Today is a day when anything sentimental is despised and looked down upon. "That show is too sentimental," they say. Or "That story is too sentimental. It won't do." They mean that it touches hearts and stirs up feelings of kindness, but in these days the stories and movies must be the raw "facts of life," though those facts of life are always of the seamy, the ugly and the dirty side. I have even heard some preachers ridicule the sermons of others for being sentimental. "Tear-jerkers," they call them and despise them for touching people's hearts.
But our God is a sentimental God. The Bible is full of sentimental stories. There is no more sentimental a story than the one Jesus told about the prodigal son, who after wasting his inheritance came trudging back home in shame and repentance seeking work as a servant, only to be met by a sentimental old father who hugged and kissed him and restored him to favor, then threw a party to celebrate his return. Was that story not to teach us that we have a sentimental God in heaven just waiting for us to repent and to come home?
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus says, "Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The only reasonable explanation of this parable is that Jesus is represented by the man who found the treasure. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. The treasure was hid in the world, for "the field is the world." (Verse 38) And Jesus gave His all to buy the world that he might obtain the treasure that was in it. He gave up heaven's joys and glories to come to this dirty, wicked old world, and on earth He gave up wealth and position to live as the humblest of men. Then in the end He gave up his life upon the cross of calvary, giving up even the last drop of His precious blood. Never another man ever gave his all such as Jesus did, but Jesus did it " for the joy thereof." "Who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame." (Hebrews 12:2)
What was the treasure that Jesus saw in the field, the world? It was just human souls, lost human souls, whom the Spirit could touch and bring back to God. And where was the great value in those human souls? They were mere human beings, men and women, only as grasshoppers in the sight of God. Then what made them of such great value that God gave His Son to die for them? Certainly there was no such intrinsic value in them. The only explanation of that great gospel story, is that God is a sentimental God, and God still loved man because He made him, and walked with him in the Garden of Eden, and out of that great heart of love, He sent His Son to die and redeem man from the penalty of sin. Man's value to God is not intrinsic value, it is all sentimental value.
I remember my mother's Bible. It was a precious book; but mother passed away when I was a boy, and where that Bible is now, I do not know. But if I should ever find it in a book store somewhere, I would be willing to pay many times its worth, just to possess it today. That's what you call "sentimental value," and that is what man has, in God's eyes.
I believe God loves sentimental men. He said of David, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart." (Acts 13:22) But David was far from being perfect, in fact he was a great sinner, an adulterer and a murderer. He also was a repentant sinner and very sentimental. When Saul, the enemy of David, had died, together with his sons, in battle with the Philistines, and David was made king over Israel, David asked, "Is there any left of the house of Saul that I MAY SHOW HIM KINDNESS FOR JONATHON'S SAKE?" Now Jonathon, although the son of Saul, had been David's very dearest friend. They told David that there was one, Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathon, still alive. Then David commanded that all that was Saul's should be restored to Mephibosheth and that "He shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons." In the last verse of II Samuel, chapter 9 we read, "So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet."
Saul and Jonathan were dead, but for the sake of Jonathon, whom the king loved, poor Mephibosheth, a miserable cripple, was given a great inheritance and free access to the king's table, as one of his sons. Isn't this just like what God has done for us poor miserable sinful folks who put our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ? For Jesus' sake, God has given us an inheritance, "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ," (Romans 8:17) and free access into His presence (Hebrews 10:19-20) where we sit at the table as sons, sons of God. We are altogether unworthy, but for Jesus' sake we are given this great gift.
God is a sentimental God, and the message of the gospel is for a sentimental people. A sentimental person has a tender heart. Children are all more or less tender-hearted, according to their raising, and Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall no wise enter therein." (Luke 18:17) But children grow up, and sin, and the world, cause their hearts to become more and more hardened. It then becomes difficult for the message of the gospel to soften that hardened heart. People need to repent and become humble as little children before God, then the wonderful light of the gospel will shine through to them.
Years ago, when I was a missionary, newly arrived in China, while studying the language, I lived in a house next to where my uncle and aunt lived, and I took meals with them. We also met each day to read the Bible together. Our reading at the time, came to the story, of Christ's death upon the cross. During the course of the reading of this story my uncle broke into tears. I, in my heart prayed, "O' Lord, give me a heart so tender that I too might weep at the story of my Savior's death." I know that tender heart of my uncle's, was the power of his life and his ministry.
"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalms 126:5-6) We need not ever be ashamed of being sentimental as we try to preach the great gospel story of God's love, for our God is a sentimental God.
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