Dr. David D. Young
July 29, 2007
Genesis 42: 6-25
Matthew 12: 1-8
"Guilt: A Gift From God"

To relieve any guilt about keeping you all too long on this hot, humid summer Sunday, I decided in my better judgment to preach a shorter sermon for this morning. And in case you were feeling just a tinge of guilt for hoping and praying that today’s would be a shorter sermon – you can rest easy – your prayers have been answered.

Guilt! Guilt! Guilt!

Who needs it anyway? I suspect every one of us has carried guilt at some time in our lives. In fact, I have known people who have carried a guilt for many, many years. Guilt is often experienced in a very personal way – deep within us. Guilt is a gripping feeling that can hold us for a long time if it is not dealt with.

Two Zen monks were on a pilgrimage. In the course of their travels they came to a stream that was wide and deep. While they stood hesitating, one of them observed an attractive woman downstream in the same predicament. Immediately he made his way to her side, boldly lifted her into his arms, forded the stream, and put her down on the other side.

When his companion joined him they resumed their journey. After walking half an hour in silence, the second monk turned to the first and suddenly blurted out: “Brother, it was wrong of you to take that woman into your arms and cross the stream with her. You know that we monks are forbidden to touch a woman." Replied the first monk: "I put her down on the other side of the stream; you’re still carrying her."

Not only does that story speak of the need to let go of guilt, but it also lifts up the difference between guilt and feeling guilty.

Many families have at least one member who occasionally motivates by guilt. Like in the case of a youngster who won’t eat HIS dinner. The angry parent says, "Eat your dinner or I’ll kill you." Whereas the guilt-laying parent says, "Eat your dinner or I’ll kill myself."

Have you ever tried to motivate someone by guilt – a child, spouse, partner, friend or co-worker? It may work short-term and get a certain job or task done. But in the long run it doesn’t do anything to build up the relationship. Motivating by guilt is generally not a good means for accomplishment.

Then there’s also laying guilt on somebody for something we’re responsible for ourselves. Actually, haven’t we all at some time or other said something like, "Why did you let me have that cup of coffee or that second helping of dessert or whatever." As though someone else were guilty for our problem. When the fact is – it’s our responsibility.

Perhaps you know someone who really knows how to lie on the guilt trips, a family member, a friend, or someone you work with. A psychiatrist once berated his patient saying, "After all these years you still feel guilty? You should be ashamed of yourself!" With a psychiatrist like that, it’s little wonder the patient was still feeling guilty.

In preparing for this sermon I was reminded of the peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown and Linus are standing along the shore and Charlie Brown reaches down, picks up a rock and proceeds to throw it out in the water (kids just love to do that sort of thing) and then Linus says, "Nice Going…it took that stone four thousand years to get to shore, and now you’ve thrown it back!" Charlie Brown replies, "Everything I do makes me feel guilty."

As columnist and comedian Erma Bombeck said,

"Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving."

There is a little saying that goes,

"Actually, I’ve really got it made…I feel guilty whenever I’m happy and I’m only happy when I’m feeling guilty."

Unfortunately there are some people who seemingly don’t mind feeling guilty most of the time and the tragedy is that unresolved and prolonged guilt feelings can lead to deep, inner despair.

Jesus, in our text from Matthew did not allow himself to get caught up in the guilt trip trap. The Pharisees wanted to lay a trip on Jesus and his disciples for picking ears of corn and eating on the Sabbath. But Jesus rather than feeling guilty – reminded them in essence that the Sabbath was made for us and not us for the Sabbath. And that condemning the guiltless is not in keeping with God’s intentions for how we should treat one another.

Let’s turn for a moment to our other text which is altogether different. Here we are reminded that when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery – they acted wrongly and were guilty of a grievous act against their brother. In verse 21, a recognition and admission of guilt comes when,

They said to one another, "In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us and we would not listen."

There is no question here about whether they are just feeling guilty and really needn’t or whether they are in fact guilty.

You see, the feeling of guilt when we really are guilty is a healthy mechanism for being responsible. It is a normal feeling when we’ve done something wrong. It is a God given feeling. The distinction between feeling guilty and being guilty is important.

If we were only concerned with the feeling of guilt we would only be concerned with alleviating it as some would want to do – thinking that all guilt is harmful and unnecessary. But in the Christian tradition we take guilt seriously because it’s recognition and admission can lead to restored relationships. In such relationships where the accompanying response is forgiveness there is always hope and goodness.

According to psychologist, Willard Gaylin,

"Guilt is a guardian of our goodness."

When I was a young boy I intentionally stole a piece of bubble gum from the dime store. I put down 51 pieces instead of 50 and gave the clerk two quarters and said there were 50 pieces. She took my word for it and I thought I’d really pulled off a good one. Until I got outside and started getting a terrible knot in my stomach. My guilty conscience did a lot for me and taught me a powerful lesson about stealing.

Guilt: A Gift From God? – You bet it is – if we’ve truly done something wrong.

In his book, Pray, A Study of Distinctively Christian Praying, Charles Whiston writes,

"We do not ask for shame and guilt but, on the contrary, have every reason not to want these gifts. Yet Christ gives them to us without asking. He knows we need them, and therefore he gives them to us. We should rejoice that we are able to experience shame and guilt in his presence, for by that we know we are sensitive to his holy life and can respond…Then we shall know the peace of acceptance and forgiveness."

You see, guilt is only a provisional assessment of who we are – it is not the final assessment. God, through Christ, stands ready to forgive and accept us – always. And so too, in our human relationships is such restoration possible. For we know from the account later in Genesis that Joseph forgave his brothers for what they did and restored his relationship with them.

I suspect that there are a number of people here this morning who are feeling guilty about something. I doubt anyone has sold a brother into slavery – or been called upon to forgive such a terrible thing – but there probably are some heavy feelings of guilt weighing some of us down today.

Out texts for this morning tell us we need to sit down and honestly assess whether we are in fact guilty – because before you can get unstuck from feeling guilty – you’ve got to know whether or not you really are. If it turns out that you’re not – and someone has been laying a guilt trip on you (even yourself) then let your feeling match what and who you really are.

Let it go…but if you really are guilty – and Lord knows that to be human is to sin, then go in prayer to God and ask forgiveness and where possible go to the person and ask forgiveness. We all stand in need of grace. When we can’t go to another – God forgives.

An old hymn of the church puts it this way:

"Deep in the human heart feelings lie buried that grace can restore."

Well, guilt is a gift from God. It is not a gift however when we feel guilty for that which we are not guilty – that is unhealthy, burdensome, and life stifling.

It is the guilt trip trap!

But guilt – when we’ve done something wrong and know it – is a gift from God – because at least then the possibility for a shift toward responsible and right living can be made.

Guilt: A Gift From God? You bet it is! And behind it is the constant echo of the truth that God’s grace is greater than any guilt! Thanks be this day for the gift of guilt and the incredible assurance of God’s grace and love!

Amen!