January 22, 2006 Sermon

Two Worlds
John 8:1-11

Last summer our youth took a mission trip. They re-roofed and painted a house, as well as cleaning out and replanting its flower garden and borders. They worked like dogs. They also experienced a different sub-culture. Our hosts came from the conservative wing of the Methodist Church. Very conservative. Southern, Bible-belt conservative. The preacher (who was excellent) gave us daily doses of fire-and-brimstone on living rightly. The food came straight out of church camp circa 1965: starch, starch, bacon, starch. Then there were the clothing rules. One-piece swimsuits only for the girls, shirts on at all times for the guys. Etc.

Our youth group has always had a bunch of choir kids in it. Last summer they were listening to the soundtrack from a new Broadway show called Wicked, by Steven Schwarz. Everywhere we went they sang these songs: at the mall, in the vans, up on the roof as they worked. My own daughter and Kaitlyn Scott kept singing a duet from Wicked that went:

ÀLoathing. Unadulterated loathing¸

For your face, your voice, your clothing¸

Let¡s just say¸I loathe it all!

Every little trait, however small,

Makes my very flesh begin to crawl.”

Imagine a staff member from our host organization standing with me listening to these two sweet high school girls belting out this song at the top of their lungs. He turns to me and asks, ÀWhat are they singing?” Smiling, I reply, ÀSounds like a song about loathing.”

He: ÀWhere¡d they hear that?”

Me: ÀIt¡s from a show called Wicked.”

He: (Walks away shaking his head.)

I found this funny then (and now), but I see the genuine discomfort it caused our host. He came from a part of the Christian Church that has long tried to create a world within the world, a world of safety, a world in which the love of Christ prevails through keeping strict rules (go to church three times a week; don¡t wear shorts, drink, swear or dance). Now here comes a Christian youth group singing a song about loathing from a musical called Wicked. We came from two worlds.

Most Christians try to keep wickedness at bay. But we argue over what things are wicked (Homosexuality? George Bush? Gambling? Abortion?). Maybe it would ease our confusion if we turned to Jesus himself to help us decide what is, and is not, truly wicked. Our passage from the Gospel of John can help.

By the eighth chapter of John Jesus has made a few enemies. On this particular morning he has come to the temple in Jerusalem to teach. A group of his enemies hauls a woman before him and claims she was caught committing adultery. They remind him that the ÀLaw of Moses” commands that they stone her. And they speak the truth. Both Leviticus and Deuteronomy tell the people to dump adulterers into pits and to throw stones at them until they die. His enemies conclude their prepared speech by sneeringly asking Jesus, ÀNow what do you say?”

What should Jesus say? He has preached the love of God. If he tells the people to stone this woman he makes himself a hypocrite. But if he follows his own teachings about forgiveness and tells them to let her go free, he breaks the law of God. At first Jesus does not answer. Maybe he cannot see a way out of the trap. Maybe he does not have an answer. His enemies push harder, mocking him for his silence.

At last Jesus stands up straight and says, ÀLet whichever one of you who is without sin throw the first stone.” His enemies, and then the crowds melt away. Finally only Jesus and the woman remain. He tells her he does not condemn her. She may go, but she must stop sinning.

When challenged on how to handle wickedness, Jesus does not do two things. He does not condemn the person committing sin, and he does not condone her wickedness. Make no mistake: adultery is wicked. Approximately half of all marriages in the end in divorce. Extra-marital affairs†the primary form of adultery†destroy a high percentage of those marriages. In fact, adultery is so common we undoubtedly have adulterers among us even as I speak.

So what should we do with adulterers? What should we do with liars? With thieves? With abusers? Jesus gives us the answer. We must not condemn the people committing these sins. And we must not condone the sins themselves.

At the start of this sermon we spoke of two worlds within the Christian world. One Christian world (which we call conservative) tends to condemn all sorts of behaviors. No premarital sex. No homosexuality. No voting for people who don¡t share our ideas. This is all well and good until the conservatives make the error of condemning the people committing these sins. And conservatives take it too far in this manner quite often.

The other Christian world (which we call liberal) tolerates all sorts of behaviors. In the name of loving people whom God created the liberals refuse to label most anything as Àsin”. This is all well and good until they make the error of enabling all sorts of destructive behaviors. And liberals take it too far in this manner quite often.

How in the world can we keep the proper balance between these two competing worldviews? Jesus calls us to walk a very fine line. Do not condemn people, but do not condone sin. What does God consider sin in the first place? How can we sinners condemn sin without condemning ourselves? Where does sin come from? Are we responsible? How about our parents? How about Adam and Eve? People of good faith debate these questions and come up with opposing answers.

At the very start of that show, Wicked, one character asks a deceptive question. It sounds like a joke until you think about it: ÀAre people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” I believe that Jesus would answer, ÀBoth. People are born wicked and they have wickedness thrust upon them.” Anybody who would challenge this assertion needs to watch MTV for a mere ten minutes. Human nature has an evil, wicked piece. We¡re born that way. And because we are we thrust our wickedness on each other.

All of which makes how Jesus handled the question put to him by his enemies so crucial for us. Do not condemn people. Do not condone sin.

The next time you see a bum do not tell yourself he deserves his pathetic condition. Do not, even in the blackest, deepest recesses of your selfish little heart, condemn him. God created that man. God loves that man. Pray for him. Help him if you can.

But do not condone sin. Start by refusing to excuse your own sin. And do not enable others to sin. Love them. Forgive them. Refuse to throw rocks at them. But do not pretend their sins make no difference.

Do what you can to stay out of the two false worlds we Christians tend to create. Pray for a clear understanding of what is, and is not sin. Pray for the strength not to enter the world of self-righteous judgment. Pray for the strength not to enter the world of pretending that anything goes. Do not condemn sinners. Love them as Jesus loves them. But do not condone sin. Not your sin. Not others¡ sins.

Enter neither world. Do not condemn sinners. Do not condone sin. Walk the fine line. Walk with Jesus.