A Resurrection Tale

He stood outside the bank that frigid night.  He had sold all he owned, even his coat, to pay his debt, but it was not enough.  He had nowhere to go and no way to get there. 

Across the street, the wealthiest man in town was in his favorite restaurant, savoring his favorite meal.  He noticed the poor man and made a quick phone call to the bank’s president.  Upon learning the man’s story, the wealthy man decided to pay the poor man’s debt in full. 

The bank president immediately found the poor man and explained that the wealthy man had paid his debt, that he was free to live his life with the weight of it lifted from his shoulders.  The poor man relayed his tremendous gratitude.  The bank president drove home in his car, the wealthy man was fulfilled by his charitable act, and the debt-free man wandered the street, his gratitude warming him against the cold night. 

The End.

What?  The ending doesn’t sit right with you?  Me, neither. 

Yes, his debt is erased, bringing his balance to zero, but it doesn’t feel like enough.  There must be more.  He must be taken in, at the very least given a good meal.  To end his story now feels incomplete at best.  Redemption without restoration doesn’t satisfy.  

 

Jesus dying on the cross in our place brings our sin debt to a zero balance.  Oh how thoroughly grateful we are that He did, and it does!  But if we stop at this point in the story, He remains dead and we are stuck wandering the streets.   

That is exactly why the Resurrection is so important.  Jesus’ crucifixion and death mercifully save us from Hell.  His extravagant, exuberant, exultant Grace gives us Heaven.  He takes us in, giving us a banquet, new clothes, a new home, a new life. 

And we all live Happily Ever After.

Now THAT’S an ending I would like to read over and over and over again.