Jesus entered the world to render judgment

John 9:39 (NLT)

Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

Why did Jesus come to earth?  Or, as this verse records, why did He enter this world?  Dr. Roger Congdon (http://www.teachinghome.com/em-elements/christmas/21reasons.cfm) listed 21 purposes:

·  Fulfill prophecy (Matt 5:17)

·  Fulfill the law (Matt 5:17-18)

·  Seek the lost (Luke 19:10)

·  Save the lost (Matt 18:11)

·  Save sinners (I Tim 1:15)

·  To serve (Mark 10:45)

·  Give His life as a ransom (Matt 20:28)

·  Men might have life more abundantly (John 10:10)

·  Reveal the Father (Matt 11:27)

·  Do the will of God (Heb 10:9)

·  Preach (Luke 4:43)

·  Bring fire (Luke 12:49)

·  Be a king (John 18:37)

·  Bear witness to the truth (John 18:37)

·  Be a faithful priest (Heb 2:17)

·  Put away sin (Heb 9:26)

·  Destroy works of the devil (I John 3:18)

·  Send a sword (Matt 10:34-36)

·  Bear our sins (I Peter 2:24)

·  Provide an example of holy living (I Peter 2:21)

And the 21^st purpose---to render judgment as written in John 9:39.  What does this mean in light of other verses that seem to say the opposite, e.g. “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17); “You judge Me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone” (John 8:15); “I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it”? (John 12:47).

 

The Bible appears to contradict itself and sometimes it takes more scholarship than most of us have to explain apparent contradictions.  John 3:17 follows the familiar John 3:16 where the primary purpose of Jesus’ life when He first came to earth was/is to save humankind from their sins and eternal judgment.  His first appearance was not to condemn people but to save them.  This is re-emphasized in John 12:47.  John 8:15 is Jesus saying that He does not judge people as the Pharisees were doing.  This verse follows the Pharisees trying to condemn the adulterous woman.

But, make no mistake that someday Jesus will return as a judge where He was appointed by God (Acts 17:30-32) to be the judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42, II Tim 4:1), who will be able to judge the secrets of men (Rom 2:16, I Cor 4:5), separate the sheep from the goats (Matt 25:31-46), and judge every deed of man (Matt 16:27, II Cor 5:10).  His first coming was as a Savior, His second coming will be as a judge.    

John 9:39 writes that “He entered the world to render judgment” (Greek “krima” meaning “judicial decision”) and then explains what this means----“to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”  The Message Bible translates this verse as “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”  So the phrase “render judgment” seems to mean that Jesus provides special blessings to those who are willing to know who He really is while exposing hypocrisy of those unwilling to see who He really is.     

Every person on earth, sooner or later, unless you live somewhere remotely where there are no channels of communication, is confronted with the question, “Who is Jesus to you”?  You either believe in Him or you don’t.  John 9:39 actually is saying that people in the world are judging Jesus, either accepting Him or rejecting Him.  Who is Jesus to you? Can you see Him for who He is or are you spiritually blind?  If the latter, He can remove your blindness if you are willing.