Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
When we judge others, it’s often a defense mechanism of self-preservation. If we judge or condemn someone before they do the same to us, we put them on the defensive. They accept our judgment or deny it.
We see this played out in politics, especially during election time. Sadly, we too often see the same in churches where the mercy and grace of God is displaced by condemnation of certain people, lifestyles, or behaviors.
Jesus was not like that. He was the opposite. As John tells us much earlier in his gospel, “…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17 NIV). Jesus spoke His harshest words to those filled with self-righteous hypocrisy, much to the dismay of the Jewish leaders.
When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem in the midst of the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), controversy about Him was in full swing. People questioned where Jesus got His wise teaching, denied the truth of the intent of the Jewish leaders to kill Him (John 7:25), and they bristled at Jesus’ challenge to their hypocrisy.
Even when confronted with their own hypocrisy, they deny it and condemn Jesus as a madman. But Jesus challenges them to discern the truth by looking past outward appearances and beyond the typical expectations of others.
Scripture
When the festival was half over, Jesus went to the temple courtyard and began to teach. The Jews were surprised and asked, “How can this man be so educated when he hasn’t gone to school?”
Jesus responded to them, “What I teach doesn’t come from me but from the one who sent me. Those who want to follow the will of God will know if what I teach is from God or if I teach my own thoughts. Those who speak their own thoughts are looking for their own glory. But the man who wants to bring glory to the one who sent him is a true teacher and doesn’t have dishonest motives. [vss 14-19]
Didn’t Moses give you his teachings? Yet, none of you does what Moses taught you. So why do you want to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! Who wants to kill you?”
Jesus answered them, “I performed one miracle, and all of you are surprised by it. Moses gave you the teaching about circumcision (although it didn’t come from Moses but from our ancestors). So you circumcise a male on a day of worship. If you circumcise a male on the day of worship to follow Moses’ Teachings, why are you angry with me because I made a man entirely well on the day of worship? Stop judging by outward appearance! Instead, judge correctly.” [vss 20-24]
(John 7:14-24 GW)
Key phrase—
Stop judging by outward appearance! Instead, judge correctly.
Digging Deeper...
Review the Scriptures above as you answer the following questions
When does Jesus arrive in Jerusalem and where does He go to do what?
What surprises the Jews who hear Jesus teach and how does He respond to them?
What does Jesus rebuke His listeners about and what is their response?
What example does Jesus give of their hypocrisy and what does He challenge them to do?
Reflection...
Hypocrisy is a word with some history. It reaches back to ancient Greek dramas when actors used masks to show the emotion or attitude of their characters. Of course, the mask covered the real face of the actor underneath. A different mask was used for different roles and scenes.
An oversimplified way to describe hypocrisy is to be two-faced or duplicitous or double-minded. What we see, or portray, is not what is true on the inside underneath the outward appearance.
Judgment—in English translations of the Bible—can express the idea of condemnation or discernment. Condemnation is like a sentence of guilt. This is the attitude of most Jewish leaders towards Jesus because He didn’t fit their expectations for the Messiah.
Discernment is more like a decision or choice between two or more possibilities. The expression—I can see right through you!—gives a sense of what discernment is. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “…judge correctly.”
Jesus challenged those who heard Him to look past their biased view of things to see their personal hypocrisy. He appealed to them to have discernment. The same is true for all of us today. We need to see things in life, including people and events around us, as God sees things—from His eternal point of view rather than our limited one.
Taking it to heart...
Read through the Scripture text again as you consider and answer these questions
How can we tell if someone is teaching the truth? What does Jesus point out about this?
How does Jesus confront the Jewish leaders about their hypocrisy?
What is needed to realize whether or not something is true and when hypocrisy is present?
Do you understand and value the distinction between condemnation and discernment?
Personalize it...
Meditate On This— When we see things from God’s point of view, it should help us be slow to condemn others and have a better sense of our own truthfulness. We need true discernment to avoid hypocrisy in our own lives and realize it in others yet without being quick to condemn them.
Prayer Focus— Ask God to help you gain true discernment to avoid hypocrisy in your own life and recognize its presence in others. Ask the Lord to help you see yourself, others, and the world around you from His eternal point of view.
©2020—Word-Strong