What does it mean to be scandalous?
When I hear that word, I think of something crazy that I see happening that shouldn’t be happening. I think about situations where someone stole something, hurt someone, or caused an outrageous accident that made our jaws drop.
Two of my Netflix favorite shows are "Breaking Bad" and ''Prison Break"...I think you could say there are definitely a few scandals in both of those shows. Yes, those shows are amazing, but I’m not advising that you go try and be as scandalous as Walter White or Michael Scofield.
But what if I told you that we have already been a part of the biggest scandal of all time? The scandal of Jesus giving his life for us at Calvary. With that, Jesus poured himself out with grace that we don’t deserve, mercy we don’t deserve, and love we really don’t deserve.
His kind of scandalous grace says, I’ll take what weighs over you, what hurts you, what shames you…and give you a new life.
Just to go over how insane, ridiculous, over-the-top Jesus' love is, let’s look at the scripture where an angel is telling Mary that He rose from the dead. (Casual.)
“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who wascrucified. He is not here, he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:5.
I like how Jesus kept his promise and came back for us. I’d consider that something that we saw happen, that wouldn’t have normally happened. And I’m glad it did.
To take this a step further, we, as followers of Christ, have the opportunity to change the way we talk about scandalous situations. Trust me, I like celebrity gossip, weird world news, or wild stories just as much as the next person. But what would we, as Christians, look like if we started gossiping about how Jesus is healing, restoring, and outrageously loving people around us?
For example, my best friend's brother got to a place in his life years ago where he had to go to rehab. This situation caused strain in his life and should have broken him apart. But God had a different plan. Now, he is fiercely running after Jesus; God has set out his future by giving him a musical talent that leaves people in awe.
Through the eyes of organizations, I have seen girls who have been rescued from sex-trafficking who today are working with the law enforcement to rescue others! Women who were once beaten down by others are now taking it upon themselves to free and help restore others caught in bondage.
For me, I have seen two divorces within my immediate, four-person family. Something that was meant to break my family apart didn’t stop God from bringing us restoration, wholeness, and more unity than we could have imagined.
All of these are stories with endings that should not have happened. But then Jesus happened and it changed everything.
Needless to say, I think God likes to blow us away with ridiculous acts of love.
I think the crazy situations in our lives that we have seen God work through can be like trophies of His love for us. And when we talk about it, we get to share the scandal of grace.
