Following a series of joint replacements and assorted complications, someone suggested that I get one of those little blue placards to hang from the rear view mirror in my car so I could park in spaces reserved for those with handicaps – or as one of my grandchildren called them at the time, the “handy-spots.” I felt a little guilty about it, because there were others whose disabilities were so much worse, but someone close to me said something like this: “Look, those placards are not little vehicular goodies handed out to whoever asks for one. There’s a painful price you have to pay to qualify.” 

A Common Sense Concept ~
My friend was right, of course, and there’s a simple concept involved in his comment that most of us would file under the heading of “common sense.” And because of its common sense quality, we tend not to think about it or point it out. But the Master Teacher from Nazareth saw it differently and highlighted it in ways that we would do well to consider. In a nutshell, the principle I’m referring to is simply this . . . Tremendous benefits may be available to all who need them – but only dispensed to qualified recipients. 

One classic example of Jesus applying this notion took place when He was criticized for interacting with tax collectors and “sinners”; i.e., people who were excluded from personal, religious, or communal involvement. Some were victims of diseases, others were involved in activities or occupations that rendered them “unclean” and unacceptable for physical or relational contact. Luke records one such episode that took place after Jesus invited Matthew to follow Him: 

Then Levi [Matthew] gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:29–32 NKJV)

No Demographic Discrimination Involved ~
Jesus made it undeniably clear that the relationship He offered and the healing He was able to give was not reserved for a particular race, religion, gender, ethnic background, political affiliation, or socio-economic class. The Gospel writers affirm that people came to Him from everywhere in the region with all kinds of needs, and no one was turned away.

And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. (Mark 3:7–8 NKJV)

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. (Matthew 12:14–15 NKJV)

The point I want to make is simple, so I won’t belabor it. God will not withhold the gifts and blessings He offers from anyone because their skin is the wrong color, or because they happened to be born into a culture He doesn’t like. God’s compassion doesn’t have an automatic shut off when He’s approached by someone speaking a language He disapproves of, and His healing is not restricted to certain diagnostic categories that He deems worthy. But there are conditions.

One Qualification Required ~
The healing He has the power to offer is only available to those afflicted by some disease or disorder. The wholeness Jesus offered was freely distributed, but only to those who realized that their lives were irredeemably broken. He offered inexpressible peace, but only those who were wracked with fear and anxiety were seeking it. That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? After all, why would anyone waste the time and effort to go to a doctor and hang around in a waiting room for hours just to criticize the doctor’s treatment methods and condemn him or her for allowing certain kinds of people into their clinic? It sounds ridiculous, but that kind of thing was happening to Jesus on a regular basis.

Consider, for example, an incident between a man who was blind and quite aware of it, and some Pharisees who were just as blind spiritually, but considered themselves not only able to see, but qualified to critique the vision of others. It displayed dramatically different responses to Jesus. In that exchange, Jesus made a profoundly significant comment about judgment that we mustn’t overlook. Here’s how John recorded the incident:  

And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. (John 9:39–41 NKJV)

Not a Negative Term ~
It’s significant that Jesus uses the word, judgment. It’s a process we’re happy to engage in when it involves evaluating someone else. But if we’re the one being judged, and the God who knows our every thought is the doing the judging, it’s a different story. Our aversion to the subject of God’s judgment in this culture has reduced it to a negative term, even among Christians – or perhaps I should say, especially among Christians. Judgment has adopted the connotation of condemnation, punishment, and rejection – and that’s unfortunate. 

What the word is meant to signify is a process of evaluation, discernment, and the application of truth in regard to something being scrutinized. Judgment is simply the process of looking at something and honestly answering questions like these:

• • • Is it good – or is it bad? 
    • Is it right – or is it wrong? 
    • Is it beneficial – or is it harmful? 
    • Is it honest – or is it deceitful? 
    • Is it fair – or is it biased?
    • Is it just – or is it unjust?  

Understandable Avoidance ~
The reason most of us tend to shy away from the idea of judgment is because in our hearts, we already know there are areas we don’t want openly scrutinized by anyone, especially by a holy God who embodies perfection. But our avoidance of judgment creates an unintended consequence that we often fail to consider. If we avoid or ignore God’s judgment and deny His righteous response to our behavior, we disqualify ourselves as candidates for His mercy and grace. The aversion to the idea of judgment that our current brand of Christianity seems to have adopted has had another effect . . . We’ve forgotten what Jesus meant when He said that He came to save sinners.  

With every kind of perversion that demonic minds can conceive having been made not only acceptable, but protected, defended, and promoted, the acknowledgment of sin itself has become the thing no longer tolerated. But sin is a contagious malady, destructive to every part of our lives on this earth and poses a lethal threat to our eternal welfare. Submitting to God’s judgment and admitting our sins are painful processes, but denial only deepens sin’s grip and allows it to spread. Confession qualifies us for the mercy and grace that alone can counteract sin’s toxic effects.

The glorious Good News is that Jesus is still the loving and compassionate Great Physician. Acknowledging our willful disobedience, sinful indulgence, and humiliating failures might feel agonizing, but those are the very things He came to heal. When unveiled in Jesus’ presence, shame and humiliation cannot survive. Ragged, burning wounds get turned into painless scars at His touch, and a Word from Him transforms bankrupt, sin-shackled lives into fountains of joy and praise. When we bring our broken, hopeless condition to Him, the painful prelude of judgment is over – and mercy stands ready to take its place.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • God will not withhold the gifts and blessings He offers from anyone because their skin is the wrong color, or because they happened to be born into a culture He doesn’t like. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • God’s compassion doesn’t have an automatic shut off when He’s approached by someone speaking a language He disapproves of, and His healing isn’t restricted to certain diagnostic categories that He deems worthy. But there are conditions. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • The reason most of us tend to shy away from the idea of judgment is because in our hearts, we already know there are areas we don’t want openly scrutinized by anyone, especially by a holy God who embodies perfection. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • If we avoid or ignore God’s judgment and deny His righteous response to our behavior, we disqualify ourselves as candidates for His mercy and grace . . . We’ve forgotten what Jesus meant when He said that He came to save sinners. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • Acknowledging willful disobedience, sinful indulgence, and humiliating failures may feel agonizing, but those are the things He came to heal. When we bring our broken, hopeless condition to Him, the painful prelude is over. Mercy takes its place. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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