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Are you judging me? (Part 2)

Reynaldo Reynoso (admin)

In the furtherance of our understanding of Biblical judgement, we find that our logical thinking begs a question.

Well said, you may say, we are to judge but according to a proper scale and first working on ourselves. But, the critic may wonder if I am ignoring a fact that what Jesus was talking about was the obvious and not judgement. “Judgement is finding out someone?s worth” the critic may add. In fact, some others may add, there is so much danger in this that Jesus emphasized in the book of Luke (the same Sermon) not to judge.

And it is an honest question: How does a person judge the heart of another?

Now there came a time when Jesus was preaching to the crowds about the prophet, John the Baptist, and he begins to expound on how one greater than John the Baptist has arrived. For indeed, states Jesus, all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John and John proclaimed the coming of the King.

It was in this setting of Matthew chapter 11, among many miracles and signs and wonders, that Jesus points out the heart of the people of that generation and he says in Matthew 11:17-19:

17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

This is key to our discussion on judgement in this next session here, for Jesus is showing how the people have viewed Himself and John the Baptist. They wanted Messiah to be like their puppet, doing what they wanted Him to do and saying what they wanted Him to say, but were vastly mistaken in their preconceptions. They claimed John the Baptist had a demon because he refused certain foods (ate locusts) and lived in the wilderness. They claimed Jesus to be a gluttonous man, a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, yet, he stated, wisdom is proven by her deeds.

In other words, “my actions speak much louder than your words. They will prove themselves.”

Jesus then went on to denounce cities in which His miracles were done because they refused to repent. He made a point to underscore how it would be more tolerable in the day of judgement for cities which had not seen the many signs and wonders that Jesus had done than for these cities in that day which saw and rejected.

He stood in the midst of the crowds denouncing cities and praising God that all things have been handed over to Him and now He makes a public proclamation in verses 28-30 of chapter 11 to come to Him, those who are weak and heavy laden.

Let us now move into the heart of Chapter 12 of the book of Matthew and Jesus is questioned for His perceived disregard of the Sabbath and He points out how He is the very Lord of the Sabbath and that one greater than the temple existed before them. He went on in verses 9-18 to perform a miracle before his very accusers by means of physically healing and subsequently spiritual healing by removing a demon from a man in verse 22.

The Pharisees then proceeded to commit a grave sin indeed in verse 24 where they attributed these miracles, and this one specifically to the power of Beelzebul. Not only did they proclaim such things aloud but it was in their very thoughts. This Jesus who performed such wondrous signs and wonders, who affirmed His history in spirit, in action and in truth, was the same person that they attributed Satanic power to.

Jesus tears into their thinking that any kingdom divided against itself will fall (25) and this would apply to Satan as well (26).

Then he pointed out that it was not only Himself that was casting out demons but also the disciples, the very sons of Jews (27).

“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.

Jesus is pointing out something very key here, in light of everything that?s being done and has been done up to this point. He?s pointing out the very fact that the son?s of the Jews, these disciples who were performing miracles in the name of Jesus would be equipped to judge the sins of the Pharisees. Why was this possible?

Because what Jesus was availing to these people was the Kingdom of God and all that that implied.

These Pharisees did not only disagree with Jesus in their heart, but they refused to repent and then subsequently carried out actions to specifically stifle and shut out what Christ Jesus was saying by offering Him up to be killed on the cross.

(As an aside: this is where the unpardonable sin enters in. It is a sin not only against the Son of Man, but against the Holy Spirit, both of whom are revealing the very righteousness of God. It is a sin that denies a) what God has revealed in b) the very Son of God through c) the mighty works and wonders of the Holy Spirit. A very grave sin indeed.)

Then Jesus expands on this in a marvelous way and He points out that the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (34). The judging done by the sons of the Jews who have accepted the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who bore witness of the Lord Jesus Christ with many signs and wonders is based on an equal measure for the Pharisees themselves witnessed the same things.

It is for this reason in the why even Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre and Sidon can stand in the day of judgement and also proclaim the wickedness of the cities that refused to repent in Jesus? day. Their actions of refusal to repent was evidence of the state of their heart and by this physical evidence would there be judgement, not by any other.

How does a person judge the heart of another?

One doesn?t. Such things are not for us, but for God who knows the thoughts of men. One judges action and in this case, the action of one group is being measured with the proper action of the acceptant group.

So, in closing of part 2, in light of the previous post on judging: Judging is something based on an honest scale of measurement, where it begins in the judge then transcends outward and then only on actions.

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