Jesus Taught by Explaining the Meaning of Words(Contd) :
Change of Meaning of Words: Before we end our discussion on the meaning of words, we shall see one more example of how Jesus completely changes the ordinary meaning of words and invests them with meaning that has far-reaching consequences. Jesus made the following remarks after curing the man born blind that created a lot of commotion among the Jewish authorities who were eager to suppress any evidence liable to upset their own authority and position. "Jesus said, 'It is for judgment that I have come into this world - to give sight to the sightless and make blind those who see'. Some Pharisees in his company asked, 'Do you mean that we are blind?' 'If you were blind', said Jesus, 'you would not be guilty, but because you say "We see", your guilt remains' " (John, 9: 39-41).
Basis for Change of Meaning: The change of meaning of the words "sight" and "blindness" is effected in virtue of the fact that Jesus came for the judgment of the world. However, the judgment here proposed is, so to say, an automatic result of our relationship to the values established by Jesus. The father Himself does not judge anyone as He has given full jurisdiction to the Son (See John, 5: 22). The Son need not pronounce judgment on those who have eternal life as a result of heeding his words and putting their trust in the one who sent him (See John, 5: 24). On hearing the Voice of the Son of man , even the dead will come out of their graves for obtaining life if they have done right and for hearing their doom if they have done wrong (See John, 5: 27-29). Jesus himself says that God sent His only Son into the world not for judging it but for saving it (See John, 3: 17).
Criterion of Judgment: The apparent contradiction between the fact that Jesus came for the judgment of the world and that he does not need to judge anyone may be resolved if we understand Jesus as the criterion of judgment set up by God Himself. In conversing with Nicodemus Jesus clarified how the world is judged in virtue of the reality of his presence in the world. " 'The man who puts his faith in him does not come under judgment; but the unbeliever has already been judged in that he has not given his allegiance to God's only Son. Here lies the test: the light has come into the world:, but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear that their practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does' " (John, 3: 18-21). Jesus is the judge of the world by being the light of the world (See John, 8: 12). Thus, faith or unbelief in Jesus is measured by one's coming out into the light or hiding in darkness depending on the good or bad deeds performed by each one. It is a criterion applicable to men and women of all times based on which each one will be judged. By his life, preaching, death and resurrection Jesus was constituted the fit criterion suitable for judgment of everyone. No religion, culture, ideology etc., can claim exclusive rights to this criterion as it is all-pervasive with regard to all that was created, being at the same time the light of the humans (See John 1: 3-4).
Reversal of Values: In the above context we must try to understand what Jesus said to the Pharisees about his being the judge of the world. Can anyone see without light? The fact that Jesus came into the world had the consequence of turning upside down the values held till then by the world. Those who acknowledge to be blind are able to see, while those who think that they see are really blind. This profound spiritual truth was manifested by means of curing the man born blind whose receiving the sight was symbolic of the spiritual condition of man. The Pharisees expected an exemption from the judgment of Jesus as they were commonly taken to be enlightened people. For Jesus, the mental attitude of self-sufficiency taking the place of faith in the supremacy of God expressed in concrete deeds is the source of condemnation for such people. They are the people who think that they see without coming into the light that enlightens everyone. They condemn themselves by their evil deeds, whereas the believer is the one who has already entered into eternal life by his or her good deeds. We see here that Jesus has converted deep spiritual truths to verifiable down-to-earth concepts by reducing them to the actual situations of our daily lives. (To be Contd).
Change of Meaning of Words: Before we end our discussion on the meaning of words, we shall see one more example of how Jesus completely changes the ordinary meaning of words and invests them with meaning that has far-reaching consequences. Jesus made the following remarks after curing the man born blind that created a lot of commotion among the Jewish authorities who were eager to suppress any evidence liable to upset their own authority and position. "Jesus said, 'It is for judgment that I have come into this world - to give sight to the sightless and make blind those who see'. Some Pharisees in his company asked, 'Do you mean that we are blind?' 'If you were blind', said Jesus, 'you would not be guilty, but because you say "We see", your guilt remains' " (John, 9: 39-41).
Basis for Change of Meaning: The change of meaning of the words "sight" and "blindness" is effected in virtue of the fact that Jesus came for the judgment of the world. However, the judgment here proposed is, so to say, an automatic result of our relationship to the values established by Jesus. The father Himself does not judge anyone as He has given full jurisdiction to the Son (See John, 5: 22). The Son need not pronounce judgment on those who have eternal life as a result of heeding his words and putting their trust in the one who sent him (See John, 5: 24). On hearing the Voice of the Son of man , even the dead will come out of their graves for obtaining life if they have done right and for hearing their doom if they have done wrong (See John, 5: 27-29). Jesus himself says that God sent His only Son into the world not for judging it but for saving it (See John, 3: 17).
Criterion of Judgment: The apparent contradiction between the fact that Jesus came for the judgment of the world and that he does not need to judge anyone may be resolved if we understand Jesus as the criterion of judgment set up by God Himself. In conversing with Nicodemus Jesus clarified how the world is judged in virtue of the reality of his presence in the world. " 'The man who puts his faith in him does not come under judgment; but the unbeliever has already been judged in that he has not given his allegiance to God's only Son. Here lies the test: the light has come into the world:, but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear that their practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does' " (John, 3: 18-21). Jesus is the judge of the world by being the light of the world (See John, 8: 12). Thus, faith or unbelief in Jesus is measured by one's coming out into the light or hiding in darkness depending on the good or bad deeds performed by each one. It is a criterion applicable to men and women of all times based on which each one will be judged. By his life, preaching, death and resurrection Jesus was constituted the fit criterion suitable for judgment of everyone. No religion, culture, ideology etc., can claim exclusive rights to this criterion as it is all-pervasive with regard to all that was created, being at the same time the light of the humans (See John 1: 3-4).
Reversal of Values: In the above context we must try to understand what Jesus said to the Pharisees about his being the judge of the world. Can anyone see without light? The fact that Jesus came into the world had the consequence of turning upside down the values held till then by the world. Those who acknowledge to be blind are able to see, while those who think that they see are really blind. This profound spiritual truth was manifested by means of curing the man born blind whose receiving the sight was symbolic of the spiritual condition of man. The Pharisees expected an exemption from the judgment of Jesus as they were commonly taken to be enlightened people. For Jesus, the mental attitude of self-sufficiency taking the place of faith in the supremacy of God expressed in concrete deeds is the source of condemnation for such people. They are the people who think that they see without coming into the light that enlightens everyone. They condemn themselves by their evil deeds, whereas the believer is the one who has already entered into eternal life by his or her good deeds. We see here that Jesus has converted deep spiritual truths to verifiable down-to-earth concepts by reducing them to the actual situations of our daily lives. (To be Contd).
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