Who Is JesusSample

Jesus The Loving Judge 

I once met a student who said that her life was riddled with mistakes and was unsure of God’s forgiveness. Her view of God was that he might be a malevolent Judge. She had to be introduced to the loving side of this judge. So I asked her to read, reflect and write about each line from Zephaniah 3:17. And, this was her response, “Those words gave me fresh energy, sir.” 

Let’s begin with verse 14. We are asked to rejoice because “the Lord has taken away the judgements against you.” Living with the burden of unforgiven sin can be a very heavy load to carry. Unaware of the consequences of bad decisions can also be an uncomfortable experience for those around you. 

To overcome this pain, some people take extreme measures to overcome those feelings. This sadly results sometimes in self-harm and even suicide. What they don’t realize is that they are unnecessarily punishing their bodies for the deep pain they are experiencing in their souls. 

Keeping this pain as a possible backdrop, verse 16 predicts the coming of a judge. But we need not be afraid of his arrival. 

He comes as the mighty one; not to destroy you but to save you. He destroys whatever might be destroying you. 

He rejoices over you and quiets your troubled soul with his love. 

And then he does something many loving parents do to their children; he exults over you with singing (verse 17). 

The prophet uses these analogies only to help us understand the character of the person we are looking forward to. 

Christ arrives and he fulfills the characteristics of God. A cursory reading of the gospels reveals the character of God in Christ Jesus. Christianity is indeed a shocking alternative. We imagine God wants to condemn us but Jesus comes to save us. We imagine God wants us to perish, instead Christ offers us eternal life. God shows up and all he asks of us, is to trust him.