Balance | May 22, 2019

DAILY READING

John 7:53-8:11
Psalm 128
This week’s sermon text: Matthew 5:43-48

FIELD NOTES

In God’s Kingdom, there is a perfect balance between justice and love. As Christians, we know that God’s Kingdom is breaking into the world all around us and that we have to learn to see it through the lenses of the gospel. We also know, however, that the balance isn’t perfect yet. There are still those that suffer because justice is absent. There are still those that are in misery because others have refused to love.
 
A woman finds herself caught in a sin punishable by death, and to make a point, the Pharisees bring her to Jesus for him to throw the book at her. The Pharisees don’t really care about this woman; what they really want is to discredit Jesus. All of Jesus’ talk of loving your neighbor and forgiving your enemies will sound pretty hollow to people when they see that Jesus is actually a card-carrying member of the law and order party.
 
In the Pharisees’ world, love and justice were out of balance. This tends to happen when we can’t see past the logs in our own eyes. We forget that we need love and that we’re accountable to justice, just as much as our neighbors, even the ones that have messed up really bad.
 
This is why we all need Jesus to remind us that none of us are worthy of casting that first stone. Our love and justice are out of balance. Our mercy meters are sometimes way off! But Jesus is never out of balance. In him, we find perfect love and perfect justice. So let us all go our way, and sin no more!

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD 

• Is my balance of love and justice out of whack today? What can I do to see the world more like Christ?
• Who needs to hear and know of God’s perfect balance between love and justice?

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Has someone ever forgiven you when you didn’t deserve it? What did that feel like?

PRAYER GUIDE

Lord, we admit that we are stumbling along in this life sometimes. Help us to see the world the way you’d want us to. Help us to love our neighbors and love God more perfectly. In Jesus name, Amen.