For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17
On a recent road trip, the kids and I were listening to the soundtrack from Les Misérables. My daughter noted that two different characters sing the same melody at different points in the movie. I said it was because they faced the same struggle. I’ll give a major spoiler alert here for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, but basically each character receives an offer of grace and mercy that he does not deserve. Both sing lyrics revealing their internal struggle, but in the end, one accepts the grace and becomes a better man. The other cannot accept it and commits suicide.
(Alert: more spoilers ahead.)
In the first case, after a priest gives Valjean a place to stay for the night, Valjean steals some silver and runs off. The authorities quickly notice him on the street and bring him back to the priest with their accusations. But the priest, recognizing Valjean’s desperation, covers for him, saying he had given him the silver, and then he gives him two even more valuable candlesticks saying that he was supposed to take those as well.
Valjean is suddenly free and no longer destitute. He is shocked by the kindness of this man who has shown him Jesus. His bitterness about life is overcome by the power of Christian mercy from one person. He uses the gift of the silver to turn his life around and do good.
Years later he has an opportunity to get revenge on Javert, his former prison guard who has continued to persecute him through the years. But instead he “pays forward” mercy by helping Javert. He imitates the priest as the priest had imitated Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1).
But Javert has a very different reaction to grace. He is a “man of the law.” He is a law-enforcer who believes in justice, not mercy. So when he finds himself in need of mercy, and what’s more, receives it, his world is shaken. In the end, I suppose you could say he exacts justice upon himself.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to notice how these two characters compare to Simon Peter and Judas. Both betrayed Jesus. Both felt the sting of guilt. But only one chose to accept grace. The other “threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself,” (Matthew 27:5).
The Bible addresses the tension between law and grace; justice and mercy. In Galatians 5:4 Paul says, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”
That doesn’t mean we don’t have a law. There’s never been a time when man was free to do anything he wanted. Even in the Garden of Eden there was a limitation; there was law. But since we all inevitably at some point break the law, we cannot be justified by it.
This is why even though God expects us to be law-followers and even law-teachers (e.g. 1 John 5:3; Hebrews 5:12), except where specific authority is given (such as to parents, elders, or kings), we’d better be careful about making ourselves law-enforcers.
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10
Justice is a good thing, until you embrace it so tightly you squeeze out mercy altogether. Then justice becomes a terrifying prospect.
Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13
In the end, we’re all like Valjean and Javert. We all sin, we all deserve justice, yet God offers us mercy and grace. We can reject this and ensure justice against ourselves. As I’ve heard it put recently, God doesn’t force anyone to go to heaven. But if we’ll accept His offer, He will cover for us where we have broken the law, and He offers us silver candlesticks besides.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Dear God, You are worthy of all worship, thanks, and praise, for You have made a way for us to be forgiven. You have even made us heirs with Christ, the one who covers our sins with his life blood. We thank You, God, for this offer of grace and mercy. Help us to show the same to others. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
P.S. It’s not too late to order a few extra gift copies of Praying God’s Word Back To Him, available here. Easy to slip in with other gifts when you need a little something extra.
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