Don’t Believe Lies About Jesus

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” — 1 John 2:1 (KJV)

Sibbes says the enemy has a favourite trick when we feel guilty. He paints a false picture of Jesus. He presents Christ “as most severe judge armed with justice against us”, standing over us, angry and waiting to punish.

Sibbes says: don’t believe it. Picture Jesus as God himself shows him to us, “holding out a sceptre of mercy, and spreading his arms to receive us.”

He makes a lovely point. When you think of gentle people in the Bible, like Joseph or John, you imagine them as warm and kind. How much more should you think of Jesus that way! Any tenderness you have ever seen in a father, a brother or a friend is just “a beam” from him. The sun is far brighter than one ray.

“We are weak, but we are his; we are deformed, but yet carry his image upon us.”

Sibbes uses the picture of a father. A good father doesn’t look mainly at his child’s scraped knees and messy hair. He sees his own likeness in the child, and loves them. In the same way, Christ sees himself in us and loves us.

He also uses the picture of a body. We are Christ’s body. Nobody hates their own body because one part is sick or weak. “Can the head forget the members? can Christ forget himself?”

This matters because what you believe about Jesus shapes everything. If you think he is harsh, you will hide from him when you fail, like Adam hiding in the garden. If you know he is gentle, you will run to him.

But Sibbes adds a warning so that we don’t twist his message. Some people hear that Jesus is merciful and think it means they can keep doing whatever they like. Sibbes says that is “a lying comfort.” Mercy is meant to draw us closer to Christ, not to make us comfortable in sin. He even says, “the Lamb can be angry” with those who keep refusing his kindness.

So both are true. Jesus is not a harsh judge waiting to catch you out. And his kindness is meant to change you. As John says, he writes so that we won’t sin, but if we do, we have someone on our side: Jesus Christ the righteous.

One thing to do this week: notice what picture of Jesus comes into your mind when you’ve done something wrong. This week, when it happens, deliberately picture Jesus with his arms open, and pray: “Jesus, you are my advocate. Thank you for not giving up on me. Help me change.”