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Staring in the Mirror
Police officers in three cars converged on a woman who was driving and forced her to the side of the road. They then approached the car, their weapons drawn. The woman was horrified as she got out, her hands raised.
“What did I do?” she asked, trembling with fear.
They asked to see her registration, and after a few minutes everyone relaxed and the guns went back into their holsters.
“Please,” she said, “what was wrong? Why did you pull me over?”
“Well,” one of the officers said, “we saw you driving like a maniac and making obscene gestures at other drivers.”
“For that you pulled me over with weapons drawn?”
“No, ma’am,” answered the officer, “it was just that we saw the bumper sticker with the Christian symbols, and we assumed the car had been stolen.”
This (we admit) silly story illustrates a sad point: not all Christians, or those professing Christ, have lived up to the high standards that their faith calls them to. Some do better than others, but we all fall short. What Christian, looking in the mirror, stares in the face of someone who is perfectly reflecting the character of Jesus? What Christian, no matter how faithful, staring in the mirror, can claim any kind of righteousness for himself or for herself? What Christian, staring in the mirror, isn’t horrified by what he or she knows lurks beneath the surface?
Read Isaiah 64. What message is being proclaimed there? What garment imagery is used to describe human righteousness, and what does it mean? What hope is presented in the chapter, as well?
The phrase “filthy rags”means a garment defiled by menstruation. What more powerful image could the Bible give to describe human righteousness after the Fall? The apostle Paul picks up on this theme in Romans 3, where he makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles are in the same position before God: sinners in need of divine grace. Isaiah 64 may be seen as an Old Testament precursor to Romans 3, pointing out our dilemma as sinners and yet not leaving us without hope.
When was the last time you took a deep look at yourself, your thoughts, your innermost motives, and your desires? What did you see? How scary was it? What is your only hope?
| SUNDAY | March 27 |
Police officers in three cars converged on a woman who was driving and forced her to the side of the road. They then approached the car, their weapons drawn. The woman was horrified as she got out, her hands raised.
“What did I do?” she asked, trembling with fear.
They asked to see her registration, and after a few minutes everyone relaxed and the guns went back into their holsters.
“Please,” she said, “what was wrong? Why did you pull me over?”
“Well,” one of the officers said, “we saw you driving like a maniac and making obscene gestures at other drivers.”
“For that you pulled me over with weapons drawn?”
“No, ma’am,” answered the officer, “it was just that we saw the bumper sticker with the Christian symbols, and we assumed the car had been stolen.”
This (we admit) silly story illustrates a sad point: not all Christians, or those professing Christ, have lived up to the high standards that their faith calls them to. Some do better than others, but we all fall short. What Christian, looking in the mirror, stares in the face of someone who is perfectly reflecting the character of Jesus? What Christian, no matter how faithful, staring in the mirror, can claim any kind of righteousness for himself or for herself? What Christian, staring in the mirror, isn’t horrified by what he or she knows lurks beneath the surface?
Read Isaiah 64. What message is being proclaimed there? What garment imagery is used to describe human righteousness, and what does it mean? What hope is presented in the chapter, as well?
The phrase “filthy rags”means a garment defiled by menstruation. What more powerful image could the Bible give to describe human righteousness after the Fall? The apostle Paul picks up on this theme in Romans 3, where he makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles are in the same position before God: sinners in need of divine grace. Isaiah 64 may be seen as an Old Testament precursor to Romans 3, pointing out our dilemma as sinners and yet not leaving us without hope.
When was the last time you took a deep look at yourself, your thoughts, your innermost motives, and your desires? What did you see? How scary was it? What is your only hope?
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