David Bahn – Reflections

Romans 14:13-19

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Gordon Fee tells the story of a Sunday school teacher who did not realize how the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector sneaked up on him. This teacher wanted to present the historical situation of this parable in which a Pharisee conspicuously prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even like this tax collector.” For a whole hour this teacher waxed eloquent in his exhaustive description of all the things that the Pharisees of the first century were doing wrong. He ended the hour by praying, “Thank you, Lord, that we are not like the Pharisee in this story.” Our response is, of course, to laugh at this unsuspecting Sunday school teacher who was caught by the parable he taught. Or perhaps we respond with our own prayer: “Thank God that we are not like this Sunday school teacher!”*

Ughh! Subtle, but straight to the heart. A friend of mine once accused his mother of being closed-minded in her open-mindedness. It all too easily happens that we judge others and end up putting stumbling blocks in the way of a brother or sister. Paul speaks here of eating and drinking. Such matters were of importance to people of his day. So, too, was the matter of judging others or causing others to question their faith because of a practice we may embrace or from which we may refrain. 

Jon Ortberg asks the question, “If we can’t be holy, shouldn’t we at least be weird?” (The Life You’ve Always Wanted). In fact we are called to be different by means of our love for one another. We are called to overlook an offense. Jesus says forgive seventy times seven.

That may present more of a challenge than we might wish to admit. Honestly, if a dirty, smelly, man with unkempt hair, bad breath, and soiled clothing came into your church and sat next to you, would you be just a little uncomfortable? We might well call on him not to offend our sensibilities. But then again, we might need to remember the lesson of the Sunday School teacher and look for ways to build others up, rather than trying to figure out how to make ourselves comfortable or ignoring the pain and brokenness all around us.

That’s pretty much what Jesus did, and we are the better for it.

* Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982, p. 134.)