John 7:14-24
Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
“You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Devotion
We will close out this week with a quote from Jesus. The religious leaders were condemning Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. After revealing their ignorance of the Law, Jesus said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” Jesus knows that their purpose was to trap Him using the Law so that they could execute Him. Their hatred of Jesus and their fear of losing their power blinded them to the Truth that stood before them. The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ ability to teach God’s Word. All that the religious leaders could do was accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed. Blinded by their lust for power and their jealousy of Jesus, they lost the ability to “make a right judgment.” Jesus warns them against making superficial judgments.
Often in life, we are blinded by things that keep us from seeing the Truth from God’s perspective. This is why it is important to judge ourselves before passing judgment on others. We can be critical of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, but how often do we “judge by mere appearances” and make the wrong judgment? So often we make wrong judgments because we don’t have all the facts. Sometimes we can’t see the facts because of the “plank” that is in our own eye.
At the end of the day, “There is only One Lawgiver and Judge” (James 4:12a). Let us continually seek the Word, who is able to “judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” We must continually check our own hearts to make sure that they are in alignment with God’s heart. Then and only then will we be able to make a right judgment.
Questions to Ponder:
Do you have blind spots that keep you from making right judgments? If so, what are they? Do you judge others by outward appearances only? How often do you check the condition of your own heart? How are you facing the things that are holding you down?
Prayer Points
- Adore the Lord in His beauty and splendor – His power, majesty, and glory. Worship the Great I Am, Eternal God, Yahweh, the Lover of your soul.
- Praise the One and only Lawgiver and Judge – The Lord Almighty.
- Invite the Holy Spirit to show you any sin.
- Ask the Lord to grant each person at Oak Pointe the sensitivity to the Sprit’s conviction once we start judging others.
Suggested Prayer
Holy Father, protect me and my brothers and sisters at Oak Pointe. Protect us from the evil one by the power of Your name. Sanctify us by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. Surround us with Your wall of protection, grant us strength to stand strong, and bless us with eternal hope. I ask that each of us would be rooted and grounded in Your Word. Let us be like a tree that is planted by streams of living water. Grant us wisdom and insight as You lead us by Your Spirit. Help each one of us to respond to You and Your ways. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, oh God. We follow You, Lord, wherever You may send us for Your Great Name’s sake. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen.