Damaged Goods: A Biblical Pattern of Grace & Renewal
Author: Bobby Valentine | Filed under: Christian hope, Church, Contemporary Ethics, Grace, Hebrews, Hermeneutics, Ministry, Preaching
Damaged Goods: A Biblical Pattern of Grace and RenewalI have been reflecting on an unusual pattern I have noticed in Scripture . . . the type of people Yahweh almost always uses to provide leadership among his people. This is the one trajectory that we often fail to discern in Scripture. Perhaps we fail to see this pattern because we tend to squeeze the life out of the text and thus turn the people into flannel board characters.
I grant that God wants his leaders to be men, and women, of good reputation, models of purity and the like. But I have to ask myself given the way we sometimes treat our leaders and the apparent perfectionism we often hold them too — I think we would eliminate most of the leaders that God himself has appointed. Most of our leaders are in fact “damaged goods.” But I would contend that does not disqualify a person, rather that person then becomes a model of the transforming power of God’s grace in the life of an individual.
Just think with me for a moment about the leaders of God’s People down through the ages — please note that the one theme that ties these folks together is they are “damaged” goods. For example:
1) Noah had a drinking problem
2) Abraham was a liar and a compromiser of his wife (he passed this legacy down to his children — not much of a father in that regard)
3) Judah had that shameful episode with Tamar . . . if there is a page we censor from our nine and ten year old it is usually this one
4) Moses was a murderer
5) Aaron made Idols on the side
6) Gideon tested God (repeatedly)
7) Jephthah did the unthinkable to his daughter
8) Samson — well I wouldn’t let my daughter be caught dead with him
9) David, the man after God’s own heart — called “the shepherd of my people”, broke every law in the book save the Sabbath commandment (and the text is simply silent on that) — he abused his power, he lusted, committed adultery, committed murder of his loyal subject, he lied and on I could go.
10) Hezekiah and Uzziah are shown to be men with feet of clay
11) Manasseh, the practitioner of magic, witchcraft, murderer of his own son in a pagan ceremony is made by God ruler of his people (2 Chr. 33.1-20)
12) Hosea had an adulterous wife and a horrendous family life
13) Jonah — what more needs to be said?
14) Matthew had a “reputation” for he was a nasty tax collector
15) Peter denied, publicly, of any knowledge of Jesus, he goofed in Antioch
16) Paul was a blasphemer, murderer, and certainly had a “reputation”
17) Jeremiah, Daniel, John the Baptist, Paul and even Jesus never had wives (that is they were single) or families …
18) Finally Jesus himself had a certain reputation (a glutton and a drunkard they said)
Go through the “hall of fame” of faith in Hebrews 11 and ask who are NOT “damaged goods.” Precious few!
My point here is that when we look for leaders we do not automatically exclude the sister or brother with “a past.” What we need to look for is a person who has been walking trustingly in the faith. A person who is a living testimony to the grace of God. I have been part of churches where none of the persons listed above would have made the cut — because they were “damaged goods.”
But WHY did God choose these very people? Perhaps Jesus’s words to Simon shed light on the reason: “who will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” (Luke 7.36-50). Paul said THE reason he was chosen was precisely because he was the world’s greatest sinner (1 Tim. 1.15-17).
Being of good reputation does not mean never fallen, never blacklisted, never bruised, never damaged. Would David be “qualified” to be an elder? He is called a Shepherd, King, a man after God’s own heart. Would Paul be qualified? I had a Shepherd that was a recovering alcoholic and I believe he was one of the most qualified men I have ever served with. I served with another who was “single again,” and a more capable and qualified person for the task of shepherding could not be found. People who have been damaged, people who have been clobbered by the world in the past — often times are the very ones who have just what it takes to give strength to the weak, bind the sick and injured, to be the instrument of mercy rather than judgment (see Ezk. 34).
Far from saying that we are “lax” I believe that by finding our Pauls, Davids, Mannassehs, Abrahams, and the like shows to the world that we are people in the redemption business. God takes broken lives and transforms them into whole, meaningful and God oriented lives. Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2.13b).
Damaged Goods are close to the heart of God — at least that seems to be one of the patterns of scripture to me.
Hesed & Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
June 12th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I’m reminded of Oscar Wilde (certainly damaged) who said; “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.”
June 13th, 2006 at 2:28 am
Bobby,
A very good post…Just got your book today.
June 13th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Excellent! I sent a link to this to one of our former elders who is presently teaching a class on leadership. He was hammered as an elder … usually for taking a Godly stand. Fortunately for us, those who nailed him have gone on the bless other church leaderships.
If you have Bob Hendren’s email, I’d sure like to get in touch with him. He preached where my mother was a member (Creekside) and was a huge influence in her life and friend to her. You can send me that information (or if Bob reads this, he can respond) to me at greg.england (at) gmail dot com
June 15th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Jesus, Paul, and Peter…
Would probably all struggle to get a preaching job.
– Peter: Unreliable. He is prone to take one stand when behind closed doors but another when in public. You might like his Sunday Sermons, but he will create issues for you. Plus, he is constantly putting his foot in his mouth or going off in some new direction without first thinking it through and checking with leadership.
– Jesus: This guy is trouble on wheels. He has been known to upset crowds of religious people to the point where they tried to kill Him. He called leadership at one synagogue a ‘brood of vipers.’ He is single with apparently no intention of being married in the future – which as you know means He cannot identify with our young families. He has been known to eat and drink with the sinners, and He even turned water into wine. What do you think people were doing with that wine?
Paul – This one is a real bad apple. He, like Jesus, upsets religious people. He has been stoned and left for dead…but this is only because he couldn’t leave well enough alone. He is apt to write mean letters when he doesn’t get his way and even tell people they stand condemned. He is apparently unmarried and without children. He used to murder Christians and though he claims he has changed…who really knows? What if he suddenly goes back to his old ways – do you want him having your address? Plus, he never stays in one place long; he will be terrible for the stability of the church.
No…
If you are looking for a preacher, you best not hire these three. Go for someone else who causes less trouble, is more likely to stay for 5-10 years, etc.
May 19th, 2016 at 7:44 am
Its truly amazing after ten years Bobby, somethings, just never change, although,
As James says stumbling one point you’re guilty of it all.
As you said there’s only three things that are consistent in this life the father Son and the spirit