An 80 year old woman stood before the judge for shoplifting and the judge asked her, “What did you steal?” She replied that she had stolen a can of peaches. When he asked her why, she said she was hungry. The judge asked her, “How many peaches were in the can?” She said, “six”. The judge said, “I will give you six days in jail.” Her husband said, “May I say something?” The judge said, “What is it?” The husband said, “She also stole a can of peas.”

Unlike the woman with her husband, it’s nice to know that when you are in a tight spot that you have someone on your side. When Jesus came to this earth in human form, He was placing Himself on our side. He came to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). In His earthly minister Jesus was condemned for eating with the tax collectors and sinners. On one occasion Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Jesus was on their side and He is on our side. He did not condone wrong, but because of His love for all men, He chose to lead and teach any that would listen to His message of grace and truth.

We have all lived a less than perfect life. Jesus gave Himself up on the cross so that we could be saved from our sins. “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and it is through His death and His subsequent resurrection that we can have forgiveness and the hope of eternal life (I Peter 1:3). All havfe a sin problem and it would be foolish to remain where we are without accepting His gracious offer for forgiveness. If we will hear Him and be led by His teaching, we shall find the perfect answer to the problem of sin.

Jesus really is on our side and He has demonstrated this by coming here in the first place, by loving and teaching all manner of people while here, by living a life that shows the way, and then by being willing to accept upon Himself our iniquity. More than anything, He wants us to see this and come on over to His side (Isaiah 53:4-6).

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