Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#24]
JERUSALEM- JUDGING BY APPEARANCES
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about the most mentioned City in the Bible- Jerusalem.
Matthew 23:37
Last week, we studied Jesus healing a man who could not walk. He healed him on a Sabbath, which gathered a lot of negative attention. Tonight, we are going to see the next time Jesus entered Jerusalem.
John 7:24
Jesus was teaching the religious leaders and people that they should not judge others by appearance.
John 7:14-20
A sign of judging by appearances is…
1. Jumping to conclusions without the facts.
Obviously, Jesus inferred that they thought he was self-taught or had made everything up. The Jews assumed that because Jesus had not attended their Jewish Schools, that Jesus had never studied and had thus made up everything he was teaching. Their assumptions about Jesus led them down the path to judging him based on those assumptions. Like the Jews, we put ourselves in danger of judging based on assumptions when we evaluate a person or situation without all of the facts. We must train ourselves against believing and, especially, sharing things that cannot be substantiated.
John 7:21-23
A sign of judging by appearances is…
2. Focusing on a single aspect of the bigger picture.
Jesus was pointing out to them that they judged Him on 1 miracle. They did not care that Jesus healed someone, they were concerned about the day He healed him. What made it more interesting was that the Religious Leaders were allowing other things to occur on the Sabbath and that was fine.
John 7:23
A sign of judging by appearances is…
3. Getting upset when good things happen.
This is what has always bothered me- They were mad because Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath. They should have been thrilled that the man was healed. How often do we forget what really matters?
Conclusion:
I pray that we do not fall into the same trap that the Religious Leaders did- The trap of judging others based on appearance.
