Judging like Jesus - Fourth Sunday in Lent
Author: Pastor Scott Schul
March 15, 2026
Today’s Old Testament lesson takes
us into a turbulent time of transition in the early history of Israel. But to harvest the full riches of this
heavenly fruit, we first need to fill in the back story that gave rise to this
encounter between the prophet Samuel and the family of Jesse the Bethlehemite. It all began when God first delivered the
Israelites from slavery in Egypt. After
years of wandering, meandering, and being formed in the wilderness, they
finally entered the Promised Land and enjoyed a season of prosperity and
independence under a governing body of judges. As so often happens though, it wasn’t enough for the Israelites. They wanted to be like their neighbors, who
were ruled by powerful kings who gave them a feeling of power, prestige, and
security. God of course knows firsthand
our human limitations, clouded as they are by sin, and warned the people that a
king was the last thing they needed.
But the people persisted and so,
through the prophet Samuel, God gave the people what they wanted rather
than what they needed, and Saul was anointed their very first king. For a while, things went well. Saul was a pious and humble man who led
Israel to military victory. In time,
however, Saul’s successes went to his head. He became convinced that he, not God, was the true source of his
people’s victories, and placed his ultimate trust in himself, rather
than God. Finally, God could bear no
more and sent Samuel to anoint a new king who would replace Saul.
Much would be expected from that
next king. Israel’s enemies had gained
strength and were eager to strike Saul’s people. Then there was Saul; he would not go quietly. A civil war was almost inevitable. Samuel’s heart was heavy because he knew so
much depended on the strength and capabilities of this next king. He prayed he would be able to faithfully
discern and identify God’s choice for this vital office.
God at least gave Samuel a clue about
that next king; it would be one of Jesse’s sons. So Samuel quietly and discreetly headed
there, trying not to alert Saul what was happening, and hoping the next king’s identity
would be clear and self-evident. The logical choice, the safe choice, the predictable choice was of course
Eliab, Jesse’s firstborn son. For all
those human reasons, Samuel was sure Eliab would be God’s choice.
Just like Samuel, we too are tasked
with making judgments of people each and every day. We do it so often that it becomes habitual,
maybe even instinctual. We don’t even
think about it. We just react. Once in a very rare while we have a relatively
complete basis for making our judgment about someone. For example, if you see a person racing out
of a bank wielding a gun, wearing a ski mask, and holding bags of cash, it’s
pretty likely the person is a bank robber. Unless you have specialized training, stay out of sight and call the
police!
But such moments of clarity are
rare. Usually we don’t have
complete information to form our judgments, so we rely upon a mix of experience
and intuition. Such judgments generally
aren’t all that accurate and they are frequently infected with bias. Picture yourself walking down Beaver
Avenue. Whether consciously or
subconsciously, we’re making some sort of judgement about every person we
encounter. Is that person a risk to
me? Is that person someone I can
trust? Someone I want to avoid? Should I cross over to the other side? Should I avoid eye contact?
And then there are the less subtle
biases that cloud our judgments. These
are biases rooted in skin color, national origin, the foreign language they
speak or the accent present in their English. We make all sorts of judgments based on appearance too. We assess one’s body shape, one’s age, one’s
aroma; we judge the neatness (or lack thereof) of their clothing. How long is their hair? How short is their skirt? Who are they holding hands with? How wealthy, poor, or educated do we think
they are? We upload all these
observations into our mental database and churn out a judgment. It even happens in the Church. All the time. Just ask any woman who has followed God’s call to ministry...
The problem is obvious. As with computers, if you put in faulty data,
you’re going to get a faulty result. Likewise, when our judgments about each other are rooted in
misinformation, prejudice, and fear (as they often are), then those judgments
are wildly inaccurate and patently unfair. The prophet Samuel was no different. His judgments were rooted in the culture and tradition of his day, which
is why he went to Bethlehem for this game of royal “Duck, duck, goose” fully expecting
that the eldest son would be “it.”
But God’s
choice to be the next king of Israel wasn’t Eliab, the eldest. Nor was it one of his six brothers who were
gathered before Samuel. No, it was the youngest son, doing the menial work of shepherding, the one considered so irrelevant, so
unworthy and so unlikely a choice that he wasn’t even asked to show up. A young, ruddy faced boy named David would be
Israel’s next king, not because he was the world’s choice or even the prophet’s choice, but because he was God’s choice.
The key to understanding this whole
passage is in verse 7. The Lord said to Samuel, “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they
look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” That’s our goal,
friends, to see our neighbor as the Lord sees our neighbor. That’s not easy. It requires deeper engagement, trust, and
faith. Our Lord sees our neighbors beyond
the usual surface factors like skin color, age, gender, and body shape. Even more surprising, our Lord sees our
neighbor as more than the product of their very worst day or very worst
decisions.
How can God do that? Consider a story from the ancient desert
fathers. A soldier asked Abba Mius if
God accepted repentance. Abba Mius said,
“Tell me, if your cloak is torn, do you throw it away?” He replied, “No, I mend
it and use it again.” The abba said, “If you are so sparing of your cloak, will
not God be equally sparing of his own creation?” God sees our neighbor not just as who they’ve been but who they can become. And God calls us to see our neighbor with those same “eyes of the heart.”
One last thing: there’s one more
judgment we need to address. It’s usually
our harshest, most unforgiving judgment. It’s the judgment we declare upon ourselves. Is there something in your life you did or you failed to do, that you can’t move on from, because you can’t
forgive yourself? When you go to bed at
night do you focus on the one thing you got wrong in your day, and not
the dozen beautiful things you did right? Are you struggling in your relationship with
God because you can’t imagine how God could possibly love you when you’re
unable to love yourself?
The Lord said to Samuel, “The Lord does not
see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Dear ones, God loves you, not because you are
perfect, but because you are God’s beloved creation. We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ll all make
many more before we’re finished. The key
is to never give up on yourself, because God never gives up on you. One last story from the desert fathers. A brother asked Abba Sisoes, “What shall I
do, abba, for I have fallen?” Abba Sisoes said, “Get up again.” The brother
said, “I have got up again, but I have fallen again.” The old man said, “Get up
again and again.” Friends, view your
neighbor and yourself as God does: with eyes of love, grace, and mercy. When your neighbor falls, help them get
up. When you fall, get up… again
and again. Amen.
© 2026 Rev. Scott E. Schul, all rights reserved
Citations
1 Give Me a Word: The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert
Fathers (© 2014 SVSP); p. 207
2 Ibid., pp. 289-90.
Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Gospel:
John 9:1-7, 13-18, 24-25, 34-41;
1 As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from
birth. 2 His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither
this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be
revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night
is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he
spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s
eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in
the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back
able to see.
13 They brought to the
Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day
when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also
began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on
my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said,
“How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were
divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him?
It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received
his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight. 24 So for the second time they
called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We
know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I
do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 34 They answered him, “You
were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him
out.
35 Jesus heard that they had
driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of
Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is
he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You
have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.”
And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those
who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who
were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are
we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you
were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin
remains.”
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