Snap Judgments

You are not being punished for what you do, but for what you say.

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God." Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods'-- and the scripture cannot be annulled-- can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, "John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." And many believed in him there. - John 10:31-42

The people believed in Jesus because of the work he did, healing the sick and lame, casting out demons, and bringing the dead back to life.

To think that anyone could do these things is crazy.  It is through these works that Jesus wants the world to see the power and grace of God.

In John's Gospel, Jesus declares that he is God's Son and that is what has the religious leaders upset.  They can ignore his deeds, as miraculous as they are, but the words are a problem.

In our present day world, words are our deeds.

Many are only known by their posts on social media, and the more outrageous the words assigned to pictures, the more popular they become.

Actions don't matter at all.

We have created a world where judgment is immediate based on what people say.  We hear something we don't like and we label the person accordingly.

Little has changed from Jesus' day.  

He was condemned to death for claiming to be from God.  

But he also told all of us, we are God's children as well.  If we are like him in that regard, how can we punish him for saying it is so?

Maybe the message in today's Gospel is for us to stop and think before we judge.  Are we making a snap judgment based on something we hear?

If we think about it long enough, could we find some truth in what was said?  And in that truth can we see ourselves?

More to come...