Victor Hugo's Les Miserables gives us perhaps one of the best depictions of grace.[1]
The 1998 film set in 19th century France centers on Jean Valjean, a man who, caught in desperate times, attempts to steal a loaf of bread from a local baker. He is caught, sentenced to five years in prison and ultimately serves nineteen years of hard labor. When he is released he is outcast and left wandering in search of food and a place to sleep only to find closed doors. Finally, Valjean is taken in by a kindly bishop who provides him with food, wine and a warm bed.
That night, the bishop discovers Valjean stealing silverware from the cupboard. Valjean strikes the bishop and flees. The following day Valjean is caught and brought back to the bishop with his knapsack containing the stolen silverware. It is here that we observe an extraordinary show of grace.
The situation would appear hopeless for Valjean. Considering the circumstances, the bishop would be entirely just in taking back the silverware and allowing Valjean to return to prison, probably for life. The bishop could also have acted with mercy by taking his sliver back and and allowing Valjean to walk away. But Instead, the bishop grants Valjean so much more. To the constables' surprise the bishop insists that Valjaen was given the silverware. Then he asks the bewildered Valjean why had he not also taken the silver candlesticks for which he could ,"certainly get two hundred francs".
Finally, after the constables depart, the bishop approaches the utterly confused Valjean and says, "Now Don't Forget, Don't ever Forget, you've promised to become a new man." Valjean asks, "Promise? Wha, Why are you doing this?" the bishop replies, "Jean Valjean my brother you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God."
For Valjean, this single act of grace changed his life and he becomes an honest and generous man. Conversely, Valjean's pursuer Javert, an investigator obsessed with returning Valjean to prison, is unable to bear the kindness shown him by the very man he pursues. Unable to reconcile grace, he takes his life.
Every individual is touched by grace - yet many fail to realize it. Often it takes a major (and sometimes a life-threatening) event before one sees the grace they have been dealt. Yet even then, while grace is acknowledged it is left as an abstract concept, like luck. The phrase, "I've been touched by grace" is merely a poetic version of "boy, was I lucky". How would we respond to grace if we fully understood grace? For Valjean, his response to grace was to extend grace to others - an appropriate response for certain.
To properly respond to grace, we must first acknowledge that grace is a gift. It is not something we can buy or earn. Furthermore, if grace is a gift, it has a giver and its giver is not some impersonal force. The giver of grace is God who calls us by grace. Furthermore, grace is not merely an undeserved blessing. Jerry Bridges explains this well in saying that, "God's grace addresses itself not merely to the absence of merit but to the presence of demerit." [2] Yet, God gives grace, abundantly.
Still, as beautiful as the Les Miserables depiction of grace is, it falls short of helping us see Biblical grace. For that, we must understand grace within the context of a perfect system of justice for grace does come with a cost which I will get to this in my next post, Grasping Grace (Part 2).
[1] Christianity Explored training materials.
[2] What is Grace? by Jerry Bridges