eaten my lunch early and fast, let me share my life as a glutton. Without splittings hairs I freely admit that I am a glutton. My first recollection of this is when I was five years old. I was forced, against my will, to have a tonsillectomy. I was given ice cream, to ease the discomfort, and positive reinforcement to eat as many soft foods as I wanted. Prior to this I had been a picky eater. The sugar high and parental and grad parental approval turned a theoretical metabolic receptor on and I rapidly switched from a picky eater into a full blown glutton. I assure you this is not just eating too much. This is eating with a vengeance. Not a few cookies but the whole box and then a second box. This is waking up at 3:00 AM and going to the all night store to buy and eat a pound of cheese. This is stopping for a Big Mac and eating it ten minutes before dinner. This is constant eating from after dinner to bedtime. This is like a swarm of locusts clearing a field when I go to a buffet. ---- However, I only went to Fire Mountain a few times and refuse to take the complete blame for their demise. –
I am sure that Aquinas and associates would without hesitation deem me a glutton. More importantly the Holy Spirit has convicted me of this sin. At every level I recognize it as sin. Food has been my idol at times. This is one sin that is hard to hide. I have weighed over 300 pounds many time in my life. I have lost weight and dropped to 145 pounds only to fall of the wagon and restart the gluttony. My waste size has varied between 34 and 54 inches.
Like Paul in Romans 7, I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. I do the evil I do not want to do. It is the sin living in me that does it. I am a wretched man. Only Christ can rescue me from this body of death. (Rom. 7:15-25 )
Some might say that I was born with this defect. This isn't sin, how can you help it? God made you this way. Yes I am made this way but I am called to not act on this sinful urge. We are all imperfect. When we sin we repent and start over with the full confidence that we are forgiven because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all of our sins. This is not permission to keep on sinning. This is forgiveness. There is no celebration of this sin or any other sin. This is a lifelong struggle to keep from sinning. This is a struggle to confess and repent. At no time are we to think that God tolerates our sin. At no time does he tell us to celebrate our sins.
Galatians 6:1 tells us that is someone is caught in sin we who are spiritual should restore him gently. Fully aware of our own sinful nature we are to admonish those of us caught in sin. If you see me being a pig, I could use your gentle help not your accusing finger pointing at me. I assure you I have already persecuted myself.
I have many painful recollections of self righteous pharisees pointing their accusing fingers and tongues my way. One outstanding example happened in the middle of a busy donut shop. A person who I had not seen for several months loudly and obnoxiously pointed out my significant weight gain --- as if I didn't know that I had gained weight. Loud, obnoxiously and persistently she berated me publicly. My reaction was not exactly Christ like but God has put this transgression of mine as far as the east is from the west. Christ made one sacrifice for all sins, even this one, and sat down at the right hand of God (Heb.10:12) There were others not quite this egregious. Things said behind my back yet loud enough to hear. Another of my favorites is when someone I don't every know asks: “should you be eating that”? This is not in the spirit of Galatians 6:1
Brothers, ( and Sisters ) if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
The goal of all admonition is to restore a person in his/her relationship with Christ.
Paul addresses “you who are spiritual.” All Christians have the spirit, not just a select few or an elite few, we often manage to hide it but we do have it. We can follow the spirit's leading by gently and humbly caring for the one who lapses into some sin.
Early in His earthly ministry Jesus – the final interpreter of all scripture – cautions us about judging others in Matthew 7:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother. “Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
These verses tell us to be careful. Examine yourself first. Do not be condemning but be humble and gentle. Do not do this from your personal soap box or bully pulpit but approach this from the foot of the cross as one beggar telling another where the bread is found ( John 6:35 ) According to St Augustine, when we no not know the intentions behind a person's actions, “We are to put the better construction on them”. ( Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Series 1 6:54 )
This does not always happen.
Jesus sets forth a basic condition that needs to be observed. Before admonishing someone, practice self examination. If we do not see our own faults and sins we can not offer admonition to a fellow Christian. Without self examination our admonition can only deteriorate into judgment and legalism.
Jesus warns in Matthew 7:6 that hypocritical condemnation of fellow believers is tantamount to throwing these precious persons out of the fellowship to the dogs and pigs.
The object of all admonition should be the restoration of a person at odds with God because of persistent, intentional, defiant, high handed sin. Just as we would warn someone about a physical danger to their well being and possibly their life; we lovingly warm them about sins that can destroy their relationship with Christ.
A good example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 12. David had sinned. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for the death of her husband Uriah. God sends Nathan the Prophet to rebuke David. Now rebuking the King, in those days, in the near middle east could be a dangerous task. Many Kings do not want to hear the bad news. Nathan tells David a story about a rich man who took a lamb from a poor man. The man's only lamb. The lamb was like a daughter to the poor man. David burned with anger against the rich man for this injustice. Then Nathan told to David that he was that man. He took Uriah's wife and had Uriah killed. Davis then admitted his sin. He didn't try to justify this sin. He didn't say that this isn't sin when the king does it. He did not ask for or expect any exceptions. He did not throw a parade or a party celebrating his sin. He repented and wrote and prayed the words in Psalm 51 . Remember these words which are part of this Psalm. Have mercy on me, O God according to your unfailing love., blot out my transgressions. Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
David was assured by Nathan that his sins would be forgiven.
