John 7:19-24 CSB
Didn't Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" [20] "You have a demon!" the crowd responded. "Who is trying to kill you?" [21] "I performed one work, and you are all amazed," Jesus answered. [22] "This is why Moses has given you circumcision -not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers -and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. [23] If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won't be broken, are you angry at me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath? [24] Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."
James 2:1-4 CSB
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. [2] For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, [3] if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here in a good place," and yet you say to the poor person, "Stand over there," or "Sit here on the floor by my footstool," [4] haven't you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Judging Rightly
It is human nature to look at the surface, but our loving Father invites us to look deeper. In Jesus’ day, many people missed the beauty of a miracle because they were too focused on the “rules” of the Sabbath. Today, we still value our time together—whether we gather on Saturday or Sunday (the day the early church called “the Lord’s Day”). These days are special because they allow us to lift each other up and worship in unity. However, the book of James reminds us that the real beauty of our worship isn’t found in our schedules, but in how we see the people walking through our doors.
Sometimes, we unintentionally judge by worldly appearances, missing the heart of what a person truly needs. This can be especially true for those coming from difficult backgrounds, like a Christian recovery group. Many of these individuals have fought hard battles with addiction, lost families, or legal trouble. They have reached a point where they’ve “had enough” and are searching for the hope they might have first heard about as children.
When someone from that world finally finds the courage to step into a Sunday service, they are often filled with trepidation. They are looking for a sign that the joy and peace they found in their recovery group is also present in the sanctuary. This is our great opportunity. If they encounter stares or whispers, they might feel that the “old life” is the only place they belong. But if they encounter “Godly Perspective”— the kind of sight that sees a person’s soul instead of their clothes—they find the healing Jesus was offering on the Sabbath.
The people watching Jesus that day were so focused on human-made rules about how to act on a “special day” that they couldn’t see the Father working to make a man entirely well. They missed the miracle because they stayed on the surface.
We are invited to do something better: to look past the “gold rings” or the “filthy clothes” and see the Father’s work in progress. When we do that, we aren’t just attending a service; we are participating in the healing ministry of Christ.
Reflection Questions
- How does it change your perspective to think of a newcomer not as a “stranger,” but as someone for whom the Father has been answering prayers?
- If you knew that the person sitting near you was fighting a battle for their very life, how would that change the way you welcomed them today?
- Jesus calls us to a higher standard of “seeing.” This week, can you ask the Father to help you see one person in your life through His eyes of mercy rather than your own eyes of habit?
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for seeing us as we truly are and loving us anyway. We ask for Your eyes today. Help us to move past the outward appearances that so easily distract us. Make our hearts and our churches a place of true sanctuary, where those who are weary can find rest and those who are healing can find a home. Let our judgment be defined by Your grace.
Amen.
