But Paul cried out with a loud voice,
saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And he called for lights
and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and
after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Acts 16:28-30
The lines at the Chateau de Versailles
are long, especially on a French holiday in a season known for tourism. Yet,
being the only day possible for a visit, some friends decided to brave the
hazards of extreme boredom and claustrophobia and suffer the long queue that
would lead them into renown palace.
Just as they reached the front of the
line and the portal into the castle, a French couple jumped in front of them,
unjustly skipping ahead of my friends who had been waiting patiently. They took
a spot they did not earn at the expense of their group. Similar situations have
happened with me. My first instinct is to react with anger, demanding my own
rights. It would have been completely within the bounds of justice to order
them to the back of the line.
Fortunately, my friend was not thinking
as I would have. His mind was filled with thoughts of the gospel, which had
taught him that he did not need to demand his own rights. God had already given
him better than he deserved. In view of God’s mercy, he smiled at the couple
and invited them to join his group in the line. They proceeded to have a
pleasant conversation which ended in glory being assigned to Jesus’ name and a
gift of a Gospel of John to their new friends. This incident could have justly
ended in a humiliated French couple being shamefully sent to the back of a long
line. Instead, grace given brought forth a new friend and a positive witness
being testified concerning Jesus.
In Acts we see the same thing happening
with Paul and Silas. They were unjustly thrown into prison. God, the Lord of
the earth, caused the earth to tremble. The earthquake opened the doors of
their cell, seemingly offering them a red carpet to escape. Yet Paul and Silas
knew that God was after something bigger than personal justice being done for
his two missionaries. God was bringing about His kingdom in the world. Knowing
this, Paul and Silas stayed in the prison cell and prevented the suicide of
their jailer. Upon seeing the Christians not demanding their due, the jailer
was moved. He became the first complete pagan to become a Christian in Acts
(the previous Gentiles were all God-fearers).
It is natural to want justice. Justice
is always right. Grace, however, offers a higher power than justice does. It is
by grace that salvation comes to sinners, as justice would demand our demise.
Therefore, having received grace, let us remind ourselves to be a people who
offers grace. Seek opportunities to avoid recognition of being wronged, but
rather proactively seek to forgive. It is God’s kindness, says Romans, that
leads us to repentance. Let that kindness work through us.
