Les Miserables - The Holes in Jesus Hands

In the movie Les Miserables from the French historical novel by Victor Hugo, the main character Jean Valjean refused to let a man pay the penalty for his crime of stealing bread for someone when they were hungry.  He had skipped out on his parole.  They arrested another person in his place.  

Jesus took the place of Barabbas (a murderer) when Jesus was innocent.  Barabbas was representative of every man born or to be born in this life that Jesus died for.  Jesus said we have to born of water (an earthly birth) and the spirit to see the kingdom of God.

Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"  John 3:3-7

I heard the previous story about how when the man was caught by the police and arrested, the man gave him grace for stealing his treasures.  It’s interesting, because I’ve taken several people into my home and I’ve had that problem with people stealing from me in the past.  It was some of my daughter’s friends at times who had less in life than our six children at home, and they would walk off with things in their back pack. 

One time I was missing my crystal candleabras that I got as a wedding gift.  In the movie the man says, “You forgot to take these candleabras.”   I did not handle it as well as that person as far as not inviting the child I could not trust back in the house.  When I saw the movie, “The Blind Side” I could relate to her statement of waking up and wondering what was going to be gone next in the house.

I believe the holes in Jesus hands also represent that we can’t fix every problem.  God sent his prophets to fix the problem and they could not fix it, so he sent his son who was divine love and he was killed too.  There are some problems we can’t fix in life.  If you marry someone with the intention thinking you can fix them or change them, good luck.  I know how incredibly hard it was for my husband being a civil engineer when his six weeks old baby died of SIDS that he could not fix his marriage.  That is incredibly frustrating to a person who fixes things.  The more I go around the block in life, I find there are more problems that I can’t fix, but love covers a multitude of faults/sins.  1 Peter 4:8

When Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed, God killed an animal and covered their nakedness with the hide of the animal.  The fig leaves were not adequate.

Good luck on trying to fix a soldier in life that has had his arms and legs blown off and good luck on trying to fix a person who has a loss.  I know I tried to fix my husband who lost his son and he had a big hole in his heart for 23 years at the loss of his son.  It reminds me  the song the Beatles wrote, “Let it Be.”  

It’s accepting a person as they are faults and all, that is unconditional love.  Some of the modern messages have a tendency to bring separation and division more than acceptance to the Body of Christ.  It’s more of a performance based gospel than the gospel of grace.  We have been committed the gospel of grace, but some are preaching a different gospel/a different Jesus.   The elder brother is still focused on slaving and performance to God.  How much faith we have.

But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. Luke 15:29

The prodigal son knows it’s about hugging and loving on the Father’s neck.   Martha was worried and focused on many things, but Mary was focused on hearing God’s word.  Reminds me at the end of the movie Les Miserables where the man was happy in loving a child.  He was focused on love.

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed--or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her Luke 10:41-42

God is love. 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16

A part of the movie, that touches my heart is when a woman becomes a prostitute to feed her child.  I keep thinking back when I was involved in street evangelism in this group called “Christ is the Answer” when I was 19 years old, and my buddy Sue at the time witnessed in this red light district neighborhood in Washington D.C. to two prostitutes.  All we said was “Jesus Love You” and the pimps threatened us and said it bothered their girls and they did not want to pick up men.  I also remembering meeting a woman police officer there who was an uncover person posing as a prostitute.  I listened to someone's testimony recently how an old lady on a street corner in California saying, “Jesus Love You” got him to turn his life over to Christ.  Never underestimate the power of Jesus Loves You!   

People get trapped at times in life even priests and ministers:

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. 1 Timothy 3:6-7 

Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, And that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:26

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9

Jean Valjean is chased continually by Police Inspector Javert, who repeatedly encounters in attempts to return him to prison.  The problem with the police inspector he was very legalistic in trying to get Jean to pay for his parole and refused to accept that he had changed his life.  

I find it interesting that the apostle Paul only could find Barnabas to accept him when he first became a Christian after being a murderer, and then Paul refused to accept John Mark when he had abandoned him.  Barnabas again was willing to take a chance on John Mark (forgive him) his weakness.   Barnabas gave John Mark a second chance.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1