Grace Comes Near

Arguably one of the most successful musicals of all time is Les Misérables. I’m a huge fan myself. I have seen it performed in Boston, New York, and Orlando at least a dozen times. Honestly I’ve lost count. I never get tired of it. Few stories deal with sin, law, grace, and redemption so well and so powerfully. The brokenness around us, the plight of the poor, the need for grace, and the call for people to stand up for the oppressed hits hard and hits home.

Therein is one of the ironic things about its success. We are willing to pay good money to see it—and some of us, like myself, to experience it over and over and over again. We cry at the longing for mercy, at seeing grace in action, and at the sacrifice people were willing to make to stand up for the poor and oppressed. But does that ever translate into our own life? We are glad to be wowed at the Bishop’s costly grace towards Jean Val Jean, and marvel Val Jean’s grace and care for a poor Fantine after she had been driven into prostitution to raise money for her daughter, and are impressed by his promise to her when she is dying to find her daughter Cosette and raise her as his own. We like watching it. But do we do it? Do we reach out and reach down with God’s grace to the broken and hurting people we know and come into contact with?

I have been learning that the normal way God brings the help, healing, and hope of the gospel to people is through people being willing to come into the lives of broken and burdened people. He is calling us to be the Bishop to a Val Jean, and a Val Jean to a Fantine or Cosette. Consider the following passages:

While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples (Matthew 9:18-19, NIV).

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” (Mark 5:1-8, NIV).

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them (Luke 4:40, NIV).

If Jesus had not been willing to be near and touch and love these people, they would never have experienced God’s release, healing, and redemption. Now, someone might counter saying, “Yes they would have, God is sovereign and He can do anything.” Fair enough. But it seems to me that God in His sovereignty chose to use Jesus to do it. And in like fashion, Jesus calls us to come in close and incarnate His love and care for the hurting. It is hard to help people experience God’s love when we are not willing to be near them.

Part of growing in grace is giving grace. If we are not actively giving it, we will have a harder and harder time seeing and appreciating the grace we have. That is just how it works.