05 Jan Stuck in the Mud

I started 2025 with a new Bible in a year program, guided by Terra Leigh Cobble. Her analysis of Genesis 3 included an observation I had never considered:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV)

In her “God Shot” what she discovered about God in the passage, Cobble shared this:

“God is our Creator and the Lord over everything, but despite His lordship and His perfection, He’s merciful toward the sinners He’s in a relationship with. He said they’d die if they ate of the fruit, but He lets them live.” He doesn’t strike them down on the spot. Any time we see God hedge on His promises, it’s always on the side of mercy…We see it again in 3:9-10, when they’re hiding from Him and lying to Him. Before they even repent, He pursues them out of His great love. At the height of their sin, He continues to show them both mercy and discipline. It’s such a gift to them and to us that He doesn’t give up on pursuing us, because He’s where the joy is!”

I think it’s likely that most readers of Genesis 3 see this moment as God the sheriff coming to track down the lawbreakers. I know I did for years. I agree completely with Cobble. This is a loving act by God, pursuing them and us even in our sin. It got me thinking about one of Jesus’ most famous parables.

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:3-7 “NIV”

In my mind, I always pictured the sheep as having strayed off, frolicking and having a good time. What if the one sheep straying ended up stuck in the mud somewhere, filthy and unable to get out of the situation. That’s probably how Adam and Eve felt. I don’t know about you, but that’s how my life felt just before the love of Jesus broke through to my heart.

He didn’t care, he scooped me up, mud and all, and threw me on his shoulders. Over time, he would clean me up and that process continues to this day. What about you?

As a new year begins, do you feel the comfort of the 99 being guided by the Shepherd? Or do you feel stuck in the mud, and fearful that God will come looking for you to punish you for your situation? If it’s the latter, I hope this encourages you. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve fallen, God will pursue you. When we deny or forget this, we leave Jesus on the cross.

Just as His Father did in the Garden, Jesus will pursue us, no matter how muddy or stuck we are. And he comes with the gentle hand of mercy and forgiveness, not the rod of punishment. Jesus suffered a horrifically cruel human death to supply you with unlimited grace, He’s not about to worry about getting His hands dirty for you now!

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him. Romans 5:8-9 (NIV)

Pastor Jerry Bader