Fourth Sunday after Trinity

If you ask a scientist to explain the eye, he will probably start talking about the iris and pupil, or about rods and cones. Ask a Christian, and he will likely speak about how the eye is designed and fashioned by God, which is true. But if you consult Scripture, you will find that the eye is the instrument of judgment.

In our gospel text, which includes the favorite and most often quoted verse of all unrepentant sinners, “Judge not,” Jesus goes on to talk about blindness and impediments in the eye. This is not an unusual pairing. The eye judges what it sees. This theme runs through the whole Bible. “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.” (Judges 2:11) Literally, they did evil in the eyes of the Lord. God’s eyes are His judging gaze. Likewise, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Every man became his own judge. His own eye determined what was right.

The judgment of the eye was first found in the garden of Eden. “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes…” (Gen 3:6) In seeing the tree, Eve was making a judgment that it was good. And what was the serpent’s promise? “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5) To have open eyes is to be capable of judgment.

The serpent is lying, of course, but he is not wrong about the eye. The eye perceives, and the eye judges. Throughout Scripture, the eyes of God symbolize His perfect judgment. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”(Prov 15:3). “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”(2 Chr 16:9). The eyes of the Lord see and judge all things.

But where God’s eye judges righteously and perfectly, the eye of man reveals the false judgment of a wicked heart. “A man that hath an evil eye hastens after  riches.” (Prov 28:22) And in the parable of the vineyard, the master asks the angry workers, “Is your eye evil, because I am good?” (Mt 20:15) Why are they angry? Because they have seen his generosity and judged it to be unfair. The evil eye evaluates everything through greed. The eye reveals how the heart judges the world. Sin frequently begins, not with the hand, but with the false judgment of the eye.

Achan said to Joshua, “I saw… then I coveted… then I took.” (Joshua 7:21) David’s sin with Bathsheba also began with seeing. First he saw, then he coveted, then he took, then he committed adultery, then he murdered the husband… David’s hands went on to do terrible things, before he repented, but the sin began in the heart through the false judgment of the eye.

This is why Jesus intensifies the Sixth Commandment by saying, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt 5:28) The eye perceives. The eye judges what is good and beautiful. The heart desires. The will chooses. And finally, the body acts.

So what does Jesus mean what He says, “Judge not”? Does he mean that Christians should ignore all wickedness? Your best friend is having an affair. What should you do? “Judge not.” The accountant is fudging the books? “Judge not!” Your nephew says that he is marrying a man. “Judge not.” Does Jesus want you to turn a blind eye to these things? Far from it. The rest of the Gospel text is about how to make your eye unblind. It’s true, you can’t help your brother with his clouded judgment when your own eye has a log in it. So, get the log out of your own eye so that you can help your brother.

The blind cannot lead the blind. You cannot help lead your brother back to the truth if you yourself are blinded by false judgment and sinful desires. But if you have a log in your eye, the problem is not simply that you have a bigger sin and are a hypocrite; it is that you have lost your ability to judge rightly. Jesus’ goal is not that we all play nice and ignore sin together. His goal is that everyone of us be able to see clearly because all the logs and all the specks have been removed.

When Jesus says, “Judge not,” He is not forbidding all judgment. He is forbidding the corrupted judgment of those who are blinded by sin and self-interest. The fallen human heart cannot be trusted to judge rightly and impartially. That was the serpent’s promise: Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,” but it was a lie. The devil opened the eyes of Adam and Eve only wide enough so that he could shove in the log. “Your eyes will judge between what is right and what is wrong. You will decide what is good and evil.” But as we all know from personal experience and from the Word of God, this judgment cannot be trusted. Deciding between what is good and what is evil meant what I perceive is good and evil for me. Are you here to help me get what I want? Then you are good. Are your actions getting in my way? Then they are evil. This is the judgment that Jesus forbids.

No, the disciple is not above his master. You and I do not decide between right and wrong. God does. We do not define what is good and what is evil. Our Master does. And He has given us His holy Word so that we can look upon the world with clear vision. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Ps 119:105) The only way to see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye is to have your vision illuminated and your judgment informed by the Word of God.

And what does that Word of God have to say about you and me? First, it calls us sinners. This is right judgment. It’s not your judgment. It is God’s judgment. You are not permitted to judge, because you are not above your master. This means that you must rely solely on God’s judgment. He defines what is right and wrong, and this does not change with culture. The Word of God, which we are called to confess, declares the whole human race guilty of sin and deserving of God’s judgment. And you must not be afraid to speak this truth when the situation requires it. But that is not the end of it, for Jesus also says, “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Forgive, just as you also have been forgiven.” (Lk 6:36, 37b)

God looked upon this broken, sinful world and His eyes judged it guilty and worthy of death. And then in wondrous mercy, He poured out that death upon His only Son. How can Jesus speak in our text of judgment and mercy at the same time? Because of the cross that He would bear for all who had been blinded and corrupted by sin. And now when God the Father looks at you, His eyes judge you righteous on account of the blood of His Son. The Father does not see your sin. Instead, He sees only the perfect robe of righteousness that was wrapped around you on the day of your baptism.

 Some would look at the crucifixion and judge it evil, the most horrendous crime in the violent history of the human race. But with the clear sight and judgment that has been informed by the Word of God, we look upon the tree of the cross and call it good. This is not our judgment, but it is God’s judgment, and the revelation of His mercy to us. Amen.