Just when I had spoken the words, something happened. Maybe it was Jesus whispering a bit of wisdom into my heart.
Don't know about you, but I sometimes feel like I need to fix everything and be all sorted out and "clean" and nice before getting close to Jesus. Maybe it's because of certain teachings I heard, maybe it's because I just don't want to be embarrassed in front of God because I am still a sinner, still full of mistakes and failures.
In Luke 15 we're reading something else, let's see how the father received the prodigal son:
(v. 20 - 22)
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.'
If we are reading the whole story, we know that when the father kissed the son, he just came back directly from the pigs. Not the most pleasant fragrance. And surely the son didn't look clean either. The father could have said: "Son, nice to see you, I'll forgive you and kiss you, but please take a shower first, no idea where you've been but you stink!"
When Jesus tells us to come to him, he says it knowing that he's the only one who is capable of really cleaning us. So there's no sense in even trying to clean ourselves - we can't.
Jesus doesn't want us to be all fixed and clean when we come to him.
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
