By Ernest Kanzangaza
One of the most difficult places one can find himself in is when you are asked to introduce someone who wears many hats without misrepresenting him at all. You need to take your time and consider every aspect of who that person is, including his personality, accomplishments, circle of friends, and many more.
Trying to identify Jesus is no easy task, especially when even those who were closest to Him; His disciples, struggled to understand who He truly was (Matt 16:13ff). They had heard what others claimed He was, however, they still had no definite understanding until God revealed it to Peter. But unlike them, we are blessed because we have God’s word with us, which reveals the truth about Himself.
One aspect of Jesus Christ’ identity as presented in the Gospel of John in particular, is Him being a Judge. Quoting Jesus, John writes;
“For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)
We can know who Jesus is without a doubt because He spoke about himself. Jesus spoke with the authority of a Rabbi, imploring them to pay attention, “truly, truly, I say to you,” because what He was going to tell them was the truth they needed to hear and believe. Everything that followed was a proclamation of who He is in relation to the Father.
The Jews believed that God was the Judge of all people, so hearing Jesus assert that He had all of that authority shocked them. This declaration, however, was not new; long before Jesus’ incarnation, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a righteous Judge who would rise from David’s line and judge His people with righteousness and justice (Isai 2:4; 11:3-5*; 16:5). These prophecies were fulfilled not by any Israelite King, but by One chosen from David’s royal line, Jesus Christ. And this will be accomplished to the letter at the second coming of Jesus Christ, who truly is the “shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Isa. 11:1). If the Jews had believed Isaiah, they would not have struggled to understand what Jesus had just said, but their hearts were blinded and they failed to comprehend the truth of God becoming a Man and walking among them, claiming to be equal with God.
Several times throughout His earthly mission, Jesus demonstrated that He was the true Judge. He singled out certain people or cities because of their unbelief and declared their doom. He condemned Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, declaring that their fate would be worse than Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom (Matthew 11:20ff). He also pronounced doom on the Pharisees and Scribes (Matt 23). Even though what He proclaimed was a judgment, the goal was to warn the people in the hope that they would repent of their evil ways and trust Him. For Jesus’ first coming was not to condemn anybody, but to save (John 3:17), therefore every scolding, no matter how severe, was intended to awaken someone from death.
After His resurrection and ascension, the Apostles, whom He had commissioned to go and make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:19), proclaimed unequivocally that Jesus is the Judge to whom all mankind shall be subjected. Peter’s speech in Cornellius’ house demonstrated that he, too, believed that Jesus is the judge, as he obediently declared, “And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42). He was present when Jesus spoke those things in John 5, and his account is accurate. He understood Jesus’ words as a command to preach to all people. Speaking to the learned men of Athens, Apostle Paul challenged them to repent because of the impending day of judgment, the judge of which is Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31). He spoke of a “fixed day,” a future day that is certain but unknown to man, thus the call to repentance should not be postponed to another day. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Those who place their faith in Him will not be condemned, but the ungodly will be damned eternally and separated from His presence.
Unfortunately, this is not a popular message today. Most people are happy to hear about a prosperous Jesus who would meet their physical and social needs, versus a Jesus who hates sin. When a pastor speaks about Jesus as the Judge, he is viewed as unloving because it reminds people of their sin and the need to repent, which most people aren’t ready for.
The reason you should preach about Jesus, the Judge Jesus, is “that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father (John 5:22)”. When sinful folks repent and place their faith in Jesus for redemption, He is praised. Though salvation is not for all men, which means some will not glorify Jesus with their lives, the Scriptures state that He will be honored by all men when He returns in His glory (Phil 2:12).
The ramifications of this reality are real; pastors should preach about the Judge and His Judgment. To all men, make peace with the world’s Judge by repenting of your sin and believing in Him before it is too late.