2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15
You can hear it on the PGA Tour. It happens at virtually every tee box. A pro golfer unleashes a mighty drive, and someone in the crowd chirps, “You’re the man!”, sometimes even the grammatically incorrect, “You the man!”. The words are meant to encourage. In today’s Old Testament lesson, the prophet Nathan spoke those words to David, king of Israel. David had spoken judgment on some unnamed perpetrator of an unspeakable act, and Nathan stood before the mighty king and said, “You’re the man.” And David’s carefully crafted walls of self-protection were breached, and he was confronted with his sinfulness. We, too, need to acknowledge our personal responsibility. Until we know our sin, we can never understand grace. Until we know that we are the ones who have violated the will of God, we will never know the joy or power of the cross. And how deliciously ironic that when Jesus was offered in our place, Pilate stood Him before the people and said, “Behold, the Man!”
