At the close of every Billy Graham Crusade you would hear the invitation to faith sung in the words of Charlotte Elliot: “Just as I am . . . I come!” In fact, Rev. Graham chose the title of her hymn for his own autobiography. It is a hymn for the imperfect of the world. The story of Mephibosheth in the Second Book of Samuel is the story of an imperfect man. It is of note that his name means “dispeller of shame.”
Mephibosheth was the son of Prince Jonathan who was the son of King Saul. Saul and Jonathan were famously slain together on Mount Gilboa, and their army defeated. Mephibosheth was five years old and home with his nursemaid when news came of the defeat. The nursemaid picked up the boy to flee, tripped and fell with the child in her arms, and from that day forward Mephibosheth was lame.
The story continues and David is now king. When his enemies are defeated and the land is at peace, he remembers his best and now-departed friend, Jonathan. Jonathan, in line for the throne himself, had once had David swear that if he died, David would never cease his faithful love to the house of Jonathan. So David now asks, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
The king was told, “There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” Though he was the son of a prince, Mephibosheth stayed away from the Holy City for he felt unwelcome because he was crippled. Even the priests had declared, “No one who has a blemish shall approach the table of God” (Leviticus 21.17).
But Mephibosheth was remembered by a king who remembers promises and keeps them. Mephibosheth was called to the palace to live. In the words of King David: “You shall eat at my table always.” Hear what the king was saying—“Just as you are, come to my table.”
How often we avoid the presence of God and miss God’s blessings because we see ourselves crippled in some way: mental or moral—crippled of soul or shattered in spirit, and afraid we may not be welcome.
The noted twentieth-century theologian, Paul Tillich, in The Shaking of the Foundations, wrote: “There are many religions which know no divine welcome to the sinner until he has ceased to be one. They would first make him righteous, and then bid him welcome to God. But God in Christ first welcomes him, and so makes him penitent and redeems him. The one demands newness of life; the Other imparts it.”
God is a king who remembers his promise he made through the love of Christ, and God will keep his promise. You are invited to feast at the King’s table always! Come just as you are. You can sit over there . . . next to Mephibosheth.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.