Before our wedding, we received a china tea cup as a wedding gift. Unfortunately, it shattered in the mail. The store didn’t allow me to return it so I made a mosaic frame from the pieces to hold a copy of our wedding invitation. I’ve looked at it many times over the years and marveled at how God has used two broken people to make a family. I’ve been amazed at how He’s intricately woven years of circumstances, people, and experiences to help us grow in our faith. The pieces are still rough around the edges – and, sometimes, so are we – but the bond has held. The broken pieces have proved themselves useful, even beautiful.
Let’s look at today’s Scripture from the viewpoint of Mephibosheth. He’d had a hard past. This included obvious things people could see (like his crippled legs from a childhood accident) and more obscure things people may not have known (like how his nurse fled with him in fear when his family died). He started life in the royal family but later described himself as a “dead dog” (2 Samuel 9:8), a nasty Jewish insult.
When he received an unexpected summons from King David, Mephibosheth must have felt an overwhelming mix of emotions. He was the remnant of a defeated dynasty and he would have expected death. He was also a crippled outcast and he would have expected humiliation.
Instead, he was met with kindness. This deserves more explanation, but the word translated kindness in 2 Samuel 9:7 is the Hebrew word hesed. Hesed is more than a nice gesture or a warm feeling. It’s a steadfast love marked by action, a way of honoring a covenant between two parties. King David welcomed Mephibosheth with uncustomary grace and dignity.
Friends, we are Mephibosheth. As believers, this is our story, too.
We are all damaged and crippled in our own ways. We carry our stories, our scars, our shame.
God sent Jesus to redeem this broken world. When you found your way to the foot of the cross and cried out for Jesus, you were welcomed in loving kindness, hesed. Through Jesus, we are shown grace, granted unmerited favor, and welcomed in love as heirs to the King. We are promised an eternal place at God’s table.
There is no condemnation in Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Put down your shame. You are broken because you are human, but your brokenness does not make you unlovable, untouchable, or unusable to God. We are all unworthy and in need of a Savior.
