Messes

“First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean” (Matthew 23″26)

Reid and I have a rule around the house.  Whoever makes the mess has to clean it up. 

The same rule is used in the spiritual realm.  The Pharisees of Jesus day made a lot of messes.  They messed up Old Testament scripture by not believing all the prophets told them.  They messed up Christ’s teachings by not listening to them.  And then out of the pride in their hearts, they pointed the finger at Christ, eventually nailing him to the cross.

But there was a man in the New Testament who got the concept of cleaning up one’s own messes.  His name was Zaccheus.  He was a corrupt tax collector, but he had a fascination for the Prophet that everyone was enamored with.  The prophet was Jesus Christ.  Zaccheus was so taken with Christ that when Jesus came to his hometown of Jericho, the little man climbed a tree where the crowds had gathered to see the teacher.  The bible tells us he wanted to get a better view of the Master, and because he was so short he determined that climbing a sycamore tree and seating himself on a branch was his best option.  Well, he certainly did get a better view of Christ, because when Jesus stopped, looked up into the tree, he singled Zaccheus out, and invited himself home to dinner with the Roman tax collector.  I have often wondered what Mrs. Zaccheus thought of that.

But the real story lies in what Zaccheus did because of his encounter with the Messiah.  It brought condemnation from some who were watching Zaccheus meeting with Christ, as they condemned Christ for being the guest of a sinner.  But it also brought salvation to Zaccheus, which led the little accountant to give half of his possessions to the poor, as well as pay back anyone he had cheated fourfold.  What a stunning turnaround in this man’s life!

Zaccheus had made a mess, and the grace of God led him to clean it up.  It wasn’t anyone else’s mess – it was Zaccheus mess.  God’s salvation had led the tax collector to make restitution.  True restitution does not blame others.  Nor does it expect others to clean up their mess. 

So now comes the personal question for each of us.  Are there any messes in our life that we need to clean up?  Have we hurt someone, failed someone, cheated someone, or mistreated someone?  Have we not obeyed the Lord as we should?  Have we not been faithful to our family and friends?  These are our messes, and we need to take responsibility to clean them up.  And by God’s power, we can not only clean them up, but we can also make them right and redeem them. 

So, the question we now wrestle with is this – are you willing to get out the broom and mop, and clean up your own messes as God’s Spirit places them on our heart?

                                                                   Darlene