Larry Got It Wrong

I am a Spongebob  Squarepants fan.

 

Spongebob has been part of my family for 17 years. My kids taught me to like Spongebob, and now I am passing that love along to my grandkids.

 

I know people who are like Mr. Crabs, like Squidward, like Patrick and like Larry the Lobster. The Spongebob cartoons are a lot like my life.

 

In one of the episodes, Spongebob sings a song. Larry the Lobster tells Spongebob, “That was so righteous!”

 

Larry thought Spongebob’s actions made him righteous. Was Larry right?

 

Today’s reading is Isaiah 61:1-11.

 

God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Christ’s birth, tells us why Christ will be coming to the earth. The Jews thought it would be to set up an earthly kingdom similar to King David’s reign. God tells us, however, the reason Christ came was to preach good news, comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve.

 

We are also told that the Christian Church will be established on earth, and it will be for Jews and Gentiles. Not only that, but we will be called priests of the Lord, expected to carry out Christ’s work.

 

Because of Christ’s work, we will be clothed with a robe of righteousness.

 

There is nothing we do that makes us righteousness, that is, right with God.

 

We are sinners and we descend from sinners. We have failed God’s commands. We deserve eternal torment in the fiery lake.

 

Yet, we are righteous.

 

Our righteousness is nothing we did. It is everything that Jesus did. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to not only atone for our sin, but to also assume our sin. Jesus gets punished for our sin and it is as though we never sinned!

 

If in fact Spongebob is righteous, it has nothing to do with the song he sang, or anything else he might do.

 

Larry got it wrong.