Right Judgment

John chapter 4, verses 31 through 36, describes the wonderful story of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, and the disciples’ reaction when they found Him. He then begins to speak about how to look at the world. He said, "You look at the world one way, I look at the world another. You say there are four more months to harvest, but for Me, the harvest field is already ripe, dry, and white. And I’m already reaping."

He was referring, of course, to His encounter with the Samaritan woman. He was reaping the harvest in that village just then. A few minutes later the woman came back with all the men in the village and Jesus shared with them.

The disciples looked at things from a purely natural point of view. They said, "It isn’t time yet for harvest." But you see, Jesus had a different viewpoint, a spiritual viewpoint. He saw things from another aspect. What gave Him this spiritual insight? His commitment to do the will of God.

From this story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, we see two outworkings of the commitment to do the will of God – physical restoration and a proper vision of the situation, a vision of the situation as God saw it, taking into account the spiritual realities of the situation.

In the next chapter of John’s Gospel, chapter 5 and verse 30, Jesus makes another statement that teaches us about the result of being committed to doing God’s will in our lives. Jesus is discussing the healing of a man who had been paralysed for many, many years – he lay there by the pool, unable to move – and Jesus had brought him healing. As a result of this, there’s a discussion partly about keeping the Sabbath and so on. During this discussion, Jesus makes this statement:

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (NASB)

Notice those words there: "My judgment is just [it’s right]." Why? "Because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." So, there’s a third result of that commitment to do the will of God. I would call it 'just judgment' or 'impartial discernment'.