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John

John 
Day 
Day 113

The judgment of the Pharisees

Text: John 8 : 12-59

THE JUDGMENT OF THE PHARISEES

The Jews rounded on Jesus and criticized Him. They did not actually attempt to dispute His statements spoken at the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus had sought to draw the attention of the crowds concerning “water” (John 7:38) and “light” (John 8:12). The Jews were of course distressed when they heard Jesus proclaim these statements. However, they did not attempt to discuss with Him what He meant. Instead they sought to criticize Jesus Himself.

Jesus knew what they were doing, that The Jews were judging Him. Thus He said,

“You judge according to the flesh…”
John 8:15

His earlier words had apparently fallen on deaf ears. He had urged The Jews not to make superficial judgments. Such judgments were weak and fallacious at best.

“Do not judge according to appearance…”
John 7:24

On what basis did the Jews judge Jesus? How much did they really know about Him? Jesus said,

“…I know where I came from and where I
am going; but you do not know where I come
from and where I am going.”
John 8:14

What did Jesus mean when He made this statement? The answer seemed obvious. He was making a reference to His divine origin, and His Divine Destiny. He had come from Heaven with a Divine purpose. He had come as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He had come to give His life as a sacrifice for many. When He had completed His Divine Mission, He would then return to His Father in heaven.

If The Jews had no understanding of the Divine Origin and Mission of Jesus, how could they form an opinion about Him, let alone make a firm judgment against Him? They had indeed “judged according to the flesh”.

THE JUDGMENT OF JESUS

Jesus had on another occasion spoken on the subject of judgment. Let us take time to review what He had said then.

1. The Prerogative of Judgment had been given to Jesus by God

“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son…”
John 5:22

“The Father… has given Him authority to execute judgment…”
John 5:26, 27

2. Righteous Judgment will be meted out

“As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous…”
John 5:30

3. Final Judgment will be made in the distant future

“…all who are in the grave will hear His voice and come forth
– those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
John 5:28, 29

Though Jesus had all the power and authority to judge anyone, nevertheless, He preferred not to exercise His prerogative. Hence, He said,

“You judge according to the flesh;
I judge no one.”
John 8:15

Thus He refused to judge the woman caught in adultery. She ought to be given every opportunity to repent. If she did not repent, her judgment in the final resurrection of the dead would be soon enough. But if Jesus were to exercise His right to judge, He was absolutely certain that He would be giving righteous judgment. Thus He said,

“And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true;
for I am not alone, but I am with the
Father who sent Me.”
John 8:16

This was not a new statement. This was a truth that Jesus had stated on another occasion. There, He testified of His Father’s Presence with Him too.

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear,
I judge; and My judgment is righteous,
because I do not seek My own will
but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
John 5:30

It was an awesome claim to make. Jesus spoke as if He was in close consultation with God. No mere human being can make such a claim. But Jesus was no mere human being! He was both the Son of Man and the Son of God!

THE APPEAL TO GOD THE FATHER AS A WITNESS

Once again, Jesus appealed to the Law of Moses. He said,

“It is also written in your law that the
testimony of two men is true.
I am One who bears witness of Myself,
and the Father who sent Me bears
witness of Me.”
John 8:17-18

Jesus purposely said “your law” for good reason. They had not listened to His words, for they had rejected His teaching. But what if Jesus cited their law? And what did their law say? The testimony of two witnesses confirmed the truth. Jesus was His own witness. His Father was the other witness! What would The Jews have to say about this second attempt to discuss the issue of “witnesses”?