THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, EXPLANATION, JUDGE WITH JUST JUDGMENT
Study Text: John 5:30-47; Text to memorize: John 5:39: “Search the scriptures; for it seems to you that in them you have eternal life; and they are the ones that bear witness of me”
judge fairly
It is difficult for any man to judge another man fairly, if we meditate honestly and sincerely we will observe that there are many aspects that affect our judgment, and that this is based on a series of things.
Our opinion can be incorrect because we feel wounded in our pride, we can become blind and dishonest due to the prejudices that we form of a certain person, we can be severe and damaged by envy, arrogance, contempt.
As one can also become a difficult individual due to intolerance, vanity and full of all these evils, one cannot act justly, instead Jesus manifests that his judgment is just and perfect.
If we judge someone we must judge with fair judgment
Dear brothers and sisters, we hope that this meditation helps us to reflect that when we judge someone, we must value. With what attitude do we do it? If it is according to the word of God or we do it moved by our impulses. Forward in the name of the Lord Jesus!
THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GOD IS PERFECT
God can judge with just judgment, because God’s judgment is perfect
Concept of judgment: The Greek verb “krino” can mean “a form of opinion” (Luke 7:43) but normally in the New Testament it describes the passage from one sentence to another in court (Matthew 5:40) or metaphorically the word is in relation to Divine judgment (Matthew 7:1-2; John 5:22-30).
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In chapter 5 verse 10 we observe that the Jews question the paralytic that it is not lawful for him to carry his bed on the Sabbath, but he answers: “he who healed me also gave me the order to do it”. In verse 16 he points out that for this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus and tried to kill him because he did these things on the Sabbath.
The prejudice of the Jews is apparently because Jesus broke the day of rest, it is for this reason that they accused him and considered that it is necessary to judge him, Jesus claims the right and that as a man he did not seek his own will or vainglory, but was doing the will of the sender.
Jesus demonstrates that God’s righteous judgment is perfect
The Lord Jesus demonstrates to the Jews that God’s judgment is perfect. Only God has perfect knowledge, and therefore his judgment is perfect, because he takes all circumstances into account.
Jesus tells them that his right to judge is based on the fact that in him is the perfect mind of God, he does not judge moved by emotions, but he does it with perfect holiness, with perfect love and the perfect mercy of God.
THE TRUE WITNESSES WHO ACCUSE OR JUDGE THE JEWS
To judge fairly, the testimony of two or three witnesses is needed.
According to Deuteronomy 19:15, it indicates that “only by the testimony of two or three witnesses will the accusation be maintained”. We observe Jesus in the aforementioned texts, answering the accusations made by the Jews.
Jesus begins by admitting the universal principle that a person’s evidence about himself cannot be accepted as proof, referring to the testimony that he had been presenting, but points out that there are other witnesses that serve as evidence and that prove that his testimony it’s true.
WITNESS 1: THE PREACHING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
The Jews had sent a messenger to investigate their actions, but John gave them testimony of Jesus (John 1:26-27; 30-34). Then Jesus exalts John and in this way disavows the Jewish authorities, stating that John was a burning and illuminating lamp, he shows him that the function of the Baptist as a lamp was to shine and that in this way he led people to repentance and towards God.
According to nature, it was necessary for this lamp to run out, as is the case with John, he was diminishing while Jesus was growing and he shows them that the true witness is consumed by the work of God.
In this way, Jesus accuses the Jews, stating that they were willing to be pleased with John for a certain time, but they never took his preaching seriously, they were ready to listen as long as he said something they expected; to abandon him when he said something that did not suit them.
WITNESS 2: THE SIGNS THAT JESUS PERFORMED
The miracles of Jesus were signs that should have produced faith, they were many, they were wonderful, he did not do them in the dark or in a hidden place, rather he did them publicly so that anyone could examine them, they were noble works of love and mercy.
The works of Jesus were not his miracles, rather everything he did was to fulfill his purpose as the messiah and savior of the world. In verse 36 he reminds them that “the very works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me.”
Jesus now cites his works, not to draw someone’s attention to himself and clarifies that God worked in him and through him and that God is his true witness, in chapter 8:39-49 Jesus accuses the Jews telling them that “if they were children of Abraham, they would do the works of Abraham” and he remarks that it came from God; but that they, the Jews, are children of the devil and for that reason they cannot hear his word nor can they recognize his miracles because they are blind.
WITNESS 3: THE SACRED SCRIPTURES (V39)
According to Deuteronomy 4:12, it states the following: “And the Lord spoke with you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the voice of his word, but except for hearing the voice, you did not see any figure” in reality the people of Israel had heard the voice of God, but not in the deeper sense as it is through the “scriptures”
It is possible that the Jews had read the scriptures, but the blindness that was in them did not allow them to recognize that Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God, it is for this reason that the Lord Jesus accuses the Jews and invites them to scrutinize the scriptures, since they are the ones that bear witness to who he is, since in it he energetically appealed to the consciences of his enemies and refutes them “you do not want to come to me to have life”.
WITNESS 4: MOSES (V 5-47)
The Lord in his defense tells the accusers “Or do you think that I am going to accuse you before the father; there is someone who accuses you, Moses in whom you have your hope”. What the Lord refers to him is that by not believing him, it was equivalent to not believing in Moses.
He further confronts them saying “If you had read those books properly, you would have realized that they all pointed to me, you believe that because you have Moses as your mediator, you are safe, but Moses is the one who will condemn you because he wrote about me”
CONCLUSION ON THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GOD
God is the one who can judge with fair judgment
Dear brothers and sisters, the judgments that men issue are deficient, but the judgments that the Lord Jesus Christ makes are just and true, it is for this reason that the Lord Jesus accuses the authorities of Israel, stating that there are four witnesses who accuse them of them as it is:
1) The preaching of John the Baptist
2) The signs that Jesus performed
3) The holy scriptures
4) The writings of Moses
All these witnesses attest to who Jesus Christ is, unfortunately as they were blinded they could not understand.