I think that two of the most difficult parts of being human is skepticism and judgmentalism. As humans I think we have a healthy streak running through us that is based on being skeptical and judgmental . . . especially when it comes to life and people. Often that seems the way that we view the world around us . . . with skepticism and judgment. It is through these human lenses that we view life and that is not always good. Maybe that is the reason the world is so messed up today.
Over the years I have had the “what if” conversation with many of the faithful when it comes to conversion . . . you know, someone giving one’s life over to God through Jesus. These conversations have usually centered on that one convert who has lived a pretty despicable life . . . the lowest of the low . . . before being saved. And now, they are saved. Given their life over to Jesus. They are walking the talk . . . but, despite the outward approval, there is an unspoken skepticism about the person. There is a distrust of the individual. The person is treated differently than the rest of the congregation.
Especially when it comes to giving the individual responsibility or a job within the church. Are we going to allow an ex-felon to be the youth group sponsor? Probably not even though the person gave his or her life over to God six years before attending the church . . . goes to bible study every day . . . participates in the fellowship groups. Despite the person’s saintly appearance and behavior, we are skeptical and judgmental . . . what if it happens again?
That is our human nature. But with whose eyes are we seeing this person? Our human eyes or the eyes of God?
This is not a new discussion. It is a discussion that has been going on since the beginning of the church . . . who is and isn’t really a follower . . . who is “in” and who is “out”. Skepticism and judgment have been a foundational part of the church sense its beginning and still is.
We see this discussion within the letters the Apostle Paul writes to the congregations he helped start. There is this argument floating around about who is a “true follower of Jesus” and who is not. There is discussion about true followers come from one teacher and not another . . . but which teacher is right? In the early church there was a lot of skepticism and judgment when it came to other people’s faith.
And it was tearing the church apart. Too often the problem came down to whose eyes were being looked through. More times than not it was through human eyes . . . the eyes of the world. For the apostle this was a problem.
Paul comes right out and say it in our reading this morning: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” Instead, Paul implies to those he is writing that they are to see others from God’s point of view . . . to see others through God’s eyes. And what is it that God sees? God sees a “new creation” in which sins are not held against them. It is through Jesus that this is possible . . . through Jesus that reconciliation takes place. There is new creation, life, and beginnings . . . all because of Jesus. This is what is seen through the eyes of God.
The apostle calls us to see through God’s eyes. With this Paul wants people to put aside their skepticism and judging . . . to embrace others as God sees them. And, as right as the apostle is, it is tough to give up old habits. Old habits die hard, and skepticism and judgment are firmly ingrained in who we are as human beings. As hard as we try, we still do it. How do we know we still do it? We catch ourselves doing it. Author Carlos A. Rodriguez writes: “When you judge others you reveal your inability to see them through God’s eyes.”
I think that author Suzy Kassem makes a good point in what she writes here: “As a citizen of the world, I will not confine myself within the gates of one nation or religion. I will not identify with only one species, sex, class or race; for I am a complete being, and that means that I embrace all of humanity, all of nature, every star and universe within the greater universe as a part of me. If we were all created in the image of God, and his love is unconditional, then why can't we love all living things with the same eyes as God? How can anybody say that one race is more superior than another, when we were all created in God's reflection?”
Paul argues that when one gives his or her life to Jesus there is a “new creation”. He says it plain as day: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” This happens because God makes it happen . . . we are reconciled through Jesus. Because we are reconciled through Jesus no longer are our sins held against . . . no longer are we judged by what we once did . . . we are new! And, because of this we should go and be likewise . . . reconciling towards others . . . seeing them through the eyes of God. Paul tells us: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
We are to be like Jesus.
What would we see if we looked through the eyes of God?
I think that we would see a world that is inhabited with fear . . . that people are scared. I think we would see a world that is struggling . . . struggling with what it means to “love one another”. Struggling to embrace the stranger . . . struggling to be one family—God’s family. I think that is what God sees . . . and it makes me wonder if God just contemplates, “Why?”
I think that God wonders “why?” because what God really sees is the beauty in God’s creation . . . human and natural. I think that God sees the potential. And I think God sees the Kingdom . . . heaven on earth. God sees it all and wonders why the fear.
As difficult as it is to set aside our skepticism and our judging, we need to see the world and others through the eyes of God. We need to see what God sees. It is the only way that we will survive and thrive. God sees the good in the world and people . . . God sees the potential . . . God sees the hope. And so should we.
Let us set aside our skepticism and judgment . . . the markers of our fear . . . to see the world as God sees the world. That is how Jesus saw it and he showed us the way. We are Jesus’ followers and because we are the apostle tells us: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
It is through God’s eyes that we truly see. Amen.
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