without wax…

“And they sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are sincere…” Matthew 22:16

In His divinity, power, and authority, Jesus remained sincere, true to who He was and real with people. He lived in reality 2.0. He was not about presenting an image or keeping people at arm’s length.  Just the opposite! He got right into the middle of their messes and infused them with His compassion and grace.

My former pastor, Brian Zahnd preached on the word sincere years ago, but it has always stuck with me!  The word sin-cere was used to describe a master sculptor’s work.  You see, in those days, if an artist made a mistake, like took off a nose or an ear, he would fill in his mistakes with wax. Once the work was completed and polished, no one could tell the difference.  The master sculptor would not stoop to such a practice. His integrity would not allow it.  Thus his work was described as sin-cere–without wax.

What a neat picture of how we are supposed to live with one another. Not trying to hide, fill in, or polish away our blemishes, presenting a perfected image to one another. There’s no integrity in that.  Our imperfections are the sign that we are human and that we need each other. No wax needed…. Knowing that we are perfected in Christ will help us remember that we don’t have to pretend to be perfect…not with God, or with one another.