The Beauty in the Brokenness
Tony Schachle
Beauty in the Brokeness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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SCRIPTURE
SCRIPTURE
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Kintsugi is a Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks and fractures with a lacquer material made from tree sap that is dusted with gold. Instead of throwing away the broken pottery, the artist highlights the broken places and turns into something more beautiful than it was before. That is what God does in our lives. We come to him broken and shattered and instead of throwing us away, He mends our brokenness and turns us into something more beautiful than we were before. In today’s message, we explore the story of Mephibosheth and how the grace of God reveals “The Beauty in the Brokenness.”
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION
Relationship between David and Jonathan.
David wanted to honor Jonathan by doing something for one of his descendants.
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” 3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
Mephibosheth’s tragic childhood and injury.
Mephibosheth lived in Lo Debar (means “no pasture”).
David called Mephobosheth to Jersusalem and restores his inheritance.
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
Mephibosheth responds in humility and brokenness.
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
But David the king blessed Mephibosheth and invited him to eat daily at the kings’s table.
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.”
And then the final verse in Chapter 9 sums it all up:
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
Embrace Your Brokenness
Mephibosheth began life as a prince, but found himself living the life of a pauper.
The place he lived, Lo Debar, means “no pasture.”
Mephibosheth lived in shame far away from the palace in Jerusalem.
Like Mephibosheth, we often try to conceal our cracks.
David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us. We are Mephibosheth… hiding, poor, weak, lame, and fearful before our King.
Your flaws are not too shameful for God to see.
The acceptance of our brokenness is the first step in the Christian walk, recognising our need for redemption.
In other words, until we face our fractures we cannot begin to be mended.
When we accept our imperfections, we can then allow God to redeem them.
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Embrace God’s Grace
In 2 Samuel 9, King David seeks Mephibosheth out and offers him grace. David proclaims, “Don’t be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness… I will restore to you all the land… and you will always eat at my table.”.
Imagine a Craftsman using gold to mend pottery: David pours golden kindness on Mephibosheth, lifting him from exile to honored guest.
Nothing Mephibosheth did could earn this favor; it comes solely by David’s covenant love.
This astonishing offer replaces shame with sustenance.
Mephibosheth went from hiding in fear to feasting regularly with the king.
God likewise can fashion something new from the broken “dust” of our lives.
No loss is beyond His repair; He even replaces what we think is irretrievable.
The flaw becomes a unique piece of the object’s history. And the uniqueness adds to its beauty.
God’s kindness turns our flaws into special parts of our story.
Mephibosheth’s disability remained, but it became part of his glorious testimony.
We must receive God’s restoration with humility. Mephibosheth literally called himself a “dead dog” in humility, yet David honored him.
Similarly, when God invites us – “the chief of sinners” – to His table, we should not shrink back. Trust Him to glue your pieces together.
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Embrace the Beauty of Your Brokenness
Notice the unexpected ending: 2 Samuel 9:13 says Mephibosheth “lived in Jerusalem… and he ate continually at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.”
His brokenness did not vanish – he still limped – yet he now belonged at the king’s table.
The scar (his disability) remained visible, but it was overshadowed by honor and life in the palace.
Kintsugi teaches that repaired pottery is not flawless, but its gold scars make it more precious.
As one writer observes, “both [Kintsugi and] Jesus… emphasize the beauty of imperfection, the power of redemption, and the transformation that can come from acknowledging our brokenness.”
God’s healing isn’t always removing the scar; sometimes it is using the scar for good.
Our visible cracks become channels for God’s light.
Our scars are now gilded testimonies of grace.
Our healed-but-still-broken lives should point others to Jesus, the ultimate Master Repairer, who alone turns our ashes into beauty.
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
CLOSING
CLOSING
Is there an area of your life where you feel broken, ashamed, or unworthy?
Are you hiding in "Lo Debar" – a place of fear, isolation, or spiritual dryness – because of your brokenness?
Do you believe that God’s grace is greater than your scars? Are you ready to let Him begin the healing process?
Have you been holding onto your broken pieces, thinking they are beyond repair, instead of giving them to God to mend with His golden grace?
Do you see the scars in your life as marks of shame, or can you embrace them as testimonies of God’s love and restoration?
Are you ready to step out in faith and take your place at the King’s table, despite your imperfections?
Are you ready to surrender your brokenness to God, trusting Him to create something beautiful out of it?
Is today the day you stop running and hiding and let God restore your life, as David restored Mephibosheth?
Will you choose to let your scars tell a story of God’s grace and redemption, instead of allowing them to define you?
