I overheard a man say that Jesus never made any mistakes. He went on to quote Hebrews 4:15 that tells us Jesus never sinned. Apparently this fellow never looked up the definitions of mistakes and sins. There is a huge difference between cutting a board too short and offending a moral principle. Surely when Jesus was learning the fine art of carpentry from Joseph there were mistakes. If not then He wasn’t human and we are assured of His humanity. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
Dr. Luke informs us that not only did he grew taller as a child but He grew intellectually. He didn’t know everything as a child nor was He perfect in everything He attempted. His perfection was moral. He tripped. He fell. He scuffled with His siblings. He got splinters in His fingers and sawdust in His eyes. He read the prophets and memorized what He was to do. The Book of Isaiah was a Messiah Manual that He sent ahead of time so He would learn and know what a Messiah was to be. He grappled with our human issues and learned the difference between violating His Father’s law and burning breakfast. Mistakes are stepping stones to a better man. The problem with a mistake is not so much the mistake but what we then do about it. Do we learn? Do we also grow in wisdom?
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. Wise is the person who understands that all sins are mistakes but not all mistakes are sin.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 15, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org