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| Michaelangelo's Day of Judgment in the Sistine Chapel |
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Genesis 50:15-21Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:21-35
In one way or another, the readings for this Sunday are about judgment, tolerance and forgiveness. In keeping with the contemporary liberal democratic world, most mainline denominations have been anxious to cast off the Church’s historical reputation as ‘judgmental’, and embrace instead a non-judgmental inclusiveness that reflects Christ’s injunction to love not only our neighbors, but even our enemies.
The passage from Paul’s Letter to the Romans provides some support for this attitude. The disagreement he writes about is not one that concerns us today – whether or not to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. But the advice he bases upon it, has much wider application. Though we ought to be firm in our own convictions, we ought not to judge, still less despise, those who disagree with us. The Gospel passage puts the same thought in the wider context of those who harm us. Forgiveness is ‘seventy times seven’ more important than retribution, a truth that we all have reason to welcome, if we are not to fall into the rank hypocrisy of the indebted slave.
Contemporary opinion finds all this easy to agree with – but in its rejection of ‘judgmentalism’ a key element in these readings is often neglected. The point is not to deny that human beings are under judgment for what they believe and do. Who on the anniversary of 9/11 could think this? Rather, Christians ought to be careful – even in this case -- that they are not trying to pre-empt God’s judgment. ‘Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?” Paul writes, “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God”. The story of the hypocritical slave, let it be noted, ends with his being “tortured” as an act of justice.
In the past Christians have been too ready to usurp God’s justice. Nowadays they are more likely to make the error of presuming upon God’s mercy. The difficult thing is both to witness to the solemn truth that “each of us will be accountable to God”, and to do so in a spirit of love rather than loathing.
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