February 21, 2020

Rerun of Daily Devotional February 16, 2018

Last Sunday I preached the perfect sermon. If you don’t believe me, just ask me.

The opening illustration was brilliant, the transitions were smooth, the scripture passages were great and it was the ultimate example of Wesleyan theology. It couldn’t have been better.

I spoke about Jesus temptation and how, because he was fully God, but also fully human, Jesus knows exactly what it is like to be us because he is one of us. He felt the entire gambit of human emotion.

When I ended the sermon, I actually heard angels applauding in heaven. It was that good!

At the conclusion of the worship service, I was standing at the doors of the sanctuary and up walked Clara. She’s in the fourth grade. She is very smart. In fact, Clara’s oars go much deeper into the water than most grownups.

Clara said, “I have a question about your sermon. You said Jesus felt everything we feel but how could he feel guilt if he never sinned?” At that moment, I felt all the air come out of my balloon.

I said, “I don’t’ know. That’s a very good question.”

So, for almost a week, I have been thinking about how to answer Clara. How could Jesus feel guilt, remorse, self-reproach, or shame if he had never done anything wrong? As with all things in life, the answer is found in scripture.

The prophet Isaiah said, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our disease; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

The writer of Hebrews said, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Knowing that Jesus carried all the sins of humanity and is able to sympathize with each emotion, I do believe Jesus understands the pain and burden of guilt even though he never sinned.

So if you ever wonder if God truly knows what it is like to be you, the answer is yes.

God loves you so much he became just like you in order to save you. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, thank you for carrying my sin and saving me. Thank you for loving me in spite of my self-serving decisions. Please bless and guide me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Sunday is only a few days away. I think I will wait to see if Clara has any questions before I start getting too cocky about preaching the greatest sermon in the history of Christianity. Let’s hope she doesn’t ask me anything.

I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins