4TH WEEK OF EASTER

The word that I spoke, it will condemn.

Have you ever been condemned by a word? We’re all familiar with what it feels like to be condemned by another person, and it isn’t pleasant. The sense of disapproval and even rejection can make us feel small, ashamed, and unloved. But what does Jesus mean that his word has the potential to condemn? Let’s think about this.

First, Jesus was very clear that he doesn’t condemn anyone. In fact, he affirmed, “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). As the parable of the lost sheep tells us, he is the Good Shepherd who will leave all his other sheep to find the one who has strayed (Matthew 18:10-14). And once he has found that sheep, he puts it on his shoulders and carries it home.

Imagine you are that lost sheep. But when you see Jesus coming toward you, you run in the opposite direction. Jesus isn’t condemning you—you are condemning yourself. You are choosing to remain lost. The farther you get from Jesus, the more trouble you find yourself in.

That’s what happens when we choose our ways over Jesus’ ways. It’s our own actions that punish us, not Jesus. It’s like a young child placing her hand on a hot stove, even as her mother calls out to try to stop her. The mother is speaking words of warning—words that describe the “condemnation” that child will experience as she touches the stove.

This is similar to what Jesus means when he says that his own words will condemn us. He isn’t punishing us; he is naming the natural consequences of sin. He isn’t sending us away from him; he is telling us what will happen if we don’t reverse course and come running back to him in repentance.

As frightening as Jesus’ words of warning can appear, we should remember that he never speaks them in anger or rejection. More than anything else, they are words of mercy calling us back to him. In fact, his mercy is so wide that we can return to him no matter how far from him we have wandered.

“Jesus, thank you for speaking words of mercy that can overcome any sin in my heart!”

Acts 12:24–13:5
Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
John 12:44-50