The One Who is our Judge

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:27

This matter-of-fact promise from Jesus about His second coming has a powerful build-up meant to get our attention on ALL of Who Jesus is. The context of Matthew 16 leads to making this statement from Jesus echo with authority and power.

First (Matthew 16:1-4), some insistent Pharisees and Sadducees, who had seen numerous miracles in Jesus’ ministry and fought with Him over them, came to Jesus demanding that He provide some miraculous sign to show His heavenly authority. Jesus chided them for their earthly viewpoint, told them only the “sign of Jonah” (a reference to His three days in a tomb) would be their sole sign, and literally walked away from them. I am sure they were not happy, what with Jonah being a book about Gentiles coming to faith in the true God and a call to repentance by a disappointed legalistic Jew.

Jesus then warns His men to avoid the dangerous, destructive legalism of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:5-12). Their teachings were the “things of men” and led people away from the good news. And what was the good news?

The third section (Matthew 16:13-20) has Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah. Jesus affirms this truth of His clear identity. And then He builds on it, contrasting it with the very human viewpoints of His identity.

The fourth part (Matthew 16:21-23) is Jesus’ clear prediction of His upcoming death and resurrection in Jerusalem. When Peter chides Him for this, Jesus rebukes Peter for having in mind the “things of men”. After this clear communication of His mission, the final part of Matthew 16 is a call to discipleship (Matthew 16:24-28). Those who reject an earthly view of Jesus follow the Messianic Deliverer and sacrificial savior with all their lives! That is where this revelation of Jesus as final Judge of all human destiny is revealed.

The One Who is the very sign from heaven is our Judge. The One Who is God’s anointed Deliverer is our Judge. The One Who died to forgive us and was raised from the dead to grant us life forever is our Judge. The One we follow with our lives now will soon return to repay all people for their actions.