To Judge
Well, friends, this week's devotions have been perhaps a little bit less Christmassy than normal. However, I hope that they've reminded us of the real reason of Christmas. Jesus’ coming was not just so that the angels would make noise and the wise men would come and all of that, but he came to live a life that meant something and to teach us the truth. This week's devotions have focused on that
And today we're going to look at one more reason that he came according to Jesus himself, John 9:39. He said this: “For judgment I have come into this world so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind.”
Judgment and Salvation
Now, to give you some context, this whole chapter was the long story of Jesus healing a man who'd been born blind, and the Pharisees really taking issue with this for various reasons. The man who was healed came back to Jesus and worshipped him and said, “I believe that you are the Son of Man.” And then Jesus said this, that his judgment would result in the blind seeing and those who see becoming blind. And the Pharisees then realized he was talking in the metaphors and saying to them that they were actually really blind.
Jesus came to judge, friends, and that doesn't mean he just came to condemn and everyone who escaped his condemnation was lucky. No, he came with a purpose to save. But that salvation came as a result of judgment, judging who was saved and who wasn't saved. And those who had placed their faith in him and been born again were graciously not judged. Those who thought they could see but turned out to be blind would be judged and separated from God, sadly.
Jesus’ coming as a light in the world has a way of shining into the darkness. Maybe, friends, we should be asking the question that the Pharisees ask in verse 40 when they said, “Are we blind as well?” Maybe we should always be asking God, “Oh Lord, are we blind? Please let us see. Let us be seeing correctly, not thinking that we see the light when we're actually blind.”
Christmas: Jesus' Light
If our faith is in Christ, friends, then we are not judged. But if we think we see without him, then judgment comes our way.
This Christmas, are we going to open our eyes to Jesus? I know it's round the corner now. It's only a few days away, but it's not too late to make this a Jesus Christmas where He is the light of the world, where He shines most brightly, where He is our deepest desire, where His joy is the joy we celebrate above all.
Friends, He came for this reason. He came so that we can put our faith in Him and be made right with God, so that instead of being condemned, we can be saved. His judgment is fair, and all we need to do to avoid it is to place our faith in Him as our God and Saviour.
Will you do that today? I pray you will. Then I know you're going to have a Christmas of much joy because he will be the true reason for the season.
My friends, have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas. I pray that your hearts will be worshipping deeply on Sunday as you give him glory and crown him King in your life. Merry Christmas and take care.
