"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don’t you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (Luke 23:39-43 NIV)
My family and I recently had the joy of seeing my oldest niece in a production of the musical Les Misérables, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.
Two central characters drive the show's complex and multi-layered storyline: Jean Valjean, a prison parolee whose crime was to steal a loaf of bread to feed his sister's child; and Javert, the officer of the law who hunts Valjean through the ages after the man known during his imprisonment (and even after) only as prisoner number 24601 breaks his parole to try to break free from his past.
Again and again, Valjean and Javert meet up, with Valjean always escaping to try to do one more good deed for one more person in need. Late in the story, Javert at last finds himself at the mercy of Valjean. Javert is bound, tied up, and Valjean has the knife. Valjean raises it to Javert's throat—then moves it behind him to cut his bonds and set him free.
"There are no conditions...no bargains or petitions. There is nothing that I blame you for. You've done your duty, nothing more," Valjean tells Javert and sends him on his way.
But Javert has not been saved by this. He has not been freed. He is unable to merge Valjean's mercy with his strict moral code and so takes his own life rather than live under a debt of gratitude.
I've seen this show many times, but at this most recent production, as I watched Javert take his final leap, I thought, "He never got the grace."
But Javert has not been saved by this. He has not been freed. He is unable to merge Valjean's mercy with his strict moral code and so takes his own life rather than live under a debt of gratitude.
I've seen this show many times, but at this most recent production, as I watched Javert take his final leap, I thought, "He never got the grace."
Javert was never able to let go of the law he held in his hands and take hold of the gift offered to him.
The first criminal who hung on a cross beside Jesus at the place called The Skull never got the grace, either. He lost his life because He would not let go of the hatred and scorn he had for Jesus.
But the other thief...
Somehow, the second thief understood that his hands were empty of anything that really mattered, and so he grabbed onto Grace—and gained paradise.
* * * * * *
God, please help me to let go of anything I'm holding onto that's keeping me from fully grasping Your grace. Help me to take hold of that gift and then give it away to others.
The first criminal who hung on a cross beside Jesus at the place called The Skull never got the grace, either. He lost his life because He would not let go of the hatred and scorn he had for Jesus.
But the other thief...
Somehow, the second thief understood that his hands were empty of anything that really mattered, and so he grabbed onto Grace—and gained paradise.
* * * * * *
God, please help me to let go of anything I'm holding onto that's keeping me from fully grasping Your grace. Help me to take hold of that gift and then give it away to others.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!