Following God is not a list of laws and rules that must be obeyed in order to be deemed worthy of salvation. We would never be worthy if that were the case. God knew that. Jesus came to fulfill all those laws and rules for us. He met the requirements on our behalf. His blood forever covers us, making us forever good enough. Now, we live in freedom because of Jesus.
Our burdens are now light. We are not subject to laws so extreme that we can’t fulfill them. We are not under restrictions and rules that prevent us from living lives of joy. Actually, quite the opposite. Our guilt and shame has been lifted. We are invited to enjoy the fullness of all God has created, covered in a undeserved blanket of grace and forgiveness.
It all sounds too good to be true. But it is true – if you accept it. Freedom in Jesus is yours.
But humans struggle with freedom. We struggle with grace. We make things messy, then we drag others into our mess. Without extreme rules, we begin making our own rules. Rules that overlook the heart and just begin checking boxes. All while God isn’t concerned with the boxes, he only wants your heart. If your heart is right, then he is pleased, regardless of the box.
But dang we like our boxes of right and wrong, don’t we? And we create enemies out of those not in our same boxes. We judge and condemn anyone who’s box looks different than ours. But really, the question is – where did the box even come from? Did God give you that box? Is your box now creating harm in the life of someone who’s looking for Jesus, but all they can see are your boxes they don’t fit in? Are we tearing about God’s work over laws and rules Jesus has already fulfilled for us?
I have a family member who is so smart that it hinders his faith. He is distraught that most churches meet on Sundays and that’s not the appointed Sabbath day according to God. So, he wants nothing to do with Church because it’s the wrong day of the week.
I met a young man who believes all Christians hate him because he’s gay. And if the followers of Jesus are against him, then wouldn’t Jesus be against him too? So, he has never met the saving power of Jesus because he feels he wouldn’t be loved. He doesn’t know God is for him because no one representing God has ever been for him. (He happens to be the young man on the airplane I gave my Bible to last year. It was the most valuable gift I could give him to show him love.)
The 28 year old guy with a long pony tail who does the best pedicures on the island struggles to believe there is a God because bad things have happened in his life. He’s hurting and questioning and running, all while making some bad decisions.
What would Jesus do in these situations? Wouldn’t Jesus say, “Hey, if you want to hang out with me on Saturday, that’s really cool too! The day of the week doesn’t matter to me, they’re all mine.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “I know everything about you. I knew you before you were even knit together in your mother’s womb. I loved you then and I love you now. My good plans for you haven’t been cancelled. I can work in your life.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “I know you’re hurting and I’m hurting with you. Let me sit with you.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “There’s nothing you could ever do that would separate you from my love?”
And whatever Jesus would do, he’s asking us to do it too. Jesus sat at tables others would be ashamed to be see at. He hung out with the unpopular. He pursued the unlovable, the untouchable, the undesirable. He tore down every wall and every excuse and made the path for the broken and the hurting to come to him.
The leper who Jesus touched hadn’t been touched by a single living soul for years. He was an unclean, forbidden outcast.