Jesus' Perfect Obedience Brings Life

"Today's Devotion" For March 3, 2006

Read: James 1:12-18; Romans 6:1-4, 11-14, 19-23

JESUS' PERFECT OBEDIENCE BRINGS LIFE

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus...For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:11, 23)

In Shakespeare's "Hamlet." there is a play within the play. Hamlet approaches his mother, the Queen, and asks her, "Madam, how do you like this play?" She answers, referring to the queen in the play (who has vigorously, yet quite ingenuously, professed the great magnitude of her love for her husband, the king), "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." The Queen's response has popularly been changed to, "Methinks thou protesteth too much," having crept into common usage as a way to challenge the integrity of another's disagreement or opposition to a fact or position.

It's so often true that the things to which we stand the most adamantly opposed are the things of which we, ourselves, are the most guilty. While we might all hold that something is wrong, sinful, and displeasing to God, when that something becomes an obsession for us, rather than just one of many other manifestations of Sin in our lives, "methinks thou protesteth too much, " can be quite applicable. I remember a student in the seminary years ago, who was writing scathing, scalding, and scornful articles to a religious weekly concerning "same sex orientation." One of the "wiser heads" among us noted this and suggested that this fellow, was perhaps, "protesting too much." We all "pooh-poohed" the idea, but, in the end we found out he was right and this fellow was of the same "orientation" he was protesting so venomously.

There's no doubt that everyone of us is guilty of disobedience to God. We are sinners, as Paul so clearly says it. We are in need of God's grace and mercy, His forgiveness and peace. We know we are sinners - just look at the condition of the world around us and the way we treat one another. Love is not at the top of the heap when it comes to our behavior toward others. Too often our love toward our neighbor is more inclined toward "what's in it for me" and our "professed love" for our neighbor is couched in "the lady doth protest too much" exuberance. After all, Sin doesn't seek what's best for others, only what's "best" for me. But, of course, we don't want anyone else to know how disingenuous we really are, so we "put on a good show" hoping to fool everyone. Of course, God isn't fooled, but our sinful nature fails to take that into account.

By God's grace and mercy, however, we don't have to remain caught up in the conundrum of "methinks thou protesteth too much." Jesus came into this world so that His true obedience as the one true and only Son of the Father might redeem His people from their sins. Jesus' life and ministry didn't shout out curses upon sinners or spew invectives at the unholy. Rather, sharing the truth in love, our Lord Jesus Christ lived the life God expects of us, fulfilling God's will and paying the price we deserve to pay for our sins. He may have called the scribes and Pharisees "hypocrites" and "a brood of vipers," but he did so at an appropriate time, with specific concerns, and not as a vitriolic harangue (cf. Matthew 23). One of the more poignant parts of this account in Matthew is found at the end when Jesus laments, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how long I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Mt. 23:37).

Jesus' perfect obedience brings us life with God. He went willingly to the Cross, "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth" (Is. 53:7). He did all this for us without any fanfare, any blustering, any vitriolic pronouncements, or any protestations as to His innocence. His suffering and death fully paid the price for our sins, and His resurrection confirms God's acceptance of His sacrifice once and for all time. In Christ our sins are forgiven.

We no longer have to "pretend." Having been washed in the blood of Christ, we, by faith, have the power to acknowledge our sinfulness each day, stand repentant before the throne of God's grace, and receive His forgiveness, love, grace, mercy, and peace. We are empowered to live our lives in openness and obedience to God, no longer hiding our sins behind "the lady doth protest too much, methinks" pronouncements people use to hide from the reality of their sinfulness and despair. Filled with God's peace in Christ today and every day we live our lives openly and above board, hiding nothing because we have God's full forgiveness in Jesus.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for trying to hide my sins from You, others, and myself. Too often I get caught up in declaring my innocence when I know deep in my soul, that I'm guilty "as sin." Too often I find myself trying to deflect criticism away from me onto others and pointing the finger at others to assuage my own guilt. Help me to follow Jesus' example of faithful and holy living, empowered by the power of Your Word and Spirit, and Your washing of me in Holy Baptism, so that I might refrain from "methinks thou protesteth too much," and set an example of living forgiven in Jesus. Fill me with the new life that is mine through faith in Jesus that I might share it with others so they, too, might come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord as well, and be saved. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.