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Let's Discuss Some Really Good News!
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April 13, 2022The Lenten season reminds us that we are sinners by nature and in need of salvation. One of the most prolific books regarding the ministry and life of the Messiah is contained in Isaiah
Isaiah speaks about a Christ who would heal the brokenhearted, speak liberty to those held in captivity and one who would release prisoners from darkness. Isaiah said that this redeemer would not shout or cry out in the streets nor would he break a reed or extinguish a smoldering wick. The Messiah would preserve an ember if that’s what it would take. This is an apt description of Jesus’ ministry.
In the Old Testament we often see God as one who exercises judgment in response to our waywardness. In the age of grace, however, God’s mercy is on full display while luring us forward out of sin.
God’s goal in both covenants, however, remain the same. He seeks to save the lost.
But what if I do not feel lost?
The first part of salvation is receiving the gift of vision to see that you are indeed lost and in fact, in a prison you cannot extricate yourself from. We need the work of grace to see how skewed everything really is and why we so desperately need freedom. It all starts there. If you are serious about wanting a deeper relationship with God, you must start there.
He coaxes us like a mother while at the same time luring us forward. His grace begins the work.
The book of Isaiah, written 700 years before Christ, talks about the work of the Messiah as one who would proclaim the good news.
But what is the Good News?
God speaks a lot about darkness and our waywardness. Christ’s coming was to address our slavery and ongoing imprisonment and to help us find freedom. None of us are totally free yet. Salvation is ongoing. That is just one aspect of the Good News!
I am amazed at how we never really see ourselves. In fact, the best person to evaluate your faults is not you but those closest to you. We just cannot see ourselves accurately enough. Nor do we have the capacity to set ourselves free from our sins, poor habits, and the deep under belly of faults that stem from our own human egos. The stuff that hides within is almost undetectable to us and that’s the stuff that creates the most mischief in our lives. Sure we can develop some good habits from sheer discipline but only God can set us free permanently.
Our country alone spends 300 billion dollars a year on therapies which try to help us discover ourselves. Part of the Good news is this moment by moment self-discovery of both our strengths and weaknesses as we seek to move in a more perfect union with God. It’s a joint venture between you and God.
Even at age 62 I have discovered new areas in my life where I am enslaved and need to be set free. The act of redemption was a one-time event on the cross but it is ongoing in my life even after walking with Jesus for 40 years’ now. God, it seems, keeps saving me and that is Great News!
Knowing I was enslaved and still am in some ways makes me more merciful towards others. If I’m aware of my plight, my approach to others along the journey of life should mimic Christs mercy. My journey is one from imprisonment, which leads to death, to freedom which leads to a full expressive life of beauty, with Christ leading the way.
Our interactions with those along our path should always include mercy, tolerance, and acceptance while also gently nudging a person to the light of Christ.
Jesus did a lot of nudging. His encounter with Zacchaeus in Luke’s Gospel is a perfect example of transformation without accusation.
Recall the parable of the publican in Luke 18? Jesus’ harshest words were to the self-righteous but he had great mercy towards others.
When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, her life was changed by the simple yet profound interaction she had with Jesus. He pointed out that she was living far beneath her potential but he did not judge her. Instead He simply spoke the truth. She became the first evangelist in the New Testament and a changed person because of their interaction. Jesus not only shed light on her life but he elevated the status of all women. Likewise, our interactions should bless and elevate others. Ponder on that……
Of course we are supposed to shed light into the darkness. However, there are many ways to do that.
If you must speak and offer corrective action do it very carefully and with mercy.
Christ did not bruise a reed or extinguish a flame.
You don’t always need to drive home your point in someone’s life.
I suspect that most broken people already know they are broken. They need mercy and when the opportunity arises, and if it does, lead them to the light but be gentle about it. We are often too fast to point fingers and very quick to provide unsolicited answers to puzzling questions we don’t understand ourselves. It’s ok not to get it. God understands. We need to pray and trust. Don’t extinguish embers or bruise reeds.
When Jesus met the woman caught in the act of adultery Jesus was direct with her saying. “Go and sin no more”, but he was also incredibly gentle in his overall encounter with her. He understood quite clearly that the religious leaders were using her as a pawn to their own ends.
Jesus refused to accuse her.
There’s a difference between correction and accusation. Jesus corrected in mercy.
He did not bruise a reed or extinguish a flame.
Recently I was dining with my wife and a young man came into the restaurant with his mom and dad while wearing a dress. There was a time when I would have rolled my eyes and shaken my head, but instead I felt mercy. They all knew there was some brokenness. I didn’t need to remind them of that. Instead I simply bowed my head in prayer, asking God to show mercy. I’ve learned that I don’t need to understand everything. I don’t need to “get everything.” Instead I need to be merciful. And while I show mercy to others I should do the same with myself as I reflect on my own failures and accept my own limitations. Remember, those you meet are more than the sum of their failures and so aren't you.
Jesus understood that.
Come to the light of Christ and let Him set you free. That’s good news.
I will close here with a story from the life of Mother Teresa, now Saint Teresa.
Most missionaries arrive on foreign soil with aspirations to convert a nation. I’d surmise that’s what God called them to do, but there’s also other ways to win souls for Christ. It was recorded that Mother Teresa never really sought to convert the Hindus in Calcutta. To one Hindu man, who asked her what to do, she told him to be the best Hindu he could be.
It was her expressive kindness that changed people. Mother Teresa’s community changed by virtue of her mercy. Mother Teresa understood the Good News. Gently lead others to the light. She understood that.
The wonderful declaration given by God to Moses says it all. “The Lord is a God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and filled with kindness and faithfulness, continuing that kindness for a thousand generations.”
That’s a long time.
Go and do likewise and that’s really Good News.