1 Kings 12:1–20; John 9:1–41
Labeling people is perhaps the most common sin among Christians. At its simplest it can be defined as harsh words, judging, and “putting labels on people.” The word „to brand“ literally means to burn a mark into the skin with a red-hot iron — to stigmatize. That is exactly what happens to people’s souls when we brand them — not with a hot iron, but with our words. Proverbs 25:15 says:
a gentle tongue can break a bone. (Proverbs 25:15)
Labeling leaves a scar on the heart and can destroy even relationships that have been built over years.
“MY LITTLE FINGER WILL BE THICKER THAN MY FATHER’S WAIST”???
In 1 Kings 12:1–20 we read how the harsh answer of a prince about to be crowned led to the splitting of an entire nation:
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. (1 Kings 12:1)
Rehoboam was the son of Israel’s greatest king, Solomon, and the grandson of King David. It is striking that Solomon had seven hundred wives and yet only one son. But either way, he was the only lawful heir to the throne.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam. (1 Kings 12:2–3)
Jeroboam was the voice of the people’s discontent with Solomon’s rule.
And he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” (1 Kings 12:3–4)
Jeroboam and all Israel laid a nationwide demand before Rehoboam. It sounded, however, a little like an ultimatum. They said: “Lighten your father’s yoke and we will serve you.” The request seemed to carry a hidden message: “If you do not reduce the weight of the royal burdens, we will rise up against you and no longer be your servants.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away. (1 Kings 12:5)
So far Rehoboam acted like a statesman — he did not answer hastily but promised to reply within three days, after consulting his advisers. The advisers, however, were divided in their counsel. The older generation urged him to yield; the young men urged him not to give an inch before the people.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked. 7 They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” (1 Kings 12:6–7)
This is good and universal advice for every leader. As leaders we must be gentle and caring toward people. Then it will not be hard for them to follow us. Sadly, young Rehoboam did not heed the wise counsel of the older men, but preferred to listen to the counsel of the younger generation — counsel spoken in a spirit of pride and violence. In fact, they told him exactly what he wanted to hear.
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” (1 Kings 12:8–11)
The counsel of the young men was that Rehoboam should not only refuse to ease the people’s lot, but on the contrary should introduce even the death penalty for the rebellious.
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” 13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. (1 Kings 12:12–15)
Notice how Rehoboam’s answer to the people is described — as “harsh.” Verse 13 says the king answered the people harshly. This is exactly what labeling is — harsh words, words that are final, an opinion not open to change. We must guard ourselves against such pronouncements, especially when we do not have the full picture of the situation people are in. Labeling pronouncements are statements like:
- You’re sinful, and that’s why this tragedy has come upon you.
- You don’t give your tithe, and that’s why you never have enough money.
- You’re sick because there’s sin in your life.
- You’re “a backslider.”
- You have no right to serve in the church because you’re not holy.
Not every illness and tragedy in our lives is the result of sin. The fact that you give your tithe is no guarantee that you will never be left penniless — there are other factors that shape our circumstances too, for example whether we know how to save or whether money slips through our fingers.
But when we stick a label on someone — “proud,” “sinful,” “backslidden,” “gossip”… we brand them, and they begin to feel rejected and embittered.
What happens when we use harsh language against someone? Look at how the people reacted to Rehoboam’s severe decision.
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” So the Israelites went home. (1 Kings 12:16)
Rehoboam’s harsh answer provoked a harsh reaction from the people. They pulled away from Rehoboam and the kingdom split in two. Sometimes, when we brand someone — especially in church — they usually say: “Goodbye, then. I don’t want your church, I don’t want anything!” They shut themselves off, and our words against them can become the very reason they truly fall away from the faith.
From this moment on, the nation of Israel as a whole is never spoken of again. It divides into the Northern Kingdom (which keeps the name Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) — the kingdom in which David’s dynasty continued to reign.
17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. 18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. (1 Kings 12:17–20)
So you see, because of one harsh answer the kingdom was divided. Because of one labeling word the church can be split, people can fall away. That is why we must be very careful about what we say — especially those who are older in the faith. For it seems that the longer we are in the faith, the more prone we become to judging. You notice something in someone and you start saying: “He’s like this, he’s like that, he’s like this, he’s like that…” But wait — first look at yourself! Isn’t that so? We go hunting for the speck and fail to see the plank…
“STEEPED IN SIN AT BIRTH”???
In the New Testament we read another interesting story — the one about the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1–41).
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1–2)
Seeing the sufferer, Jesus’ disciples immediately tried to “brand” him — to stick a label on him. It is easier that way. If someone has been branded a sinner, we no longer have to bother with them. Jesus, however, preferred to help rather than to judge and to brand. And for Him nothing is impossible.
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. (John 9:3–7)
Can you imagine what happened? This man was led to the pool, washed himself, and along with the mud that washed away, his blindness washed away too. His eyes were opened. He saw the light of day, and perhaps his own reflection in the water. Perhaps he leaped up and began to dance for joy — until now he had never seen anything, and now he could see.
Jesus performed a great miracle. And it was not only a miracle but a sign, for by anointing the blind man’s eyes with mud He identified Himself with the One who formed man out of the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of His own life. He identified Himself with the One who said, “Let there be light. And there was light.”
Yet with this great sign the healed blind man’s troubles were not over, for he became the occasion for everyone to reveal their stance toward Jesus.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. (John 9:8–12)
Now, the blind man’s problem was that Christ had healed him on the Sabbath. This stirred up a dispute in the synagogue. After they heard the man’s account, instead of giving glory to God, the Pharisees began to argue. One stood up and called out:
This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. (John 9:16)
Jesus was branded: “This man is not from God.” Another, however, stood up and spoke in Jesus’ defense:
How can a sinner perform such signs? (John 9:16)
This led to a division among the Pharisees. They were faced with a dilemma — either to accept Jesus as God’s messenger or to condemn Him as a sinner.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” (John 9:17)
Now, however, the Pharisees pressed their investigation deeper and summoned the blind man’s parents in order to prove that he really had been blind and now could see, and that a miracle had truly taken place.
19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” (John 9:19–23)
A second interrogation followed, this time not so that the Pharisees might convince themselves that Jesus was a prophet, but so that they might convince the blind man that Jesus was a sinner. Sometimes this is our problem too. Once we have said something, we keep on maintaining it and defending it at all costs, even when we realize we may well be wrong.
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” (John 9:24)
Here the label placed on Jesus was no longer merely “This man is not from God,” but now plainly and simply: “This man is a sinner.” To the Pharisees Jesus was a sinner, because according to their understanding He had broken the Sabbath; but to the man whose eyes had been opened, Jesus was no sinner — He was the Savior.
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25)
It seems the Pharisees sensed that their argument — that Jesus was a sinner because He had healed the blind man on the Sabbath — would not hold up. So they wanted to look for still more evidence of Jesus’ sin in the way He had performed the miracle. Perhaps something in the procedure itself would give them a handle to grab onto and “conclusively” expose Jesus. So they asked the man who now could see:
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. (John 9:26–34)
Here the Pharisees finish what Christ’s disciples began. Do you remember how this chapter opened? Seeing the man born blind, the disciples asked Jesus whether the man was blind because of his own sin or because of the sin of his parents. Was the curse his own fault, or was it inherited? Jesus did not answer them that way. He did not wish to tear people down, but to lift them up. In this He left us an example that it is not our job to judge people. If we can do them some good, well, let us do it; but if not — better to keep silent. If the disciples had put the same question to the Pharisees, then, unlike Jesus, they would not have hesitated for a moment to rule that the poor man’s blindness was surely the result of an inherited curse that had overtaken him because of the sins of his ancestors. The Pharisees branded the man even after he had received his sight. Instead of saying, “Glory to God for His mercy and blessing. Glory to God that He has given you sight you never had!” the Pharisees branded the man who could now see: “You were steeped in sin at birth!”
This is what labeling is: “You were steeped in sin at birth!”
- You’re sinful, and that’s why this tragedy has come upon you.
- You don’t give your tithe, and that’s why you never have enough money.
- You’re sick because there’s sin in your life.
- You’re “a backslider.”
- You have no right to serve in the church because you’re not holy.
- You have no success in life because of an inherited curse.
- You have a demon, and that’s why you can’t stop losing your temper…
Can you imagine how the man who now could see must have felt when he heard the words, “You were steeped in sin at birth!” Overjoyed at the miracle of healing that God had worked in his life, he is now as if scalded with boiling water and cast out of the community — all because he refuses to agree that Jesus is a sinner for having healed him on the Sabbath.
Labeling and judging are things proper to the Pharisaic spirit, leaven, and practice. In this chapter the Pharisees first brand Jesus as a “sinner” (verse 24), and then the man He healed as “steeped in sin at birth” (verse 34).
Yes, people can deeply offend us, they can cruelly wound us (and we them) — but not Jesus. He understands us. He wants only our good. And He will never abandon us.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” (John 9:35–39)
Here it is no longer a matter of physical sight, but of spiritual sight. The man who had been blind saw the Son of God and believed in Him. The Pharisees saw the sign of His divinity and branded Him a “sinner.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (John 9:40–41)
If the Pharisees had admitted their spiritual blindness, they would have been free of responsibility; but because they claimed they could see when in fact they were utterly blind, there could be no cure for them. If they had been blind and unable to see the light, we could not hold them responsible for failing to recognize it; but because they claim to understand it and yet reject it, they will be judged.
Of course, here the point is the Pharisees’ spiritual ignorance concerning Jesus and their insistence that they are right in their assessment of Him even when they are utterly wrong; but this principle can be applied to labeling as well. If someone refrains from putting labels on others and branding them, then they would have no sin. But if they judge others even though they do not know the situation or the motives behind a given act, then their sin remains.
DO NOT JUDGE, OR YOU TOO WILL BE JUDGED!!!
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said:
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1–5)
Instead of judging others, we would do better to judge ourselves. If we saw the “plank” — that is, how gigantic our own sins are — then we would surely be far more merciful and gracious toward others. We must be very careful about the measure we use. Or do we use one measure for ourselves and another for others? Every judgment made by a double standard is wrong! That is why we must be careful! And not brand people! First, because labeling is by its very nature wrong, and second, because its consequences are especially grave, and often irreversible, for our relationships.