Category: judgment

Jesus Pleased the Father

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John 8:27-29 WEB

They didn’t understand that he spoke to them about the Father. [28] Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things. [29] He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

There is a stunning implication in this verse. Jesus says the Father is with him because Jesus pleases him. So, if a person does not please God, then God is not with them. That sounds too harsh to be a post-cross idea. However, we must remember that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). He is the same, he does not change. Yet, the things we are judged by have changed.

For example, in the Old Testament people were judged for keeping the Law of the Pentateuch (Ps 119:5-6). In the New Testament, Jesus says his life judges people (Rom 3:26). We see Jesus pleased the Father intentionally (John 8:29). As we endeavor to bring together the whole counsel of God, we recognize it is by grace we are made right with the Father. Even so, Jesus says if we love him, we will obey him (John 10:9, Mat 7:13-14).

Obedience to Christ is the standard that proves we are covered by grace (1 Pet 1:2). Without grace, we could not keep the commands of Christ. If we are not keeping the commands of Christ, the Father is not pleased with us. There comes a point in all believers’ journey they must pick up their cross and follow Jesus (Mat 10:38). Just as Jesus was obedient to the Father, we must be obedient to Christ. By this, we can be sure we are in the Lord’s good favor.

Lord, lead me into obedience through your mercy and grace. Teach me to become more obedient and help me mature in my faith. I want to do those things which please you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus Shows us How

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John 8:21-23 WEB

Jesus said therefore again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can’t come.” [22] The Jews therefore said, “Will he kill himself, that he says, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come’?” [23] He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.

How did Jesus know these Jews were going to die in their sins? The answer is right in the text, he recognized they were of the world. They were visibly in kinship with the world. Jesus looked at their choices and conversation and judged who was their true father. Because they are so closely tied to the world, Jesus does not believe they will repent.

I love watching Jesus. He teaches me how to live and think. Okay, if I see people lying, cheating, or gossiping I can understand they are of the world. God does not lie and does not tempt people to lie (John 8:44). Nor does he cheat (Pro 11:1, 16:11). And gossiping is akin to murder (2 Tim 3:2-5). These types of ungodly behaviors are visible to those who are watching. That gives me insight into how to make righteous judgments. If it appears ungodly, it is ungodly. That cuts through all the confusion.

In the modern era, we have made it socially unacceptable to judge others. However, we who believe and read the Bible understand we are meant to make godly judgments. In the text we see the process of Jesus making a righteous judgment. We are meant to be wise in choosing our friends and associates. This passage teaches us how. Look for visible worldliness. If you find it, you are dealing with someone ruled by sin (Rom 6:14).

Lord Jesus, please teach me to watch and pray. Help me discern worldliness so that I can make righteous judgments. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Jesus’ Righteous Judgment

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John 8:15-18 WEB

You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. [16] Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me. [17] It’s also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid. [18] I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

I love to see Jesus generalize. In the above passage, he says, “I judge no one. [16] Even if I do judge…” He says he doesn’t judge unless he does. How great is it to see Jesus accomplish God’s will through normal human conversation? Unfortunately, this is the kind of verse some will hang doctrine on.

The word-for-word crowd could easily take this to mean we should judge no one. But the problem is we are told to execute righteous judgments in other verses (John 5:30, 7:24). So, if this verse is saying that you and I should not judge, ever, it is out of step with the rest of scripture.

Of course, this verse is not out of step with the rest of the Bible. It is a matter of reading to know Jesus versus reading to know the rules (Exo 20:18-19, John 17:3). However, in this verse we have Jesus making a generalization that he does not judge people as a matter of practice. Then, he goes on to say on the rare occasion he does judge another he is making righteous judgments. Jesus’ judgments were righteous because he remained in step with the Spirit (John 5:19-20).

Lord Jesus, please help me hear your small still voice. Light the path before me and help me walk in it. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Missing the Mark

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John 7:40-43 WEB

Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.” [41] Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? [42] Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” [43] So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.

The Pharisees did not reject Jesus because of where he was born. The Pharisees rejected Jesus because of prejudice in their hearts. They rejected him because he was a Galilean. Practically all Pharisees came from Judea. The idea of being associated with a Galilean was revolting to Judeans. So, the Pharisees did not take the time to find out more. There were people right there with Jesus who knew where he was born.

If the Pharisees had honestly inquired, they would have learned Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But instead, they assumed their prejudice was true. For this reason, they did not even inquire. So profound was their hate they would not even consider Jesus might be the Messiah. The Pharisees knew so much about the word of God and so little about true godliness.

Godliness is not being perfect. It is having a heart that seeks God’s ways. Take meekness for example. Meekness is not strictly a New Testament addition to the faith. In Numbers 12:3 the bible says Moses was meek above all men. So, the value of meekness was revealed in the Old Testament. Yet the Pharisees, with their hundreds of rules for serving God, did not have enough meekness to consider the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah. They lost touch with the personal God and turned the living God into an idol.

The Pharisees saw riff-raff when they looked at Jesus. However, if the Pharisees curried meekness the way they curried wealth and influence, they may have realized the truth about Jesus. The truth was Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament. Yet because of prejudice, the most devoted of God’s followers did not see the Messiah.

Lord Jesus, please open my understanding that I can discern the things of God. Remove any blinders from my spiritual eyes and lead me into repentance if prejudice lives in my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.  

Righteous Judgments

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John 7:21-24 WEB

Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel because of it. [22] Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. [23] If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? [24] Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

I have always wondered how to define “righteous judgment.” Then, when I read the above verses, I realized, the Bible is full of Christ’s judgments. If there is anyone who gives righteous judgments it’s Jesus. Most people are familiar with the Lord’s judgments against religious leaders. However, the Lord made all sorts of righteous judgments. Three that caught my attention include the demoniac of Gadarenes, the woman who receives scraps under the table, and the believing centurion.

Luke 8:27-39 is the story of the demoniac of Gadarenes. The main judgment in this cautionary tale is against the people of Gadarenes. After silencing the demons in the man and finding out their name, Jesus sends the spirits into a herd of pigs and the pigs die. When the people of Gadarenes learn of the financial loss, they ask Jesus to leave.

There is a bit of misdirection at play here by the author of the book of Luke. While the reader is focused on the demoniac, Jesus judges the townspeople. The people of Gadarenes do not express a word of praise that a man’s life was saved. Nor do they express a word of remorse for raising pigs, something no believing Jewish person would do. Instead, they focus on the financial loss. Moreover, the townspeople do not seem to recognize they are being judged. The righteous judgment is, one single human being has more value than money. Even when that money is the lively hood of an entire town of God’s people.

Next, I have always liked the story of the woman who received scraps under the table. In Mark 7:24-30 we learn the woman is Greek and has a daughter who is demonized. The woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter and he deflects her request calling her a dog. However, instead of getting upset or discouraged, the woman presses into the hope of God’s goodness and humbles herself before the Lord. He says she has great faith and heals her daughter.

This is another interesting use of distraction. While everyone is focused on Jesus calling the woman a dog, he judges his disciples for their prejudice. The Lord reveals the prejudice of the disciples when he grants the woman’s request. At the same time, he judges their arrogance for believing Jewish people are better than all others. The righteous judgment of the Lord in this story is all believing people can receive from God, even those others call unworthy.

Finally, Matthew 8:5-16 is the story of the Centurion’s faith. As Jesus enters Capernaum, he is approached by a Roman Centurion. The man asks Jesus to heal his paralyzed and tormented servant. When Jesus agrees to come, the Centurion says if he will only say a word, it will be enough. He goes on to explain his understanding of authority and expresses great faith at the same time.

Interestingly, this judgment explores the faith of the disciples compared to the faith of a Roman Soldier. The soldier is judged faithful, and his servant is healed. Meanwhile, Peter’s mother is sick. Instead of asking the Lord to say a word of authority for her healing, the disciples wait until Jesus can touch her. Peter’s mother does not get healed until Christ arrives. Finally, Jesus goes on to deliver and heal all who are sick or demonized.

The judgments in this tale compare the faith of the disciples to that of a believing Roman. They also compare the compassion of Christ against the compassion of the disciples. The judgment here is that the disciples are found less faithful than one they consider to be an enemy and God responds with goodness to all who come in faith.  

What ties all these judgments together? God’s love. Jesus loves all people, and he calls judgments righteous that recognize the worth and acceptance of all believers. Rebuking prejudice, faithlessness, and hardness of heart, Jesus uses righteous judgments to adjust the disciples’ thinking. More, Jesus does not call out the shame of his disciples directly. Instead, he protects them while he heals their hearts and corrects their thinking. Lastly, these judgments are all indirect which probably means those with unbelieving hearts would miss the true meaning.

Lord Jesus, please teach me to judge righteously. Forgive me for past unrighteous judgments and reveal to me how you would judge the circumstances and situations of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Measuring Belief

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John 5:45-47 WEB

“Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope. [46] For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. [47] But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

How many verses do you think are in the New Testament? There are just under 8000 verses in the New Testament. Of those many verses, there are a few Christians tend to ignore. For instance, “For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;” (2 Corinthians 12:20 WEB) In this verse gossip is called slander and it is grouped with several other undesirable behaviors. Although it is clearly taught in the Bible to avoid talking about others, gossip seems to persist in most churches.

There are other examples in the New Testament such as, “nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom.” In this verse covetous also means greed. The church is bad about greed. Ministers talk excessively about blessings stirring up passionate desires in the congregants. Even Christian music teaches greed with excessive songs about blessings.

There are several passages in the New Testament that Christians tend to ignore. This suggests much of the church does not truly believe in Jesus. That seems absurd. Yet, it is what Jesus taught, “Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ [23] Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’” (Matthew 7:22-23 WEB) Gossip and greed are iniquities. They are both prevalent in much of Christianity.

Lord Jesus, please help me believe in you. Reveal to me the iniquities that I need to bring to you for healing and help. I do not want to get to the final judgment and find that I missed you. I trust your grace to see me safely through. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Righteous and Unrighteous Judgments

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John 5:28-30 WEB

Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice, [29] and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. [30] I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.

The most famous verse about judgment in the Bible is probably “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.” (Matthew 7:1 WEB) Jesus had the authority to judge but judgment was not his priority. In John 3:17 Jesus reveals his purpose is to save the world. And in John 3:16 Jesus reveals that the Father’s purpose is to save the world. Also, Jesus’ priority was to do the Father’s will. That is what made his judgment righteous.

The main piece of advice Jesus has for us regarding judgment is not to judge. He helps us understand the consequences are serious for the one who makes unrighteous judgments. More, we can recognize unrighteous judgments because they are not infused with the Lord’s purposes and priorities.  We can recognize unrighteous judgments by asking a couple of questions. First, is this judgment being made to help the person get saved? Second, what does this judgment do for the one making it?

It is easy to recognize unrighteous judgments such as gossip, but other situations may be more difficult. For example, some judgments are made for personal convenience. Telling someone to hurry up or slow down are judgments. They seem innocent until we recognize they do not help the one being judged.  

Judging other people can become a habit. When a person has a habit of judging they tend to lose their patience frequently. A couple of examples could be a person who often becomes angry at other drivers or at the person in front of them at checkout. Most people trace these two examples to a lack of patience. However, before the person’s patience was affected their attitude was affected and that is where the judgments are made.

Lord Jesus, please help me recognize when I am hearing or making an unrighteous judgment. Fill me with a desire to prioritize your will as my highest priority.  In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Humility and Judgment

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John 5:27 WEB

He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.

I’m sorry, what did that say? That Jesus can execute judgment because he is a son of man? That is amazing. If Jesus had an ability based specifically on his humanity, then perhaps we have that same ability. What an enormous thought, do modern believers have the same authority to execute judgment as Jesus?

First, what does Jesus say about his authority to judge? He says, “For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” (John 3:17 WEB) So, Jesus has the authority to judge but that is not his priority. His top priority is to see the world saved. Second, in the book of Matthew, we read, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37 WEB) Jesus has said the judgment comes from our words. It is not specifically that He is going to judge every microscopic thing, rather, how we conduct ourselves will judge us.

These are just two things that Jesus taught about his authority to judge. Jesus’ top priority is salvation, and he lets us judge ourselves with our words. It is ironic that the Father gives Jesus the right to judge because Jesus is humble and does not seem to want to judge anyone.  Instead, Jesus stays focused on God’s will and does not rejoice over the authority he has.

Therefore, it seems like Jesus’ current judgment is based on human attributes shared by modern believers. We all have priorities, and those priorities are reflected in our words and actions. Also, we all look at people’s behavior and make judgments. Thus, if like Jesus, we have God’s will as our top priority, we will not be that interested in judgment. However, if the time comes and a judgment must be made, we can look to the example that Jesus left us in the Bible.  

Lord Jesus, please help me love people and do all I legitimately can to see them saved. Help me have humility so that I stop judging people based on the world’s standards. And Lord, when I do have to make a judgment, let me keep your priorities so that I make righteous judgments. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.