Advent Day Twenty

On October 26th, Amou Haji, known as the “World's Dirtiest Man”, died at the age of 94.  The BBC reported that this person, who hailed from the village of Dejgah in southern Iran, had not bathed in over 60s after suffering emotional setbacks when he was a younger man.  His favorite meal was reported to have been nearly rotten porcupine and dirty water drank from a dirty oilcan. 

This story reminds me of other unclean people.  I think of the lepers in Jesus’ day.  They were force to yell “Unclean! Unclean!” when anyone came near.  I thought of Zacchaeus the tax collector who may have washed fastidiously, but was unclean because he was a collaborator with Roman oppressors.  I thought of a woman caught in adultery; the religious authorities of the day were ready to publicly stone her to death.  I thought of a woman with an issue of blood who snuck up on Jesus trying to “steal” a miracle from him.

In each of these examples, Jesus did something unheard of in his day, he interacted with them.  Lepers, collaborators, adulterers, and other rejected members of society felt his touch, healing and forgiving.  What’s so interesting to me about this is that not once did their infirmity cling to him.  In fact, the opposite always occurred.  His righteousness, grace, and mercy clinged to them. 

We share a lot in common with the “Dirtiest Man in the World” don’t we?  You see, we are unclean in God’s eyes by choice and by birth.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of the grace of God, but something wonderful has happened.  When we came to Christ and surrendered our lives to him, his blood washed away our uncleanness.  In short, our sin did not cling to him, but his righteousness, grace and mercy, even now, clings to us.  And that is very much, the message of the birth of Christ this Christmas season.  The Father has made us righteous through his son Jesus!