The Right Restorer

The Bible tells us that He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.   ~~~   The Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) in the Sanctuary of Mercy church in Borja, Spain, is a fresco painted circa 1930 by the Spanish painter Elías García Martínez depicting Jesus crowned with thorns. Both the subject and style are typical of traditional Catholic art.[1] This piece of art work fresco of Christ had been of high sentimental value to many who lived in the city of Zaragoza. By 2012, however, the work was in an awful state of disrepair, so 82 year old Cecilia Gimenez took it upon herself to restore the image. The result became, in the words of Christian Fraser, “a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic.” The above painting is an apt illustration of what took place in the life of Israel as we have been reading the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. They had put their lives into the hands of unskilled amateurs, depending upon them to restore them, and it turned out deadly. Who has been doing the work of restoration in your life? Has it been you? You been trying to be better, do better? You can’t. You have crooked and dried up paint brushes. You are going to turn it into more of a mess. That is why we need the right restorer, the great restorer, who is Jesus. The Bible tells us that He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus restores us completely.