15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
Speaking to the Pharisees Jesus aptly describes their flawed external manner of judgment. Not embraced because He was not esteemed, Jesus now hits them squarely between the eyes with the Truth – His testimony is valid because He and the Father are always in agreement. Jesus tells us in Scripture:
30 I and the Father are one. John 10:30 (NIV)
The prophet Isaiah had foretold the following regarding the coming Savior’s lack of acceptance:
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:2-3 (NIV)
His lackluster appearance lacking regality- having no place even to lay His head – the religious leaders of the day wrongly assume Jesus must be a fraudulent character. Man certainly has a different standard for judging than God. God is neither impressed by nor carried away with our outward pomp and splendor. Indeed, when Samuel was searching for Israel’s King to replace King Saul, God discloses to him this following Truth:
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7 (NIV)
“Our reputation (what others think of us) is not as important as our identity (who we really are). Spiritual formation begins when we untangle reputation and identity, and when what God thinks of us is more important than what we think of ourselves or what others think of us.” Scot McKnight
God is always into the condition of our hearts as well as the motivation behind our actions. It is God’s desire for His children to serve Him and love Him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind. He is to be our hearts desire – He does not contend with sharing His throne with any of our many “Delilah’s”. This, by the way, is certainly for our good and His glory – not for our harm or displeasure. Until we are able to grasp this Truth - that it is He alone that our hearts truly yearn for and desire - we will never be content. Our hearts were made for Him - period. Everything else is simply a cherry on top of the sundae. His process is to search every heart – not one goes without His scrutiny – carefully observing and searching the minutest details. We find the following Truth in God’s Word penned by King David:
9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 1 Chron 28:9 (NIV)
Interestingly, “the man after God’s own heart” - King David - had a normal pattern of seeking the Lord. It is here he found refuge, strength and confidence. I am reminded of his words which he spoke to the taunting Goliath before he slew him, by the way, with a mere pebble:
45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Sam 17:45 (NIV)
Hezekiah offers us yet another faithful example of following God wholeheartedly in 2 Chronicles:
20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. 21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. 2 Chron 31:20-21 (NIV)