Washed Clean

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43, NIV

MY CHILDREN ARE MUD MAGNETS. Whenever they’re outside, they manage to return with wet, sloppy, dark mud covering their clothes, boots, hair, and hands. They set out to play in the back field, to create little worlds, to fight the bad guys. But they always come back about ten pounds heavier, covered with mud.

Have you ever watched a child try to wash themselves clean when they are outright filthy? It’s an impossible task. They dollop the mess from one place to another, fling it around, and smear it everywhere.

They need serious intervention to get themselves clean. They are the helpless calling out for help. And the only thing that can be done to help them is to scoop them up and carry them to the tub. Only a parent can come to the rescue on this one.

If ever there were a picture of grace, it’s a top-to-bottom muddy toddler, being carried by her daddy to a tub of warm, soapy water to get washed clean. The child can contribute nothing. Whatever she touches only turns dark and dirty.

And so it goes with us. If ever there were a picture of grace being shown to the needy in Scripture, it’s the conversation Jesus had with the criminal on the cross. In that final moment of both their earthly lives, one criminal confessed his fear of God and his faith in Jesus. He was helpless to do anything more. Nailed to a cross, he could not clean himself up and present himself to the high priest. He could not go and sell his possessions. He could not do all the good deeds. He could not go and get baptized. All he had was a muddy heart, a shred of faith, and the grace to ask, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

This story is one of the most comforting stories in the Bible to me. It’s the highlight of our helplessness, the very grip of grace. How often do we feel so incredibly impoverished and make promises to do better and clean ourselves up? Too often. But the reality is, we can’t. We’ll only make more of a mess. We need to think the way the criminal did, to recognize we are only cleaned by Jesus and His work on the cross. Only Jesus can turn our way, speak grace over us, and wash us clean. And putting our faith in Him to wash us clean looks amazing on us.

GRACE REFLECTION: Think of a muddy child, caked head to toe, in mud. Now imagine a compassionate father bending down, scooping up the child, and carrying him or her to the tub to be washed clean. This is you. This is our Father. This is grace.