John 7:23-26

23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 

24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?

26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?

“Does My Judgment Pass the Three Tests?”

What happens when the eighth day of a baby boy’s life falls on the Sabbath? Jesus says, paraphrasing, “You perform the circumcision on the Sabbath to keep the law of Moses, so why are you angry at Me because I completely healed a man on the Sabbath?” Circumcision on the eighth day, even on the Sabbath, made the person complete under the law. When Jesus healed the man by the pool, He made the man complete under the law as well. Now, the man would be physically able to keep the law. Jesus is basically calling them hypocrites in verse 23. 

In verse 24, Jesus says not to judge by appearance, but to use righteous judgment. He doesn’t say that we can never judge, but we do have to be very careful when we do. The world today wants to quickly quote Matthew 7:1, which says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” However, they don’t read the rest of the verses after verse 1. Jesus explains in Matthew 7:2-6 exactly how to judge with “righteous judgment”. As Matthew 7:5 says, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” For our judgment to be righteous, it has to pass three tests. First, we have to use God’s Word as our standard of judgment. Secondly, we have to be right with God ourselves before we can judge righteously. And thirdly, and this is so important, we must have the right motives for our judgment to be righteous. Do we truly have the person’s best interest at heart? Are we doing it to save the person’s soul? The judgment that these Jews were placing on Jesus was not righteous. It failed in all three areas. Their judgment was not from God’s Word. It was hypocritical because these Jews were not right with God. And the motives behind their judgment were not pure. Here’s a question for myself and everyone else. Do I want God to judge me in the same way that I judge other people? Just food for thought… because that is exactly what Matthew 7:2 says will happen to us. We will be judged in the same way in which we judge other people. 

In verses 25-26, we see that some of the people are confused. They are asking, “Isn’t this the man that they want to kill?” They are wondering why the Jewish leaders are allowing Him to speak so boldly in the temple. If they want Him dead so badly, then why are they allowing this to continue? Because of the Jews’ hesitance to stop Jesus from teaching, they begin to wonder if He is actually the Christ. The people were saying, paraphrasing, “Do they know He is the Christ? Is this why they aren’t trying to stop Him?” So the word had gotten around that the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead, yet they allowed Jesus to question their actions, and speak to them as if He had authority…which of course He did. Jesus had ALL authority!

Let’s go back to verse 24 for a moment. Jesus tells us not to judge by appearance. We aren’t to look at a person’s outward appearance, such as their clothing, height, weight, makeup, hair color, tattoos, piercings, etc., and decide what kind of person they are based on it. We certainly can’t decide, by looking at someone, whether they deserve the gospel taught to them or not. Everyone equally deserves the gospel. Well, actually, none of us deserves the gospel! God sent Jesus to save us out of pure love. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost (2 Peter 3:9). He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). It is certainly nothing that any human has done to deserve such a gift. God looks at the heart as we should. God looks at our hearts to see whether we appropriately view others as souls who need saving. Am I looking at others in this way? Am I seeing opportunities to share the gospel? Like the picture at the top says, “Am I looking beneath the surface?”

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)