In His Own Words--Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Jesus and Judgment

“Jesus is cool. He’s my good buddie. He’s really into love and happiness. He wants me happy. He wants you to be happy. He wants everybody to be happy. So, go do your own thing and as long as you don’t hurt nobody, He’ll be good with that.”

Really? The Bible says that God created man in his own image, and some wit has remarked that man has often returned the compliment. Refashioning Jesus into our own image has become almost a cottage industry these days.

Let’s go back to the Sermon on the Mount. You know the one—it’s Jesus’ message about being nice to everybody and condemning nobody; “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and all that. Near the end of the sermon, Jesus said,

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Notice first that Jesus claims to be the one who will either let people into the kingdom of heaven or expel them from the kingdom. He will not listen to the pious professions of religious shysters. He will examine their deeds and convict them of breaking the law of God.

Second, notice three things this saying implies: Jesus has the authority to judge; and He has the knowledge of each man’s deeds so that His judgment is just; and He has the power to enforce His judgments. There is no appeal and no escape from His judgment.

The classic New Testament parable on judgment is found in Matthew 25.

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left (Matthew 25:31-33).

To those whose lives indicate true conversion,

Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (v. 34).

The rest will hear these scorching words from the lips of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,”

Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 41).

The imagery of separating sheep and goats comes from the Old Testament.

As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.” ... Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another (Ezek. 34:17, 20-22).

As the Lord Yahweh judged His flock Israel in the Old Testament, so Jesus will judge the sheep and the goats of all the nations when He comes in His glory.

Jesus Forgave Sins

On at least two occasions Jesus, the judge, asserted His right to render a verdict of acquittal as He forgave sins in His own name and on His own authority. To a paralyzed man Jesus said,

“Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—"I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home” (Luke 5:20-24).

While dining at the house of a certain Pharisee, Jesus forgave a notoriously immoral woman.

Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48-50).

The Pharisees were quite properly shocked when Jesus forgave sinners. They knew from the Old Testament, that no prophet had ever dared to forgive someone on his own authority. The closest example we can find is the case of Naaman the Syrian. After he announced his intention to worship Yahweh alone, he expressed concern to Elisha about a potential problem.

“In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” He [Elisha] said to him, "Go in peace" (2 Kings 5:18-19).

The difference between Elisha and Jesus is striking. Naaman asked pardon from the Lord, and Elisha reassured him that it was granted. Jesus simply announced that He had authority to forgive sins.

Old Testament saints appealed to the Lord, not to prophets for the forgiveness of sins.

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity for it is great (Psalm 25:11).

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgression for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25).

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession. He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love (Micah 7:18).

There is no god like Yahweh who pardons sin and who alone wipes out transgressions.

Jesus Will Judge All Men

Similarly, God reserves to Himself the right of judging sinners.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity (Psalm 96:10).

 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.... Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him (Nahum 1:2-3, 6).

Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35).

We have seen in Matthew and Luke that Jesus claims for Himself the right to forgive and to condemn. He is the Judge of all men. In John 5, He asserts this right in the most forcible terms.

For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:22-29).

Jesus is fit to judge all men because He is the Son of God and the Son of Man. As the Son of God, He speaks with divine authority. As the Son of Man, He judges with human insight and compassion.

One other feature of this passage deserves close attention. God the Father wants all people to honor His Son just as they honor Him. This is striking because the Lord cannot, He will not share His honor with any created being.

 I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8).

 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another (Isaiah 48:11).

For God to share His honor and glory with any created being would be for Him to lie about His own intrinsic worth. Do you see the astounding thing that Jesus was claiming? Do you see why the Jews wanted to kill Him?

Jesus said that He will be the final judge of all people. There will be no court of appeals above Him. What, therefore, will be His verdict in your case? Will you be acquitted, not because you are good enough in yourself, but because you have cast yourself on the mercy of the court and been forgiven? Will you try to bluff your way into heaven by claiming that your good deeds outweigh the bad? Jesus will look right through you and see the hollowness of your boast. Will Jesus, the judge of all flesh, be your Savior or your executioner?