Does Jesus Claim or Deny Being a Judge? - Part 1: An Overview

Did Jesus teach that he will judge “the living and the dead?” This idea has been part of Christianity since 325 A.D. The Nicene Creed. said that Jesus “will come to judge the living and the dead” (ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς)? The answer is both yes and no.

The Word Krino

The problem in answering this question starts with the very slippery nature of the Greek word translated as “judge.” This word is krino (κρίνω). It means “to separate,” “to decide,” and “to criticize.” So, when Jesus says, for example, in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, so that you are be not judged,*” he could be telling us not to criticize each other. Since the word also means “to separate,” he could also mean “don’t discriminate.”

The Greek word for “a judge,” krites, is from the same root. So is krisis, the word that is the source for our word “crisis.” To confuse matters more, krino is sometimes translated as “condemn” in the Bible, but this is always misleading. Another Greek word that Jesus uses, katakrino (κατακρινος), means “condemn.” Also from the same root, it means “decide down” or “decide against.” Krino is translated as “condemn” when translators want to make a theological point rather than reflect what Jesus said.

There is also a special problem with the first-person form of krino (κρίνω). Jesus uses this form in the four verses where he refers to himself judging. This same form is used for both the present and future tense. This means that we cannot tell when Jesus is saying that “I judge” now or “I will judge” in the future. The same form is also used for possibilities, that is, what “might” or “should” happen. This is known as the subjunctive mood. Jesus use it that way at least once used in a “when” clause because “when” and “if” both take the subjunctive.

As I said, krino is a very slippery word.

What Jesus Says

Jesus both claimed and denied judging people. There are only eight verses where Jesus refers to either himself or his Father’s judging. Let us look at each or, at least, how each are translated. In the next article, we will look closely at two of these verses to see how these contradictions can be resolved by more accurate translation. Here, however, we simply want to show the problem.

Early in John, Jesus claims to be a judge, saying in John 5:22, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” That seems pretty clear, but it gets confused quickly when he says in John 5:30, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” This seems to refer to make his judgements what he hears from the Father. This idea is extended in John 8:26, “I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.” This idea is emphasized in John 8:50 “And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.” This clearly refers not to himself but the Father.

Then he denies judging entirely in John 8:15, “You judge by the flesh; I judge no one.” But then he seems to reverse himself in the very next verse, John 8:16, saying, “But when I judge, my judgment is true.” This is an obvious contradiction. If Jesus doesn’t judge anyone, there is no time when he judges. But then he says that there are such times. These are the two verses I will look at in next week’s article.

Jesus then again denies being a judge in John 12:47, “And if any one hears my words, and doesn’t believe, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” That statement seems to be another clear denial. However, in the following verse, Jesus blurs this line again, saying in John 12:48, “He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” Of course the Greek word translated as “words” doesn’t mean “words,” but Jesus’s ideas (see this article). So people are judge not by Jesus but according to the standards he sets.

Conclusions

As with many of Jesus’s ideas, his concept of “judgment” is not easily contained within simple Christian dogma. Dogma may exist so that people don’t have to think more deeply about these things, but are we “judged” on our trust in Christian dogma or our trust in Jesus and his words? The wide path is clearly trusting Christian dogma. Its appeal is that it is easier than Jesus’s words.

However, Jesus’s words are more fun and entertaining. They, however, are the narrow path, chosen by the few who find dogma boring and bland. Next week’s article will demonstrate how this is lost in very specific ways in translation.

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*Note: The quotes here are modern English equivalents of the KJV. With “you” substitute for “ye” and similar small adjustments. I use the KJV because it keeps closest to the original Greek and because most people are familiar with them.