judgment

Jesus talks about the judgment as a looming and unpleasant event in this week’s reading from the Gospel According to Luke 10:13–16 (NABRE). Because of other passages in the Scriptures, we can feel fairly confident that we understand this passage. With further analysis, however, it’s possible that we don’t have quite as clear an idea as we might think.

The Greek word κρίσις (crisis) used to refer to the judgment is from the verb κρίνω (krino), which means “I separate,” “I pick out,” or “I choose.” Judgment, then, is distinguishing, separating, or discerning. Judgment also is a legal concept in Greek, choosing or determining someone’s guilt or innocence. It’s in this legal sense that we want to view the Final Judgment, although many of Jesus’ parables suggest a broader interpretation.

The judgment in the Gospel According to Luke 10:13–16 (NABRE) seems to refer to a final event to which all cities and people will be subject. Based on the Greek meaning, we see that this final event can be either a legal determination of innocence or guilt, or it simply can be a separating or distinguishing of cities or people with no inherent connotation of sentencing. It seems more consistent in this context to view the Final Judgment as a time in which God divides his people into two categories—and the language used provides no immediate idea of what will happen to either.

related topics: apocalypse; left behind; parousia

you also may like our study of Saul, David & Solomon (digital only)
The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at the First and Second Books of Samuel to learn how the lives of the monarchs Saul, David, and Solomon point ahead to the kingdom of heaven. The unified reign of King David is seen as a foreshadowing or type of the unity that is one of the four marks of the Church—the kingdom of God—established by Jesus Christ. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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