The disease that infected my garlic and other kinds of evil

A few nights ago, I was in the kitchen cooking up a spicy pot of chili.  As I began chopping into my garlic clove, I noticed the outside looked healthy and gorgeous, while the inside was rotted.  It was like a disease attacked the inside of my garlic.  I was really frustrated by the false advertisement.  

Fortunately, I bought a three-pack so I started cutting into the other two cloves only to find them diseased as well.  At this point, I was royally frustrated.  I tried to salvage what I could of the spolied garlic, but it was mostly rotten to the core.

I couldn't help but draw the analogy of sin.  I know it's an ugly word that triggers all kinds of emotional responses, but the reality is we live in a sinful world.  Just turn on the news or listen to your own thoughts during the day.  We all wrestle against it - jealousy, greed, lust, violence, pride, and other kinds of evil.  It's like the disease that infected my garlic.  Fortunately, God does not throw us out like a bad piece of garlic.  He accepts us as we are, forgives us and starts to cut out the infection of sin in our lives (as we invite him to do so).  

This brings me to a Biblical story about Jesus having dinner with his usual motley crew.

  

 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:15-17

The Pharisees thought they were better than sinners.  They didn't see their own infection that showed up in their criticism, self-righteousness and judmentalism.  They look "religious" and really good on the outside, but on the inside they have the same disease we all share - sin.  

To put it simply, I am glad I can be honest with Jesus about my sin and allow him to heal me and restore the flavor in my life.  It is good to know I am in the hands of a good doctor and in the process of being salvaged.