John 8
Somehow over the years people have
gotten the idea that Jesus was always kind and gentle. They seem to have the
impression that Jesus was non-confrontational and accepted everyone without any
thought to how they live or act. The implication, then, is that Christians
should never judge whether a person’s behavior is sinful or not, or whether
something is true, right, or God pleasing. And while it is true that Jesus
reached out to tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, and other scandalous people,
the idea that He did not care about their behavior is a lie; a myth perpetrated
by Hell.
In John 8 we see Jesus confront the sin
of the Pharisees, and He is far from gentle. He calls them children of the
devil, liars, willfully ignorant, murderers, and, of course, sinners. And all
the while He says that He does not judge them! Indeed, it was God’s Law that
judged them, the very standard they were trying to apply to everyone else, He extended
to them.
At the heart of the matter is a conflict
between God’s will and the desires of people. People do not want a god that
they are accountable to. They are far more comfortable with a god that stays at
a distance and does not meddle in their lives. They want a god that puts a
rubber stamp on our own ideas, ambitions, and desires. And we often delude
ourselves to think that such a god is the God of the universe. Jesus says to
such notions, “You know neither me nor my Father.”
God holds people accountable for their
actions. He cares what we do, how we live, and what we choose. He never
condones unrighteousness and always demands that sin be punished. Indeed, this
is part of the amazing nature of God! He not only demands that sin be punished
with all kinds of natural consequences in this life, but He has both condemned
and punished sin for all time. How? He did it by lifting up His Son on the
cross.
God does not ignore sin. He addresses it
by giving Jesus as the one who stands in our place to take our punishment. This
is why the cross is the sign of our salvation. It was there that Jesus
represented us in our sin. Look to the cross, for Jesus said, “When you have
lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he ….”
Jesus, You were lifted on the cross and I
live in Your forgiveness. Amen.
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