Jesus sent Mack into a dark cave where he met this beautiful woman who is the judge. As she and Mack talked, it surfaced hat he didn’t think that God truly loved all his kids, or Missy wouldn’t have been murdered; in light of that, she asked Mack to take her place and be the judge.

Real Judge

He says he isn’t fit to judge, but she reminds him of a lifetime of judgments he has made based on very superficial criteria known to man. She started by asking if he would judge the man who murdered Missy – that was easy for Mack.

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“The Shack – Chp. 11 – Here Comes Da Judge” Show Notes

So she asked about that man’s father who twisted him from childhood into this sort of man – and yes, Mack wanted to judge him too. She pointed out that the legacy goes all the way back to Adam and the fall, and ultimately to God who created us with the ability to choose and who allowed sin to enter the world. So what was Mack’s judgment on God, for wasn’t it he, ultimately, who allowed Missy to be killed? Didn’t God fail Mack and Missy both as a father? Surely if God loved Missy the way Mack loved Missy he would never have allowed this to happen? Mack conceded; he judged that God was to blame.

The judge pointed out that if Mack was able thus easily to judge God himself, surely judging mankind then would be no problem. She said he had to choose 2 of his children to go to heaven and the other 3 to go to hell – as that is how he believed God judged the world and chose who would go to heaven/hell. She pointed out that Mack’s daughter Kate was particularly troublesome, treated him unkindly and was angry with him, so maybe she should be the first to go. But, Mack realized that even if one of kids committed some horrible crime, even still he loved them too much to condemn them to hell. So, Mack asked if he could go to hell instead of his children, if he could take their punishment. The judge said that finally Mack was sounding like Jesus, judging humanity worthy of love, even at great cost to himself.

Then Mack was allowed to see Missy through a waterfall acting as a one-way mirror. Missy couldn’t see him, but knew he was there and was able to tell him she loved him and that she was OK. Mack confessed to the judge the guilt he had carried around for judging himself a failure to protect Missy and was finally freed from that burden, knowing that Missy had never blamed him.

“The Shack – Chp. 11 – Here Comes Da Judge” Episode Resources

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