WONDERING ABOUT JUDGMENT?
John 8:12-18, 21-27, 42-47
We’ve all heard the quotation regarding death and taxes and the certainty of these things happening. This quote may be one of those statements that are true most of the time but there are exceptions. With the evolution of our society that is being fundamentally changed, we are seeing more people who pay no taxes but are net recipients of tax revenue that others pay. The other part of this so-called certainty – death – is one that Christians will avoid if they are caught up in the “rapture” of the church. So, we actually are not really certain even about death and taxes.
However, there is a truly inevitable appointment that every person has, either after death or the rapture, and that is the judgment. When we read about “judgment” in the Bible, we find a lot of instances where it is mentioned and sometimes it seems that the various statements are in conflict with each other. For example, in the giving of the Law in Exodus, we see that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children until the third or fourth generation. Then in Ezekiel we find the statement that “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.” The apparent conflict arises from the differences in the judgments that are being considered. In the case of the Exodus account, the passage was dealing with God’s judgments in history or in the realm of “time” and in the Ezekiel passage the concern was with what we understand to be “eternal judgments” as mentioned in Hebrews 6:2.
While all judgments should be considered to be divine judgments, the judgments that happen in “time” are of at least two distinctions. The first is (for lack of a better description) related to “cause and effect” and the effects of the consequences of behavior (whether good or bad) can, indeed, be inter-generational. The second designation for judgments in “time” is the word “exemplary” which means that God may choose to make an example of someone or a group for the purpose of sending a “strong message” to those who would do the same things that triggered the specific exemplary judgment. The most obvious Old Testament example is that of Sodom and Gomorrah. The clearest New Testament example is that of Ananias and Sapphira. While all who practice the bad behavior of sexual perversion and hypocrisy are not immediately destroyed, the one-time examples show God’s strong displeasure and the eventual consequences that result from such sinful behavior.
In Jesus’ interactions with the Jews that John recorded in Chapter 8, we find the subject of judging and judgment being mentioned. As we explore these passages, we can find some additional truths concerning the subject of judgment.
Identify the True Judge – 8:12-18
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” John 8:12-18 (NASB95)
During the Feast of Tabernacles, torches were lit and placed on two candelabra in the women’s court of the temple (the treasury was located in that court area). These torches commemorated the pillar of fire that led the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. Just as Jesus had used the ceremony involving water to invite anyone who was thirsty to come to Him and drink, He now used the ceremony of the torches to declare Himself to be the Light of the world. Apparently, these various torches provided the light needed to walk through the court area. Those who left that area would find themselves in the dark.
This contrast of light and darkness has implications regarding eternal judgment in that one of the criteria by which people will be judged is “according to light” or the measure of moral knowledge available to each person. In the setting there in Jerusalem, the Pharisees (in general) were the possessors of (or had available) the greatest amount of moral knowledge of anyone on earth at that time. The same thing could be said of our generation in our nation or in many other nations with Judeo-Christian heritages. We have available to us more moral knowledge than any other culture and yet we (as a nation) are making the same errors as those who are living in ignorance. Jesus specifically addressed this criterion in a later encounter with the Jews in John 9:41 following the healing of the man blind from birth. There He stated, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
The ever-present Pharisees were there to challenge everything Jesus said in an effort to discredit Him. They started by stating a principle that a person’s testimony about himself was not admissible in a court of law. This is a principle that has wide acceptance in most cultures of the world and that is that “self praise is no praise at all.” Many in our present-day society and especially those in the political arena are apparently unaware of this axiom.
Jesus did not challenge this accepted principle. It could be argued that He was the exception to the rule or that the rule did not apply to Him. The reason that self praise is not generally accepted is that most people do not have a good understanding of their own make-up and especially of their faults. Many times we “fool ourselves” and think more highly of ourselves that we should. It is difficult to honestly examine ourselves. However, Jesus did not have that problem. He knew His origin and His destination.
There are notable exceptions throughout the Scriptures in which men and angels who had a divine revelation gave sole witness to the validity of who they were and what they were doing. Matthew Henry pointed out that Moses and all the prophets as well as John the Baptist all bore witness of who they were and their mission in life. In the many examples of angels appearing to people, they would state who they were and give their message. There were not two or three witnesses in these cases. Of course, the Pharisees overlooked all these exceptions since this evidence did not fit their agenda of discrediting Jesus and His message. They also chose to ignore the witness of John the Baptist about Jesus and the testimony of the “voice from heaven” at His baptism. They also ignored the miracles which gave witness of Who He was.
Jesus then defined the source of the problem that was causing the Pharisees to not understand what they were witnessing: “You judge according to the flesh.” People today still struggle with having lives that are totally focused on the physical life and ignore any spiritual aspects of life. Everything is evaluated from an outward appearance and the result is that people are easily deceived. In contrast to the Pharisees willingness to be judgmental, Jesus told them that He was not judging anyone.
What about the statement Jesus made that the Pharisees judged according to the flesh? Was Jesus judging them or just stating the obvious? Most of the time people will accuse others of judging when they are simply stating what is plain to see. If we were to state that Wilt Chamberlain is a tall person, then that is not being judgmental but is stating a fact. If we said that he was too tall, then that may be bordering on judging. Arguments can be made that Jesus was stating that He judged no one NOW or that He was not carrying out “judgments in time or history.” This distinction is thought to be a valid argument since He followed that by the statement “And yet if (in case) I judge . . .” This statement was likely an implication that on the day of “eternal judgment” He would be sitting as Judge of all. But even in that situation, He will be judging by what He has heard from the Father and by what is written in the word rather than His own whims or will.
From these verses, we can discover another principle regarding divine, eternal judgment. That principle is simply that God’s judgment is according to “truth.”
Identify the Importance of Judgment – 8:21-27
21 Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? 26 “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” 27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. John 8:21-27 (NASB95)
The Pharisees would look for Jesus but for the wrong reasons. They wanted to protect what they and many generations before them had created. They had a system of rules and regulations by which they were convinced they could achieve access to the Kingdom of Heaven. What Jesus taught was a threat to their religious system and they would literally kill to protect it.
Unless we make the transition from the physical to the spiritual, then we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The carnal mind cannot comprehend the things of the spirit (unless you are born from above you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven). The carnal person cannot inherit things of the spirit (unless you are born from above you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven). This is why they (in seeking for Jesus for the wrong reasons) would not be able to go where He was going.
The Pharisees were closer than they realized to discovering the way to the Kingdom of Heaven when they asked “Will He kill himself?” Unless we put self to death by daily taking up our cross, then we cannot enter into the fullness of the relationship God wants with us.
It must be very frustrating for God to deal with people. He wants to bring us into the spiritual realm in our thinking and in our priorities. However, we tend to be stuck in the physical realm in our evaluations and priorities.
The only way we can avoid the judgment of “the law of sin and death” (we will die in our sins) is for us to put our trust in God’s only provision for redemption. Before we can do that, we must believe Jesus is the I AM. He chose His words carefully and plainly told them His identity.
The Pharisees were so caught up in their religious pride they could not accept Jesus (a carpenter’s son for an obscure village in Galilee) as being the One in Whom they must trust. In their contempt they essentially asked, “You, who are you that we should believe in you?” Many in the world still reject the claims of Jesus with the same contemptuous question as the Pharisees asked.
The answer hasn’t changed. Jesus is still Who He has been claiming to be all along. He is still the only way, the only truth and the only life.
The primary message of Jesus was to tell the world how to avoid the consequences (judgment) of the law of sin and death by believing in Him. He could have spent much more time with the Pharisees in describing the error of their ways (verse 26); however, His mission from the Father was very focused and Jesus was faithful to that.
The ultimate proof to not only the Pharisees but to all the world would be the outcome of the crucifixion. Jesus would show conclusively that He is the “I AM” by His resurrection. His death, burial and resurrection would confirm the words of the Scriptures and would also confirm that God the Father had not abandoned God the Son when the Father turned away from the Son and Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Another principle of eternal judgment is implied in verse 24 where Jesus made a reference to people dying in their sins unless they believed in Him. Part of judgment will be according to the things that we have done. Those who die in their sins will be judged accordingly in eternity. Those whose sins have been dealt with by the sacrificial atonement of Christ will find that their works will be judged to determine the quality of what they did to build upon the foundation of their salvation in Christ.
Identify the Basis of Judgment – 8:42-47
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” John 8:42-47 (NASB95)
The major distinction of how people will be judged in eternity comes down to the answer to the question of “Who’s your daddy?” John had noted (verse 30) that during this time when Jesus was teaching in the Temple area that many “came to believe in Him.” Jesus encouraged those who were accepting Him as the Messiah to move from belief as “mental acceptance” to belief as “commitment” by following (obeying) His teachings. In that way they would be actual disciples and not just followers.
One of the elements of commitment is to “continue in His word.” This in not just reading the Bible but involves living according to the teachings of Jesus. In living according to the teaching of Jesus as a consistent lifestyle, we will prove the truth of what He taught. When we see the truth in actual experiences, then we will be free of the powerful drives that motivate so much of the world to get ahead at all costs, to look out only for themselves, and to show so little concern for anyone else. “Going the second mile, turning the other cheek, and giving to anyone who asks you” won't seem so far-fetched when we have the kind of freedom that Jesus talked about. This is the kind of freedom that transcends this world and relieves us from the domination of sin that leads to death. The only way to experience this life is through the new birth.
His comment on being free (verse 32) brought a challenge from the nonbelievers in the crowd that they (as descendants of Abraham) had always been free since they were born of Sarah (the wife of Abraham) and not born of Hagar (the slave). Those who are familiar with Old Testament history know that this is a false claim since their ancestors had been enslaved in Egypt and dominated by seven different nations during the time of the Judges. The Northern Kingdom had been conquered and scattered by the Assyrians and the Jews had been conquered and carried away into captivity for seventy years. Even at this time, they were under the domination of the Romans from a civil standpoint and from a religious standpoint were enslaved to the minutiae of the letter of the law. Finally, they were enslaved to “self.” These form a seven-fold proof that denies their claim that they had always been free.
Jesus agreed with them that they were physical descendants of Abraham but would not agree they had inherited the faith that Abraham had. He could tell they had murder in their hearts – some wanted to kill Him because of the truth that He had just shared with them. A person's actions and attitudes are indicative of the source from which he descended. Jesus spoke the truth in love and this indicated He was of God. The Jews hated and plotted murder and this indicated they were of the devil. If they were of the same spirit of Abraham, then they would do the works of Abraham.
The Jews were not winning this debate and so they reverted to personal attacks. Their statement that they were not born of fornication may have been a reference to the questions that surrounded Jesus’ birth. They then made the assertion that God was their spiritual Father in answer to the statement that Jesus made that He did the works of His Father (God) and they did the works of their father (the devil).
Starting in verse 42, Jesus challenged their claim that God was their Father. The Jews were going to lose this debate, also. The same argument applies to having God as our Father as to having Abraham as our father in the spiritual sense. Jesus pointed out that if God were their Father, then they would love Him (Jesus) because He came from God. However, because of their bondage to sin, they could not help doing the desires of the devil. They were so much in bondage they could not even recognize the truth of what Jesus was telling them. Jesus tried to use logic with them and get them to consider the entire witness He presented. Would they have any reason to not believe Him? Had any of them ever seen Him do anything wrong? Their problem was they had not repented and turned to God. A person has to quit resisting God and turn back toward Him if he is ever going to experience salvation. This is simply repentance.
It was this failure to repent and believe (that results in spiritual life) that was the reason why they could not “hear” Jesus’ words. Just as one cannot “see” the Kingdom of God without being born again of the Spirit of God, a person cannot “hear” the spiritual truths in the word of God since these truths are spiritually discerned. This is the clear meaning of verse 47 in which Jesus stated that we have to be “of God” (born of the Spirit) to be able to “hear” the message of truth in the word of God.
As we consider the implications of this “discussion” that Jesus had with the Jews, we see that they thought that a major determinant in judgment was the question of “who is your daddy.” We find that the question is the right question if we do a significant modification by adding the word “spiritual” before the word “daddy.” It really does not matter if their physical ancestor was Abraham if they did not possess the spiritual attribute (faith) of Abraham. In this sense, we discover the fourth principle of divine, eternal judgment and that is “judgment is without respect of person” according to the flesh or the physical realm.
By sovereign, eternal right, God the Father is the Judge of all. However, the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, Jesus Christ; and Christ has, in turn, made the Word of God the final standard by which all will be judged.
We have seen four main principles of divine judgment:
First, God’s judgment is according to truth.
Second, God’s judgment is according to deeds; and a complete record of all men’s deeds will be produced at the judgment.
Third, God’s judgment is without respect of persons.
Fourth, God’s judgment is according to light—according to the measure of moral knowledge available to each person.
