When we look at the New Testament, I personally believe that Jesus gives us a glimpse of what this new Kingdom will be like with Him as judge. Let us look at one of His healings. As the paralytic is lowered through the roof, Jesus takes the time to heal the man but says something interesting. He says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Many people, rightfully so, see this as a miracle as the man is healed, and while this is correct, there is more to this passage. What did Jesus really do here? I believe we get a glimpse of Jesus as judge. He looks at the man on the mat and as the righteous Judge sent by God, Jesus forgives the paralytic man’s sins. Not only that, what is the result of Jesus’ judgment? The answer: complete restoration. Yes, it is a miracle, but I believe we get this glimpse of Jesus and His Kingdom coming. I can only imagine what it will be like, but we get this idea of how Jesus will judge.
Look at how Jesus handles the woman caught in adultery. The people brought her to Him, and they ask Him what to do with her (They ask Him to judge her). To their surprise, He first judges those prepared to stone her, and after they drop their rocks and walk away, He restores the condemned woman and tells her to “go and sin no more.” We have this beautiful picture, not only of Jesus who will condemn evil ultimately, but this picture of Jesus as one who will as Isaiah states, “judge not by what His eyes see or His ears hear.” In these instances, God’s judgment is beautiful. His judgment is glorious!
Here’s the thing: People look at God as some angry old man in the sky, but honestly, we are the angry ones. This perception of God seems to reflect more of our nature than it does His. The Christian can rest assured that God’s judgments are good, and we can trust them. We can trust Him.
