Eastertide
May 1, 2018
Scripture Reading: Acts 10:44-48
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
It seems to be difficult for humans to love one another without judging one another. There is no link between the two. Ultimate judgment lies only in God’s purview, delegated to Jesus Christ. Society has identified a need to judge people who may cause harm to others and thus we have an extensive judicial system based on the rule of laws that were developed over time and experience and are updated as experience dictates change. There was a time when it was illegal for persons of color to eat in public restaurants; now it is against the law to forbid persons of color from eating in public restaurants. Of course, we as individuals, families, and groups make formal and informal judgments all the time. Some organizations restrict membership based on where one lives as in a home owner’s organization, how people dress, and so forth. Such judgments are limited at times by civil law and for persons of faith by their religious tenets. While such acts of judging are necessitated by culture and protecting the Common Good, they should in no way restrict our ability to love one another.
The problem is such judgments do often get in the way of our loving one another. For example, the law restricting people of color from eating in public restaurants was overturned because many citizens saw such a law as infringing on other rights and unrelated to any harm that might be done to white people. The Bible was and is used to justify all kinds of discrimination based on human judgments that are counter to the commandment to love one another.
In our scripture today Peter is talking about the laws of his faith system that said only Jews could know the Holy Spirit but his own eyes saw that was not the case and he called his audience to account for continuing this exclusion practice when he said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’
We need to follow the example of Peter and recognize when our love is failing because we are judging when it is not our job.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see the hypocrisy of our judgments when considered in the light of your commandment to love one another. Not only help us see but help we overcome. Amen.