In John 5 verse 30, Jesus says that His assignment as divine judge, which He described in the preceding verses, is administered solely on the basis of instructions He receives from the Father. And in that context, He makes this incredible statement: “I can of Myself do nothing.”
Now of course, as God incarnate, Jesus possessed everything required – authority, power, wisdom, knowledge – to do anything. But He makes clear that in His role as our redeemer, He specifically and purposefully chose not to act independent of the Father. Philippians 2 verses 5-11 describe His submission in detail and declare that IT is the reason ultimately every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord.
So, Jesus’ words here in John 5:30 are extremely significant. And I think that’s especially true of the last half of the verse where He says that because He seeks the will of the Father and not His own, His judgment is righteous.
Now THAT forces me to consider how I judge other people.
All day everyday, I pass judgment on those I hear, see, meet, and interact with. I can’t help it. And neither can you. We are instinctively wired to evaluate others on the fly. Have you ever heard a stranger’s voice on a podcast, radio show, or phone call and determined what their appearance, personality, and motivation must be like even though you’ve never met them? We all do that. It’s a human trait that I suppose is a form of self-protection. But I’ll bet you’ve noticed that it’s almost never accurate.
The prejudgments I make of people almost always turn out to be wrong once I actually get to know them. And if you’ve ever been unfairly judged yourself, you know it feels terrible and is often very hard to change.
I once rented a home from a guy who for some unknown reason just decided he didn’t like me. And nothing I did to try and change his mind was ever successful. He just doggedly clung to his false initial impression of me no matter what, and I could not overcome his skepticism and mistrust. So, I eventually had to move out.
I don’t want to do that to others. But I do. Like the obviously homeless woman I passed on the street the other day. Based on her appearance alone, I created an entire profile of her in my mind. A pretty negative one I must add. How unfair was that? And, a few minutes later, when I realized what I’d done, I had to confess my sin to God and repent of it. So, I’d like to discover a better – more righteous – way to handle this aspect of life. And, as always, Jesus points the way.
He said the key to righteous judgment is seeking God’s will not my own. In other words, if I will simply start choosing to see others through the lens of his desires for them instead of through my own fears and prejudices, my perspective will become more like His. I want to do that, don’t you? And what a better world this would be if everyone did?