Better Call Paul

Last night I was watching one of my new favorite TV shows, “Better Call Saul.”  This show is a prequel to the critical acclaimed “Breaking Bad” and is about a lawyer named Saul Goodman.  The first season is about to end and what you see throughout the season is that Saul (known as Jimmy McGill in season 1 of “Better Call Saul”) has a notorious past as a conman.  He would swindle people out of money by tricking them, he was known as “Slippin’ Jimmy.”

On last night’s episode there was a key scene where someone very close to Saul looks him in the face and tells him he’ll never trust him because of his past.  In this pivotal scene the character tells Saul, “I know you; people don’t change.”

Have you ever been known for something?  Known for being good at something?  Known for doing something?  Known for something notorious in your past?

In high school one thing I was known for was mispronouncing words and names.  I would pronounce Jude Law as Judd Law.  I would emphasize the wrong letter in a word when trying to say it.  My mind and mouth would become disconnected.

It became a running joke with my friends so much so that a myth was formed that I referred to Tom Hanks as Tim Hank…an obvious exaggeration for my ill communication.

I grew up and grew out of this for the most part. But it was hard.  I was self-conscience about stammering and mispronouncing.  I would purposely ask, “What’s that guys name?” prior to saying it so I wouldn’t pronounce it wrong.  I carried around a pocket dictionary for a while to try and learn more words!

When I’m with my long time friends we can joke about this but I can joke because I worked past it.  I changed.

Some people are known for something much worse.  Some are known as criminals because they made a mistake in their past.  Some are known as liars because they lived off of lying for a time in their life.  Some are known as adulterers, rapists, molesters, drug dealers, gang-bangers, failures, and losers.   Some people are held captive for whom they used to be because the motto of man is, “I know you; people don’t change.”

This is the motto of man but the motto of Jesus is so far away from this.  Jesus again and again in the gospels calls people to himself and they leave changed.  The blind leave seeing.  The sick leave healed.  The ‘suck your money dry’ tax collector leaves generously giving away his money to all.  The condemned leave forgiven.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 says it the best, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

When you come to Jesus you leave changed.  You come broken and leave fixed.  You come sick and leave healed.  You come feeling weighed down, trapped, and condemned and leave feeling unburdened, free, and forgiven.  You are new!

I believe that anyone can change.  Why do I believe this? Because this is what Jesus communicated!  There is an amazing story in Luke 7 where a notorious sinful woman entered a house where Jesus was eating.  She walks in and begins to anoint Jesus feet with perfume and wash his feet with her tears and hair.  The crowd at this party, just stare at her thinking, “I know her, people don’t change.”  Jesus looks at this woman and says, “Your sins are forgiven.  Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The crowd thought this was impossible but Jesus knew the truth that she left changed, she left in peace.

I can’t wait to see friends I haven’t seen in years, people I’ve met over my life who have now found Jesus and say, “I know you; you’ve changed!”