Magnitude

Now that Christmas is over and the giving season is at a close (well except for birthdays, anniversaries and other special events) people are probably quickly forgetting who gave them what for Christmas. I would dare say that thank you notes have not even been written for said gifts. Every once in a while, people will be more thankful for other types of favors that they may receive. I am reminded of a story about a two veterans on a train. One has an epileptic seizure during the trip. The other promptly puts his arms around the first vet and holds him tight until the seizure passes. Another passenger remarks about the kind gesture. The second vet responds that the first man saved his life during the war. He goes on to tell about selling all he owned after his friend discovered he had this condition so he could be there for him. The passenger was impressed. The vet stated, “After what he did for me, there is not anything I would not do for him.” This veteran remembered who gave him a gift and spent the rest of his life repaying the gift.
 

There are times when the gift received is so enormous that, no matter what we do, it can never be repaid. If you look at the current US government borrowing, the debt accumulated is so large that it may never be repaid. My head hurts when they start mentioning trillions and actually how large of a number that is. The number is overwhelming and it is hard to wrap your mind around it. Forgiving that size debt would also be overwhelming. Having a debt of that magnitude wiped away is just what God is all about. This was the original intent of the Jubilee Year in the Old Testament. Every fifty years, the Israelites were to cancel all their debts and include the property to their original owners. Also, freeing all slaves was included. The justification for this is stated by God himself, “Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God.” (Leviticus 25:17) It does not matter the reason you had to incur the debt or sell the property, it was forgiven with no penalty and no adverse effect to their reputation.

 

Many people today have accrued large amounts of debt. The economy is not as brisk as it once was and people are receiving the burden of their lifestyle choices in a down economy. The stress from this circumstance adds to the situation in a negative way. Many will never climb out of this mountain of debt. If someone came along and paid that debt, wiped the slate clean and gave them a fresh start, how much gratitude should or would they be expected to show. Lottsa! I was told that is an Italian word for "a whole bunch." How indebted would they feel to the person who paid that debt for them? Again, lottsa. In fact, people would view any expression that borders on anything less as insincerity. Jesus tells a similar story in Matthew 18. It is entitled, “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.” In this story, a king forgives a servant a vast debt because the servant begged him. Upon receiving this forgiveness, the servant goes out and demands another servant repay him a very miniscule amount in comparison. When the king hears about these shenanigans, he canceled his deal with the first servant and had him “tortured” until he repaid the whole debt. I guess there are many people today who are thankful that mortgage and credit card companies cannot do the same thing to deadbeats. There are times when I am thankful they aren’t able to do it either.
 

Each of us has accumulated an enormous debt that we can never cancel or repay. I am not speaking of the US federal debt here (although Americans for generations do have a rather large sum to repay). I am speaking of the results of our sin in God’s economy. From God’s perspective, sin is sin. He does not have misdemeanors and felonies where sin is concerned. It is all the same in his eyes. You do not get a lesser sentence for one and a larger sentence for another. Imagine a perfect white piece of paper. Draw a huge black circle and a microscopic circle on it. From God's point of view, both are the same. Both circles offend his sense of holiness. All sin deserves punishment, which as God set out, is death. This death is not physical but spiritual. It is eternal separation from God forever. There is no time off for good behavior in hell. If you are not sure what this will look like, read Luke 16, “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” This story gives an accurate picture of how eternity will be for those who go to heaven and those who don’t. It is not a pretty story and there is a way to avoid the fate of the rich man. Being saved is more than just eternal fire insurance. While that is one result of having a relationship with Jesus Christ, it is not the main motivation. As with the story of the two vets, “After all he did for me there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.”

 

The enormous debt, the enormous mercy, the enormous forgiveness I have received because of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ just “blows my mind.” Much like trying to think about the actual value of a trillion, my heads hurts at the magnitude of the gift I have received from Jesus. I am driven to my knees in thanksgiving for something I could never accomplish on my own. The problem I have with myself is that I diminish the magnitude by forgetting. I go about my business with no concern of the forgiveness I have received. I take it for granted and do not do “anything for him.” As the song says, “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.” The best analogy for this is a Kool-Aid stain in the carpet. As a parent, I have seen my share of these. There is nothing you can do to get it out. Our sins are Kool-Aid stains on our lives and hearts. They are so deep and destructive they keep us from having a right relationship with God. Thank God that the blood of Jesus removes the Kool-Aid stain of sin from our lives. I don’t know about you, but Jesus paid a whole lot to cover my misdeeds. And that is only the ones I have done or will do today. I would hate to think about adding in what the rest of my life will bring!
 

The Church (big “C”) tends to forget this aspect of our faith. Too many preachers talk about the victory we have in Jesus and how to live that out. I am afraid that living in victory is very different than living in gratitude. While we live in both, victory tends to make us arrogant and proud. Gratitude makes us humble and thankful. It is a fine line between the two and we need to portray both to the world. Yet, if we waver to one side or the other, we need to waver to the gratitude side. Why? Because “Jesus paid it all for me.” And, after what he did for me, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. My prayer for the Church is that everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ will live this out daily and make an impact on this hurting world. After what he did for me, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.