Judged by Wrong Criteria
The religious leaders of Israel refused to believe that Jesus was God and wanted to stone Him to death for blasphemy. He pointed them back to Psalm 82:1-2 where the unjust rulers of Israel are described as failed ‘gods', and the scene shows God as the presiding judge rebuking the corrupt leaders. God’s people were supposed to be like Him, having authority to rule God’s world (Genesis 1:26-28) by God’s Word.
But in the same way that Adam and Eve accepted the devil’s lie that they could be like God (Genesis 3:5), wrongly believing they were autonomous and immune from judgement, so Israel’s leaders did not honour God’s Word in their behaviour or teaching. In Psalm 82:6-7, God says, "You are 'gods'; you are all sons of the Most High. But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler."
By contrast, Jesus then says that He is the One who the Father set apart to display God’s character to the world. He not only brought God’s Word, but He is also God’s Word (John 1:1-3). The measure of divine authenticity was how His words were fully exemplified by His works. He claimed to be the Messiah who was 'one with the Father', saying that His miracles were the evidence that God was at work. But the religious rulers accused Him of blasphemy. They were so angry that they believed they had the right to arrest Him. However, Jesus was protected, and they could not hold Him (John 14:30).
However powerful people are, and however many people they manage or command, Jesus is always in command (John 13:13). He has the right to say what is right and to hold people to account for how they respond to His Word. Although some people may think that Jesus is irrelevant, they are wrong: their eternal future depends on how they relate with Him. If they do not think that He is God with the right to judge them on the Final Day, they will not bother to submit to Him now - and their judgement will prove just how wrong they were. That is why it is essential that we tell our friends and colleagues who Jesus is, and that everybody will meet Him as their Judge.