Worth-y

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“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. [...] For this son of mine was dead but is alive again! 
-Jesus, Luke 15:21-22, 24

Ok, watch your feet, because there could be some stepping on toes with this one. And that's ok. Challenging deeply rooted assumptions can help us grow. 

The other day I had a famous worship song stuck in my head, and one of the lyrics was, "I'm so unworthy, but still you love me." It led me down a path to explore and ask a theological question: What makes us worthy or unworthy of God's love? I sure hear a lot of language in the Christian church about not being worthy of God loving us. 

The idea behind it is that we are so messed up by sin that we're not worthy to be in God's presence. But God sort of swallows his vomit and Jesus dies to take our place and save us from the sort of torturous death we deserve, and therefore God agrees to not look at that sinful part of us anymore, and so God forgives us for who we really are and lets us be with him because of Jesus. But all the while, it's important that we remember that we're unworthy of that love, so that we stay grateful and try hard to not mess things up. 

Now, what I just wrote is not historic Christianity or good theology, but it is what I often hear reflected in the hearts of Christ followers from their upbringing or the way that they read the Bible. For some reason, we’re okay to say we are of infinite worth in the eyes of God, but we are not worthy of his love. What's the deal? 

Over the long haul, I wonder what that deeply embedded unworthiness does to our own sense of self-worth in the world? And I wonder how it shapes the way that we look at others, that we believe (theoretically, at least) are created in God's image? 

So I began thinking about this as a parent who loves my children deeply. I tried to imagine how it would sound to me if my kid told me that they were really grateful I loved them since they were so unworthy of my love or relationship. Woof. I think I would leap over the couch to correct them that that's not how any of this works, and try to repair such harmful thinking. 

Now, granted, our relationship with God as parent is a metaphor, and not a perfect parallel to human parenting. And yet... I couldn't help but think about the time that Jesus used a parenting example to explain God's character and attitude toward his imperfect children. It's one of the most important parables in the New Testament. 

You probably know the story. The youngest son disrespects his father, tells him to %^# off, and cashes out his inheritance early. He goes out and wastes the money and makes tons of poor decisions. Jesus wants his listeners to see this kid as the epitome of a sinful life and character. But while he's out there destroying his life, he realizes that he has messed up. He longs for what he left behind, and realizes he's harmed his father and his family. He goes back home apologizing, hoping that he'll be able to live on his dad's compound, even though he knows the chance of being a son again is gone. And his wording is exactly what we use in our modern worship songs: 

"I'm not worthy to be called your son."
And, if it's in line with the theology that I often hear, we should expect that the father's response would, "That's true, but I love you anyway." 
But that's not what we get. Instead, the father completely ignores the son's mistaken idea that he's not worthy of his father's love. He just pushes right past it and says that his son is back and it's time to celebrate!

The message is implicit, but it's right there: 
You were never unworthy of my love or my relationship. 
Because I love you, you are worthy. Period. 
You may feel unworthy, but that's not the truth of the story. 

Over and over, Jesus seeks to help change how people think about God. Those who believe they've fallen too far or are just too unlovable Jesus surprises with dignity and worth. Precisely because God loves them, they are worthy of love, and that is independent of their behavior. Love is the powerful tool that declares things worthy, not the other way around. So who are we going to believe—our own condemning hearts, or God's clearly stated unconditional love? 

I find it fascinating that even in the early church, they seemed to understand that God has made it clear that all are worthy of God's love and care, even when we might feel otherwise. Even when some of the Israelites reject the message of God's grace, the apostles say that the real problem is that they don't consider themselves worthy of eternal life! Wow.
We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
-Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:46

My friends, your feelings are valid, certainly. I have felt unworthy in lots of areas, regardless of if they are founded on truth or not. And that's the point. It's one thing to feel unworthy. It's another thing to contradict God when God says that we are indeed worthy of love, care, and relationship. 

So if I find myself singing that famous chorus the next time, I might just adjust the lyrics a little and sing, "though I feel unworthy, still you love me." Sorry, copyright laws. I'm worthy of God's love, and so are you, because God has declared it so.  

Jesus, help me walk through today knowing that you find me worthy of love over and over again, despite my mistakes. 

Peace,
Keith