The Response of Jesus

Gospel: Luke 24: 35-48

Consider all the various things that have happened to Jesus in the span of one week, and then consider his responses to them.  First, he is betrayed by one of his friends, and Jesus' response is to kiss him and call him friend, after first feeding him at the Last Supper. Then, he is executed by a bloodthirsty crowd.   His response was to forgive them in the midst of that very execution.

His friends had abandoned him in his death.  Then, after Jesus rose from the dead, they did not believe the women or the two Emmaus disciples who told them they saw Jesus risen.  What is Jesus' response? It is to appear to them and say, "Peace be with you." Later, Jesus will encounter Peter, the one who denied him three times, and Jesus' only response to Peter is, "Do you love me?" No judgment, no condemnation, no rebuke - only an invitation to love.

We might well consider these things when we reflect on Jesus' command not to judge lest we be judged.  We human beings love to form opinions of people we have never met based on media reports and our own biases, whether it be celebrities, political figures, or entire groups of people.  We believe we know them and we have judged them, most often quite harshly.  Jesus, who actually knew all those above and how they treated him, responded with forgiveness, peace, and love.