Good Guys and Bad Guys

Yesterday in Sunday school the kids watched a video about Easter. Jesus is with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane as a mob from the chief priests and elders come to arrest him. Peter, trying to defend Jesus and stop the mob, draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest Caiaphas. Jesus quickly rebukes Peter, telling him this must happen in order for Scripture to be fulfilled. Luke's Gospel records that Jesus heals Malchus's ear before the mob takes him captive.
One of the teachers spoke to Dustin and me after church. She said Peter cutting off Malchus's ear bothered Ridley. He brought it up several times and she wanted us to be aware of it.

On the way home from church Ridley soon mentioned it. In his simple, sweet words he explained what upset him. It wasn't the fact that some one's ear was cut off by a sword, but something much deeper...

Ridley didn't understand if Peter was a good guy or bad guy. "If he was a good guy, why would he cut off that guy's ear?" he asked. We attempted to explain that Peter was a good guy and that he was defending Jesus. 

"But then why did he cut off ears?"

As I prepared to say the same thing again in different words, Dustin said something profound....

"Sometimes good guys make mistakes, buddy."

And as easy as that, Ridley understood. And I sat in awe by the depth, yet simplicity of that statement. I realized it sums up what Easter is all about.

I have heard it said that Christians can be "holier than thou" and judge others' sins while ignoring their own. When Christians make bad choices or mistakes some proclaim, "See, you're no better than me." Often, the public sins of professed Christians cause people to declare the whole group hypocrites.

There are two reasons these beliefs exist. First, sadly some Christians act like that. They seem to think they are holier than others. They judge people harshly, while ignoring their own shortcomings. Obviously, this is not how God wants us to behave.

But the second reason people hold these beliefs is that they fundamentally do not understand the message of the Bible. The Bible tells us that the wages for sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Because we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we must pay the penalty (Romans 3:23). God knew we would be unable to keep his law perfectly, so he set in motion a plan to buy us back (Revelation 13:8). He sent Jesus to live the perfect life that we could not. And then let him die in our place, bridging the gap between God's perfection and our sinful lives (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now God has transferred Jesus' righteousness to our spiritual bank account, forgiving our sins and enabling us to have a relationship with him (John 3:16-18).

So the fact of the matter is...the critics are right! We are no better than they are...we are all vile sinners...we are all hypocrites...we are helplessly, hopelessly lost...

...unless you accept Jesus' payment for your sins...and ask God to forgive you...and begin the lifelong journey of growing closer to him and trying harder to make choices that please him.

And when you do that something amazing happens!

You begin to feel uncomfortable in sin, because you want to please this precious God who suffered to pay the price for you. You want to make him happy, because he has done so much for you.
      

When I look at my sin, be it choices in my past that many know about, or the hidden ugliness that runs through my thoughts, words, and actions, I realize how far short I fall. I realize the only way I have any hope and future is by God's grace and mercy. I need help paying for all of the bad things I've done and will do in the future. I will fail, no matter how hard I try. I will fight temptation and that is pleasing to God, but each day I will fail. Even the good things I do are so full of sin...be it pride or wanting credit...they are but "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

That is why Jesus died on the cross. And as if that wasn't enough...he rose from the dead...proving that he was who he said he was...the one and only Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

He is my only hope.

Salvation is a gift none of us deserve, but all of us can accept. And once we do, God will show us even more how much we do not deserve it. And that will make us love him and thank him more each day.

Dustin's simple message to Ridley says it all. We all fall short...even good guys...even Peter, the one Jesus chose to start his church. We all need forgiveness. We all need The Savior!