A Grace Accepted
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
THE LONG TAKE: A Grace Accepted
If you are a literary or theater purist, please forgive my next couple of statements. I love the story of Les Miserables although my only exposure to it has been the movie adaptation. I have not seen the play (yet) nor have I read the book (yet); however, the story has taken root in my heart, primarily through the music (that is another post for another day). The most gripping character, in my opinion, is Javert. As the ruthless face of law and justice throughout the narrative, Javert's sole purpose is to capture the ever elusive Jean ValJean, not unlike Ahab's maniacal pursuit of the white whale in Moby Dick. One cannot help but be drawn in to his inner conflict in his final scene upon the bridge in Paris. ValJean earlier spared his life, but Javert cannot reconcile in his mind the relationship between law and grace; to him, there can be no connection--they are literally worlds apart. Consider these lyrics:
I am the law and the law is not mocked
I'll spit his pity right back in his face
There is nothing on earth that we share
It is either ValJean or Javert!
He continues:
As I stare into the void
Of a world that cannot hold
I'll escape now from that world
From the world of Jean Valjean.
There is nowhere I can turn
There is no way to go on!
Jars of Clay was getting at a similar theme in their song, Worlds Apart. Struggling with the knowledge on how ever present sin does not deserve the love and sacrifice of God, they sing these words:
Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need
And what I believe
Are worlds apart
I believe the reason Javert (and the song) resonates with me is because I see so much of myself in his character. For the longest time, I struggled with the concept of grace and forgiveness. Actually, let's be honest and remove the past tense: I struggle with the concept of grace and forgiveness. There is nothing on this earth that will ever help me understand how a perfectly holy God can pardon a wretch like me. As David cries out in Psalm 51, my sin is ever before me. I would guess that part of my struggle comes from my affinity for the hard sciences; things are what they are. I combine chemical X with substance Y under condition Z and I know what the outcome will be. In the same manner, I combine the weight of my sin with the holy expectations of God and I know what the outcome should be.
Javert's Suicide
What Javert completely misses, and what Jars of Clay only alludes to in the song, Paul makes abundantly clear in that the bridge between those two words is found in the cross of Christ. It is true that there is nothing on this earth that will help me understand because there is nothing on this earth capable of redeeming a sinner, save God taking the form of a servant and offering His life as a full sacrifice of sin. Paul hammers this point home in Ephesians 2. Read these powerful verses and contrast them with the view of law and grace expressed by Javert:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as result of works, so that no one may boast.
Javert most certainly did not deserve ValJean's act of grace; we most certainly do not deserve God's act of grace made possible by the crosswork of Christ. But the difference is that ValJean was able to accept the mercy shown to him by the Bishop while Javert was repulsed by the mercy shown to him by ValJean. The humble acceptance of a grace non-deserved and the defiant rejection of the same is the contrast of the plot; it is the one thing that leads to life for one and death for the other. So it is in our life. We may not understand the depth of the why; for those who are called by Christ, we only have to accept the truth that the Father, in His grace and mercy, spared us from His wrath through the death of His Son. To accept that is to accept life; to reject that is to reject life. Javert chose poorly. Let us learn from his mistakes. And, I promise, I will read the book in due time....
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
For the first time in my life, I actually enjoy running. Now my times and distances will not impress any accomplished runner, but it is something. I began tracking my mileage since the beginning of January; I would venture to say that the total distance I've run in the past two months may be more than the total distance I've run the in past few years. That is not hyperbole.
Just as anything, getting to this point requires a reframing of desires (read James K. A. Smiths, You Are What You Love for an understanding of how this works on both a physical and spiritual level). But I'm glad I pushed through the pain to where I've moved from needing to run to getting to run. And that is a good place to be!
THIS AND THAT
I got into an argument with some of my students with my position being that baseball is the one sport that is perfectly designed. Here are three brief reasons:
- The defense always has the ball.
- If the base paths were any farther/shorter, the fielder/runner would not have a chance. 90 ft creates the perfect balance.
- The cyclical nature contrasts against the "defend my line" linear aspect of other main sports.
No other sport compares...
MY CURRENT INTAKE
- What I'm Listening To: In honor of Les Mis, I've been listening to the soundtrack of the original London cast. Personal favorites are On My Own and One Day More.
- What I'm Reading For Fun: Frankenstein This is my third attempt at reading this book. Lord willing, this time I will finish Mary Shelley's epic tome about loneliness / playing God / limits of knowledge / depravity of humanity / whatever other theme one finds in the book. Regardless, the modern Prometheus awaits...
- What I'm Reading For Betterment: To be honest, I'm still working through Smith's Desiring the Kingdom but I've only got a few pages left. Next on the list is Karen Swallow Prior's On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books. I don't think I read fiction well; hopefully, this book will help.
- Recommended Spotify Playlist: I've always had an affinity toward classical music. Here is a collection of some of my favorites in an appropriately titled playlist: Rock Me Amadeus. Hammer dulcimer and stringed quartet not included...
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mitch Evans, Ed.D.