TDW 01-09-09 God Sees Through Our Guilt and Shame

From: the Word Among Us
(God Sees Through Our Guilt and Shame)

Luke 5:12-13

12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[c] When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

13Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.

Take a moment to imagine yourself as a first-century Jew afflicted with leprosy. Both ritually unclean and highly contagious, you have no hope of a cure.

You are forced to live in an isolated colony populated only by people with the same frightful disease. So many restrictions! Such a feeling of rejection and worthlessness!

No wonder the man in today’s Gospel reading pleaded with Jesus, “Lord if you wish, you can make me clean” (Luke 5:12). His entire psyche was shaped by rejection, so he expected nothing but the same from Jesus. He did ask for healing, but in such an abject way that he seemed to have little hope that Jesus would bother with him.

Much like leprosy, our sin is capable of wreaking havoc with our sense of self-worth. Guilt and shame, if left to their own devices, can drain us of hope and leave us anxious, cynical, or devoid of any feelings. They can tell us that change is impossible. They can shape the way we look at ourselves and even the way we look at God. If we’re so hopeless, why would God want to get involved in our lives? Maybe he has already left us to work out our lives the best we can.

But this is not how God sees us. He loves us without condition. He even gave up his only Son to free us from sin and make us whole. Every time we look at the cross, we can see how much the Lord values us. And that means that every time we look at the cross, we can be filled with hope. We have great dignity! And that means that we have a future! It means that we can rise above any sense of shame or guilt or unworthiness that holds us down.

In your prayer today, try this experiment. Picture yourself coming to Jesus as the man in today’s Gospel. Offer him whatever is burdening you today, and ask him, “Lord, if you wish, you can help me.” Then stay there, looking at Jesus and letting him look at you. Quiet your heart until you hear Jesus say back to you, “I do will it.” You are worth so much to him, he won’t be able to resist you!

“Jesus, I am in awe that you love me so deeply. May I never forget you!”