The Cure
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle C
"The land of the free and the home of the brave." So ends our national anthem sung today at many large public gatherings in our society. It was originally penned in a time of war and has continually reminded us that this is a nation where people will bravely fight to defend their freedoms. But in this day of post-modern relativism, when there are very few causes left which anyone will bravely defend, "freedom" still remains as the great American ideal. If there is any great ideal worth fighting for, it is our "right to freedom." What that always means isn't clear, except that we all want to be "free" to choose for ourselves. This is the age of choice! We want to be free to choose our friends, whom we will marry, what food we will eat, the cars we drive, our recreations and careers. We may not always get what we choose, but at least we have the right to try.
One of my daughters just returned from Europe, after spending two months of study and travel in Austria. Austria is no third-world country and the standard of living is comfortable. Nevertheless, after two months of being disconnected from America, upon her return she was shocked once again to walk into one of our supermarkets and be overwhelmed with all the "choices" we American consumers have. It took travel abroad to open her eyes to what we have come to accept as a right: freedom of choice!
Freedom of choice has permeated every part of our lives. We live in a consumer society in which we have the right to "choose" what we want. We choose our religion. We choose our style of spirituality. We choose the God we will worship. We choose the church to which we belong. We go "church shopping." In this nation of consumer religion, we "choose" a church by testing its worship services, trying out its programs to see if they meet our needs. If we like what we have discovered, we "sign up." We make a commitment. We "purchase" religious services. We decide to become a disciple. We join a church.
But the Bible has a very different perspective on life and our relationship to God. That is very clear in today's First Lesson. In these opening verses of the book of Jeremiah, the prophet reports to us the account of his "call" to become a prophet. One thing immediately stands out. Jeremiah did not "choose" to become a prophet. Becoming a prophet was not some sort of "career move." On the contrary, it was just the opposite. This "prophet thing" was all God's idea. "The word of the Lord" came to him. This wasn't the result of some personal search for God. Jeremiah doesn't have a "choice" in this matter. God is the one who takes the initiative. God is the one who makes the choice. God is the only one who is truly free here.
Jeremiah's response is all too human. Even though this was a time in history that would find our modern obsession with personal freedom unintelligible, Jeremiah was still human enough to know that he valued his freedom. Had he wanted to be a prophet, he would have signed up. He would have gone to seminary or prophet school. This wasn't his idea. So, all he could do was offer excuses. He was not qualified for this. This job never showed up on his career aptitude test. Besides, he was too young. He was only a boy. He didn't know how to speak well. He did not want to have any part of this "speaking for God" stuff.
But God won't take "No" for an answer! God "put out his hand and touched my mouth." God is in charge here. This is no time for excuses. Even if Jeremiah doesn't think he is qualified for this, it is no problem for God. God will put the words in his mouth. God will tell him what to say. God will help Jeremiah with what Jeremiah thought was impossible. And what God promised happened. Jeremiah's excuse making disappeared. His opposition melted away. And Jeremiah became a prophet, one of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel. And the book, which follows these verses in today's First Lesson, is a testimony to that fact.
But it almost didn't happen. Jeremiah first needed to be changed. He needed to be transformed. He needed to be "cured" of the disease, of that universal human disposition shared by all of us, the need to be in control, the need to believe that we are free to choose. In short, Jeremiah's excuses, rationalizations, and self-justifications needed to be overcome. Jeremiah needed to be set free, to be cured, of his slavery to himself, of his need to be in charge and have the last word. Jeremiah needed to be freed from sin. And, as we see in today's text, God is the only one who can do that. The book that bears the name of Jeremiah is living proof of how God "cured" Jeremiah of his reluctance to trust God and changed this self-conscious young boy into a mighty prophet.
This account of Jeremiah's call and his liberation from his old way of life is also a picture of what God continues to do among us today. Ironically we, too, are enslaved to our freedoms, to our desire to be in control, to our insatiable hunger for self-fulfillment, to our sin. God is the only one who can cure us. And God does that every time his Word is proclaimed, every time the Gospel of Jesus Christ is announced and the sacraments are administered.
To help you see how God does this "curing," I want to tell you the story of Martin. Martin was a very sick man. Like Jeremiah before him, Martin was afflicted with a disease. It controlled him. It distorted his view of life and himself. It seemed like an expression of freedom but in reality it prevented him from seeing and admitting the truth about himself. It forced him into always making excuses for himself. Martin was afflicted with the dreaded Yahbuts Disease. But Martin didn't know it. He thought his Yahbut's Disease wasn't a disease at all. On the contrary, he thought it was a natural part of life.
The signs of Martin's Yahbut's Disease began to appear when he was a young boy in grade school. His affliction hardly seemed to be an affliction at all. Instead, it manifested itself as an uncanny ability to wiggle himself out of the most embarrassing situations. It first appeared in these "Yah ... but ..." conversations he had with those around him.
"Martin!" his mother shouted. "Did you push this cookie jar over and make this mess on the kitchen floor?"
"Yah," Martin replied, "but someone had just freshly waxed that floor. When I stepped on the chair to reach the cookies, the chair slipped. Yah, I made the mess, but it's the slippery floor's fault and not mine."
"Martin!" his father shouted. "Did you leave the television room in a shambles when you went to bed last night?"
"Yah," Martin answered, "but I was going to clean it and remembered that you told me I had to go to bed at 8:00, and it was just 8:00 when I thought of it. So, I thought I had better get to bed like you said."
Martin had lots of these "Yah ... but" conversations with his parents. Martin always had an answer. Martin always had an excuse. He always found some way to justify himself. It was becoming clear. Martin had Yahbut's Disease!
Martin's teachers also got involved in these "Yah ... but" conversations with him. "Martin, is it true that you don't have your math work done in time?" asked his teacher.
"Yah," Martin replied, "but it's not my fault. You see, my mother made me clean up the cookie crumbs from the kitchen floor and that was just when I was working on my math assignment. If you don't believe me, you can call her and ask!"
It was clear that Martin now had a full-fledged case of Yahbut's Disease. Martin had an excuse for anything and everything. He always had a justification for what he did. And his excuses and justifications were always perfectly logical. Martin was never wrong and always right. Just ask him! The problem was that this never-being-wrong-and-always-being-right got to be an obsession with Martin. It was taking over his life. It would eventually destroy him, if something was not done to cure him of this dreaded disease.
Then, one day Martin bought a new sports car. His friends who knew anything about sports cars were shocked!
"Martin, oh, Martin!" they sighed. "Why did you buy this model? Don't you know, Martin? It's a lemon! Everyone knows that, Martin. Oh, boy, Martin, now you have made a real mistake!"
"Is that all you know about sports cars?" Martin sneered back. "I've read all the magazines on this particular model. This one has got the best rating of all the sports cars. It gets more miles to the gallon. It handles, accelerates, and corners well. It's got more interior room. It's got great resale value. It ..."
Martin stopped for a moment and thought and thought and thought. And then Martin, thoroughly afflicted with Yahbut's Disease, made a regrettable decision.
"Get in," he told his friends. They got in and away Martin sped in his new sports car. Up and down the streets he flew, weaving his way through traffic, squealing around the corners and screeching away from the stop lights like a maniac. Martin was having the time of his life showing off his car and justifying his choice, proving his friends wrong, defending his freedom ... when the familiar wail of a police siren sounded behind him.
"Martin, I'm going to have to ticket you for speeding and reckless driving," the policeman said.
"Yah, Officer, but I was just giving my friends a ride to show them what a great choice I made," Martin politely responded.
"No 'Yah ... buts,' Martin. No excuses. You must appear in court before a judge at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning either to pay your fine or to contest this ticket."
Martin was shattered. He knew that there was only one honest plea he could make. He was guilty! But people afflicted with Yahbut's Disease can't admit their guilt. They can't even say the word. They have got to stay in control. There had to be a way out of this. "Guilty!" The word stuck in his throat. He could never say that word.
Monday morning arrived and Martin, accompanied by his court-appointed defense attorney, was called to appear before the judge. Martin didn't want an attorney. He wanted to defend himself. He was free to defend himself and wanted to show the judge how the officer was wrong and he was right. Why did he need this attorney? Didn't the judge think he was capable of defending himself?
Things got even more confusing when the attorney asked him a question that caught him completely off balance. "Martin, are you guilty? No excuses, just tell me the truth."
Martin seemed baffled by this question, squirmed a little, and then tersely responded, "Yah, I got caught speeding. I was going a little fast, but, you see, I was just showing my friends the new sports car I bought and what a good deal I got and ..."
"Stop it, Martin!" interrupted the attorney. "This is no time for excuses. Face it, Martin. You got caught. You are guilty."
But Martin shot back, "What kind of defense attorney are you? You're supposed to defend me, prove my innocence. You are the strangest defense attorney I've ever met. And now you want me to admit my guilt without even trying to defend me?"
Silence. And then the word Martin didn't want to hear. "Yes," said the attorney.
"This is crazy! I won't do it. I'm no fool."
The attorney spoke softly. "Just trust me. I will defend you, but not like you think I should. No more 'yah ... but's.' No more excuses. Just admit your guilt and trust me to help you."
"No way! Once the judge hears me admit my guilt, I'm doomed. He will surely fine me, maybe even put me in jail. No. I can't do it. I can't risk it."
But the attorney would not be dissuaded. "Martin, you can trust me. Just no more excuses. No more 'yah ... but's.' Just trust me and admit your guilt. I will be able to save you."
Martin was bewildered. "I don't get it. I have never heard of a defense like this one. This is no defense strategy at all! 'Just trust me,' he says. Oh, boy, Mr. Defense Attorney, you must have some very special kind of connections with the judge," sputtered Martin with disbelief.
"I do," said the attorney, not blinking an eye.
"Martin," inquired the judge, "how do you plea? Guilty or not guilty?"
Martin was still unsure. Should he or should he not? Could he really trust the strange strategy of this utterly odd attorney? Could his promise be true?
"Martin, I don't have all day. You are holding up the court." The judge was getting impatient. "Martin, guilty or not guilty?"
"Just trust me." "Very special connections to the judge?" Maybe the promise was true.
"Ahh, emm, sir, ... I am ... guilty ... as charged." Somehow Martin managed to get the word out.
Then Martin heard something that utterly shocked him. "Yah, Martin, you are guilty, but ... I am going to declare you innocent of all charges," said the judge, rather matter of factly.
Martin couldn't believe what he had just heard! "Yah ... but!" That had always been his line, but now the judge was saying it! What was going on here?
Not believing what he had just heard, Martin asked, "But how you can you declare me innocent of all charges after you have heard me admit my guilt?"
With an equally puzzled look on his face, the judge responds, "But, Martin, didn't you know? Your defense attorney is my son, my only beloved son! Anyone who trusts my son, anyone who is a friend of my son, they are okay with this court ... and me! Yah, Martin, you are a traffic offender, but you also have my son as your defense attorney! That's all that matters. You trusted him enough to stop your excuse making. You trusted him enough to tell the truth. Well, that's enough for me. Martin, you are innocent, acquitted of all charges. Case closed."
When Martin had entered the courtroom that day, he was a sick man. He was thoroughly infected with Yahbut's Disease. He couldn't help but make excuses. He always had a reason for always being right and he was never wrong. He always had to have his own way. That day a destructive word had been rattling around inside his head: guilty! People with Yahbut's Disease can never say that word. But that incredible defense attorney was able to deliver on his promise. And the judge said those wonderful words he never thought he would ever hear without first having to prove himself: "You are innocent, acquitted of all charges. Case closed."
Such words are powerful. They can change people's lives. They did.
The very next day at work Martin's boss stormed into the office and shouted, "Who turned in this sloppy piece of work?"
The office was quiet. Everyone in the office knew who was responsible: Martin. But Martin always had excuses. He always had a reason as to why it was not his fault. Silence. Then the workers heard words that they had never ever before heard from Martin's lips, "I did, sir."
That weekend Martin and his wife entertained some of their friends at their home. One of his friends quipped sarcastically, "Martin, oh Martin. Where did you get this new television set?"
"From Best Buy," Martin answered.
"And what did you pay for it?"
"500," Martin said sheepishly.
You could tell that his friend was listening with unrestrained glee. He finally had one up on Martin. "You paid $500 for that set? I can't believe it, Martin. You were taken! I got one just like it at Circuit City for $100 less!"
Martin stiffened. His face turned slightly red. His friends were expecting another round of "Yah ... but's." But Martin remembered those words of the judge and his son, the attorney, and relaxed. "It sounds like you got a really good deal, a better one than mine. Congratulations!"
It was round 20 of Martin's "Yah ... but" argument with his wife, when Martin said something his wife had never heard him say before. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm wrong. Please, forgive me."
Martin had been set free. The endless rounds of "Yah ... but" ended. The deadly hold of Yahbut's Disease, of sin, had been broken. He was a new man. Those words he heard that day in the courtroom changed his life.
So also for Jeremiah on that day when, out of the blue, God called him to a task he thought was impossible. Jeremiah had good excuses. He, too, was afflicted with Yahbut's Disease. But "the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth." And Jeremiah heard the same kind of incredible promise that Martin heard that day in court, the same kind of incredible promise you hear every time you come to this place! God is gracious and merciful. God has chosen you. You're the apple of his eye!
That is why God has sent us his defense attorney, his beloved son, to be with us, to comfort us, to rescue us, to forgive us, to cure us of the dreaded and deadly Yahbut's Disease. People, you are cured, forgiven, free. You no longer need to make excuses. No more "Yah ... but's." You don't have to be consumed with defending yourself. Instead you can admit the truth. You can dump all that guilt and fear on Jesus and begin to be that new person God has made you to be in Jesus Christ.
One of my daughters just returned from Europe, after spending two months of study and travel in Austria. Austria is no third-world country and the standard of living is comfortable. Nevertheless, after two months of being disconnected from America, upon her return she was shocked once again to walk into one of our supermarkets and be overwhelmed with all the "choices" we American consumers have. It took travel abroad to open her eyes to what we have come to accept as a right: freedom of choice!
Freedom of choice has permeated every part of our lives. We live in a consumer society in which we have the right to "choose" what we want. We choose our religion. We choose our style of spirituality. We choose the God we will worship. We choose the church to which we belong. We go "church shopping." In this nation of consumer religion, we "choose" a church by testing its worship services, trying out its programs to see if they meet our needs. If we like what we have discovered, we "sign up." We make a commitment. We "purchase" religious services. We decide to become a disciple. We join a church.
But the Bible has a very different perspective on life and our relationship to God. That is very clear in today's First Lesson. In these opening verses of the book of Jeremiah, the prophet reports to us the account of his "call" to become a prophet. One thing immediately stands out. Jeremiah did not "choose" to become a prophet. Becoming a prophet was not some sort of "career move." On the contrary, it was just the opposite. This "prophet thing" was all God's idea. "The word of the Lord" came to him. This wasn't the result of some personal search for God. Jeremiah doesn't have a "choice" in this matter. God is the one who takes the initiative. God is the one who makes the choice. God is the only one who is truly free here.
Jeremiah's response is all too human. Even though this was a time in history that would find our modern obsession with personal freedom unintelligible, Jeremiah was still human enough to know that he valued his freedom. Had he wanted to be a prophet, he would have signed up. He would have gone to seminary or prophet school. This wasn't his idea. So, all he could do was offer excuses. He was not qualified for this. This job never showed up on his career aptitude test. Besides, he was too young. He was only a boy. He didn't know how to speak well. He did not want to have any part of this "speaking for God" stuff.
But God won't take "No" for an answer! God "put out his hand and touched my mouth." God is in charge here. This is no time for excuses. Even if Jeremiah doesn't think he is qualified for this, it is no problem for God. God will put the words in his mouth. God will tell him what to say. God will help Jeremiah with what Jeremiah thought was impossible. And what God promised happened. Jeremiah's excuse making disappeared. His opposition melted away. And Jeremiah became a prophet, one of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel. And the book, which follows these verses in today's First Lesson, is a testimony to that fact.
But it almost didn't happen. Jeremiah first needed to be changed. He needed to be transformed. He needed to be "cured" of the disease, of that universal human disposition shared by all of us, the need to be in control, the need to believe that we are free to choose. In short, Jeremiah's excuses, rationalizations, and self-justifications needed to be overcome. Jeremiah needed to be set free, to be cured, of his slavery to himself, of his need to be in charge and have the last word. Jeremiah needed to be freed from sin. And, as we see in today's text, God is the only one who can do that. The book that bears the name of Jeremiah is living proof of how God "cured" Jeremiah of his reluctance to trust God and changed this self-conscious young boy into a mighty prophet.
This account of Jeremiah's call and his liberation from his old way of life is also a picture of what God continues to do among us today. Ironically we, too, are enslaved to our freedoms, to our desire to be in control, to our insatiable hunger for self-fulfillment, to our sin. God is the only one who can cure us. And God does that every time his Word is proclaimed, every time the Gospel of Jesus Christ is announced and the sacraments are administered.
To help you see how God does this "curing," I want to tell you the story of Martin. Martin was a very sick man. Like Jeremiah before him, Martin was afflicted with a disease. It controlled him. It distorted his view of life and himself. It seemed like an expression of freedom but in reality it prevented him from seeing and admitting the truth about himself. It forced him into always making excuses for himself. Martin was afflicted with the dreaded Yahbuts Disease. But Martin didn't know it. He thought his Yahbut's Disease wasn't a disease at all. On the contrary, he thought it was a natural part of life.
The signs of Martin's Yahbut's Disease began to appear when he was a young boy in grade school. His affliction hardly seemed to be an affliction at all. Instead, it manifested itself as an uncanny ability to wiggle himself out of the most embarrassing situations. It first appeared in these "Yah ... but ..." conversations he had with those around him.
"Martin!" his mother shouted. "Did you push this cookie jar over and make this mess on the kitchen floor?"
"Yah," Martin replied, "but someone had just freshly waxed that floor. When I stepped on the chair to reach the cookies, the chair slipped. Yah, I made the mess, but it's the slippery floor's fault and not mine."
"Martin!" his father shouted. "Did you leave the television room in a shambles when you went to bed last night?"
"Yah," Martin answered, "but I was going to clean it and remembered that you told me I had to go to bed at 8:00, and it was just 8:00 when I thought of it. So, I thought I had better get to bed like you said."
Martin had lots of these "Yah ... but" conversations with his parents. Martin always had an answer. Martin always had an excuse. He always found some way to justify himself. It was becoming clear. Martin had Yahbut's Disease!
Martin's teachers also got involved in these "Yah ... but" conversations with him. "Martin, is it true that you don't have your math work done in time?" asked his teacher.
"Yah," Martin replied, "but it's not my fault. You see, my mother made me clean up the cookie crumbs from the kitchen floor and that was just when I was working on my math assignment. If you don't believe me, you can call her and ask!"
It was clear that Martin now had a full-fledged case of Yahbut's Disease. Martin had an excuse for anything and everything. He always had a justification for what he did. And his excuses and justifications were always perfectly logical. Martin was never wrong and always right. Just ask him! The problem was that this never-being-wrong-and-always-being-right got to be an obsession with Martin. It was taking over his life. It would eventually destroy him, if something was not done to cure him of this dreaded disease.
Then, one day Martin bought a new sports car. His friends who knew anything about sports cars were shocked!
"Martin, oh, Martin!" they sighed. "Why did you buy this model? Don't you know, Martin? It's a lemon! Everyone knows that, Martin. Oh, boy, Martin, now you have made a real mistake!"
"Is that all you know about sports cars?" Martin sneered back. "I've read all the magazines on this particular model. This one has got the best rating of all the sports cars. It gets more miles to the gallon. It handles, accelerates, and corners well. It's got more interior room. It's got great resale value. It ..."
Martin stopped for a moment and thought and thought and thought. And then Martin, thoroughly afflicted with Yahbut's Disease, made a regrettable decision.
"Get in," he told his friends. They got in and away Martin sped in his new sports car. Up and down the streets he flew, weaving his way through traffic, squealing around the corners and screeching away from the stop lights like a maniac. Martin was having the time of his life showing off his car and justifying his choice, proving his friends wrong, defending his freedom ... when the familiar wail of a police siren sounded behind him.
"Martin, I'm going to have to ticket you for speeding and reckless driving," the policeman said.
"Yah, Officer, but I was just giving my friends a ride to show them what a great choice I made," Martin politely responded.
"No 'Yah ... buts,' Martin. No excuses. You must appear in court before a judge at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning either to pay your fine or to contest this ticket."
Martin was shattered. He knew that there was only one honest plea he could make. He was guilty! But people afflicted with Yahbut's Disease can't admit their guilt. They can't even say the word. They have got to stay in control. There had to be a way out of this. "Guilty!" The word stuck in his throat. He could never say that word.
Monday morning arrived and Martin, accompanied by his court-appointed defense attorney, was called to appear before the judge. Martin didn't want an attorney. He wanted to defend himself. He was free to defend himself and wanted to show the judge how the officer was wrong and he was right. Why did he need this attorney? Didn't the judge think he was capable of defending himself?
Things got even more confusing when the attorney asked him a question that caught him completely off balance. "Martin, are you guilty? No excuses, just tell me the truth."
Martin seemed baffled by this question, squirmed a little, and then tersely responded, "Yah, I got caught speeding. I was going a little fast, but, you see, I was just showing my friends the new sports car I bought and what a good deal I got and ..."
"Stop it, Martin!" interrupted the attorney. "This is no time for excuses. Face it, Martin. You got caught. You are guilty."
But Martin shot back, "What kind of defense attorney are you? You're supposed to defend me, prove my innocence. You are the strangest defense attorney I've ever met. And now you want me to admit my guilt without even trying to defend me?"
Silence. And then the word Martin didn't want to hear. "Yes," said the attorney.
"This is crazy! I won't do it. I'm no fool."
The attorney spoke softly. "Just trust me. I will defend you, but not like you think I should. No more 'yah ... but's.' No more excuses. Just admit your guilt and trust me to help you."
"No way! Once the judge hears me admit my guilt, I'm doomed. He will surely fine me, maybe even put me in jail. No. I can't do it. I can't risk it."
But the attorney would not be dissuaded. "Martin, you can trust me. Just no more excuses. No more 'yah ... but's.' Just trust me and admit your guilt. I will be able to save you."
Martin was bewildered. "I don't get it. I have never heard of a defense like this one. This is no defense strategy at all! 'Just trust me,' he says. Oh, boy, Mr. Defense Attorney, you must have some very special kind of connections with the judge," sputtered Martin with disbelief.
"I do," said the attorney, not blinking an eye.
"Martin," inquired the judge, "how do you plea? Guilty or not guilty?"
Martin was still unsure. Should he or should he not? Could he really trust the strange strategy of this utterly odd attorney? Could his promise be true?
"Martin, I don't have all day. You are holding up the court." The judge was getting impatient. "Martin, guilty or not guilty?"
"Just trust me." "Very special connections to the judge?" Maybe the promise was true.
"Ahh, emm, sir, ... I am ... guilty ... as charged." Somehow Martin managed to get the word out.
Then Martin heard something that utterly shocked him. "Yah, Martin, you are guilty, but ... I am going to declare you innocent of all charges," said the judge, rather matter of factly.
Martin couldn't believe what he had just heard! "Yah ... but!" That had always been his line, but now the judge was saying it! What was going on here?
Not believing what he had just heard, Martin asked, "But how you can you declare me innocent of all charges after you have heard me admit my guilt?"
With an equally puzzled look on his face, the judge responds, "But, Martin, didn't you know? Your defense attorney is my son, my only beloved son! Anyone who trusts my son, anyone who is a friend of my son, they are okay with this court ... and me! Yah, Martin, you are a traffic offender, but you also have my son as your defense attorney! That's all that matters. You trusted him enough to stop your excuse making. You trusted him enough to tell the truth. Well, that's enough for me. Martin, you are innocent, acquitted of all charges. Case closed."
When Martin had entered the courtroom that day, he was a sick man. He was thoroughly infected with Yahbut's Disease. He couldn't help but make excuses. He always had a reason for always being right and he was never wrong. He always had to have his own way. That day a destructive word had been rattling around inside his head: guilty! People with Yahbut's Disease can never say that word. But that incredible defense attorney was able to deliver on his promise. And the judge said those wonderful words he never thought he would ever hear without first having to prove himself: "You are innocent, acquitted of all charges. Case closed."
Such words are powerful. They can change people's lives. They did.
The very next day at work Martin's boss stormed into the office and shouted, "Who turned in this sloppy piece of work?"
The office was quiet. Everyone in the office knew who was responsible: Martin. But Martin always had excuses. He always had a reason as to why it was not his fault. Silence. Then the workers heard words that they had never ever before heard from Martin's lips, "I did, sir."
That weekend Martin and his wife entertained some of their friends at their home. One of his friends quipped sarcastically, "Martin, oh Martin. Where did you get this new television set?"
"From Best Buy," Martin answered.
"And what did you pay for it?"
"500," Martin said sheepishly.
You could tell that his friend was listening with unrestrained glee. He finally had one up on Martin. "You paid $500 for that set? I can't believe it, Martin. You were taken! I got one just like it at Circuit City for $100 less!"
Martin stiffened. His face turned slightly red. His friends were expecting another round of "Yah ... but's." But Martin remembered those words of the judge and his son, the attorney, and relaxed. "It sounds like you got a really good deal, a better one than mine. Congratulations!"
It was round 20 of Martin's "Yah ... but" argument with his wife, when Martin said something his wife had never heard him say before. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm wrong. Please, forgive me."
Martin had been set free. The endless rounds of "Yah ... but" ended. The deadly hold of Yahbut's Disease, of sin, had been broken. He was a new man. Those words he heard that day in the courtroom changed his life.
So also for Jeremiah on that day when, out of the blue, God called him to a task he thought was impossible. Jeremiah had good excuses. He, too, was afflicted with Yahbut's Disease. But "the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth." And Jeremiah heard the same kind of incredible promise that Martin heard that day in court, the same kind of incredible promise you hear every time you come to this place! God is gracious and merciful. God has chosen you. You're the apple of his eye!
That is why God has sent us his defense attorney, his beloved son, to be with us, to comfort us, to rescue us, to forgive us, to cure us of the dreaded and deadly Yahbut's Disease. People, you are cured, forgiven, free. You no longer need to make excuses. No more "Yah ... but's." You don't have to be consumed with defending yourself. Instead you can admit the truth. You can dump all that guilt and fear on Jesus and begin to be that new person God has made you to be in Jesus Christ.
