The Day We Did Not Deserve

Today is Good Friday.

Today a friend's sister gave birth to a 20 week old boy who did not make it.

Today an acquaintance through an online forum lost her dad.

Today a friend's little boy in the NICU is 2 weeks old; or 29 gestational weeks old. He's a fighter, but he has had a hard 2 weeks, and has many more hard weeks ahead.

Today I see the fine line between death and life, and I am thankful for the One who made life stronger than death.

Today we commemorate the crucifixion of the Son of God.

Today is the day before Passover, commemorating when God "passed over" his people who in obedience and faith brushed their doorposts with blood of a lamb, and did not perish when Death visited Egypt.

Today is two days before Easter, commemorating when Jesus, having submitted Himself to the Father, even unto death--even unto death on a cross--was raised again, alive by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can in obedience and faith live and not die.

Today is a day that none of us deserve.

I read Luke 7 today and had never seen the emphasis on deserving before. All emphasis is mine.

When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof."

I admire the honesty of the centurion's heart. He knew whether God owed him any favors or not, even though the people who were impressed by his generosity and character seemed to think he had earned something.

That story ended well. As did this one a few verses later:

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."

Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

She did not deserve to receive her son back, but the Lord had compassion on her, and showed his power over death.

When John the Baptist inquired about Jesus, because he had heard of all the things happening, he asked "Are you the one we have been expecting to come? Or should we still look for someone else?" Jesus answered in a way that was almost like a riddle, but it surely spoke to John's heart. Then Jesus applauded John, but says something about the kingdom of Heaven and who deserves it:

"I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

I emphasized the words "rejected" and "acknowledged" because they are opposites in this instance. The "righteous" people did not acknowledge their sins, and the "sinners" did. The "righteous" did not need redemption, but the "sinners" were aware of their need, and were willing to humble themselves to be baptized by John, showing their repentance.

There is no commentary necessary for the final example of "deserving" in Luke 7. It is moving no matter how many times it is read.

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

So we see that the only thing that lets us receive this peace is what we did not deserve: The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.