When it came to tragedy in life, the same could be said as well.
Edwin had two brothers, John and Junius. Both were actors, although neither rose to his statues. In 1863, the three siblings united their talents to perform Julius Caesar. The fact that Edwin’s brother John took the role of Brutus was an eerie harbinger of what awaited the brothers – and the nation – two year hence.
For this John who played the assassin in Julius Caesar is the same John who took the role of assassin in Ford’s Theatre. On a crisp April night in 1865, he stole quietly into the rear of a box in the Washington theatre and fired a bullet at the head of Abraham Lincoln. Yes, the last name of the brothers was Booth – Edwin Thomas Booth and John Wilkes Booth.
Edwin was never the same after that night. Shame from his brother’s crime drove him into retirement. He might never have returned to the stage had it not been for a twist of fate at a New Jersey train station. Edwin was awaiting his coach when a well-dressed young man, pressed by the crowd, lost his footing and fell between the platform and a moving train. Without hesitation, Edwin locked a leg around a railing, grabbed the man, and pulled him to safety. After the sighs of relief, the young man recognized the famous Edwin Booth.
Edwin, however, didn’t recognize the young man he’d rescued. That knowledge came weeks later in a letter, a letter he carried in his pocket to the grave. A letter from General Adams Budeau, chief secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant. A letter thanking Edwin Booth for saving the life of the child of an American hero, Abraham Lincoln. How ironic that while one brother killed the president, the other brother saved the president’s son. The boy Edwin Booth yanked to safety? Robert Todd Lincoln.
Edwin and John Booth. Same father, mother, profession, and passion – yet one chooses life, the other, death. How could it happen? I don’t know, but it does. Though their story is dramatic, it’s not unique.
Abel and Cain, both sons of Adam. Abel chooses God. Cain chooses murder. And God lets him.
Abraham and Lot, both pilgrims in Canaan. Abraham chooses God. Lot chooses Sodom. And God lets him.
David and Saul, both kings of Israel. David chooses God. Saul chooses power. And God lets him.
Peter and Judas, both deny their Lord. Peter seeks mercy. Judas seeks death. And God lets him.
In every age of history, on every page of Scripture, the truth is revealed: God allows us to make our own choices.
And no one delineates this more clearly than Jesus. According to Him, we can choose:
A narrow gate or a wide gate (Matt 7: 13 – 14)
A narrow road or a wide road (Matt 7: 13 – 14)
The big crowd or the small crowd (Matt 7: 13 – 14)
We can choose to:
Build on rock or sand (Matt 7: 24 – 17)
Serve God or riches (Matt 6: 24)
Be numbered among the sheep or the goats (Matt 25: 32 – 33)
“Then they (those who rejected God) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt 25: 46 NIV).
God gives eternal choices, and the choices have eternal consequences.
Isn’t this the reminder of Calvary’s trio? Ever wonder why there were two crosses next to Christ? Why not six or ten? Ever wonder why Jesus was in the center? Why not on the far right or far left? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolize one of God’s greatest gifts? The gift of choice.
The two criminals have so much in common. Convicted by the same system. Condemned to the same death. Surrounded by the same crowd. Equally close to the same Jesus. In fact, they begin with the same sarcasm: “The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus” (Matt 27: 44 CEV).
But one changed.
One of the criminals on a cross began to shout insults at Jesus: “Aren’t you the Christ? Then save yourself and us.” But the other criminal stopped him and said, “You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment He is. We are punished justly, getting what we deserve for what we did. But this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23: 39 -43).
Much has been said about the prayer of the penitent thief, and it certainly warrants our admiration. But while we rejoice at the thief who changed, dare we forget the one who didn’t? What about him, Jesus? Wouldn’t a personal invitation be appropriate? Wouldn’t a word of persuasion be timely?
Does not the shepherd leave the ninety-nine sheep and pursue the lost? Does not the housewife sweep the house until the lost coin is found? Yes, the shepherd does, the housewife does, but the father of the prodigal, remember, does nothing.
The sheep was lost innocently.
The coin was lost irresponsibly.
But the prodigal son left intentionally.
The father gave him the choice. Jesus gave both criminals the same.
There are times when God sends thunder to stir us. There are times when God sends blessing to lure us. But then there are times when God sends nothing but silence as he honors us the freedom to choose where we spend eternity.
And what an honor it is! In so many areas of life we have no choice. Think about it. You didn’t choose your gender. You didn’t choose your siblings. You didn’t choose your race or place of birth.
Sometimes, our lack of choices angers us. “It’s not fair,” we say. It’s not fair that I was born in poverty or that I sing so poorly or that I run so slowly. But the scales of life were forever tipped on the side of fairness when God planted a tree in the Garden of Eden. All complaints were silenced when Adam and his descendants were given free will, the freedom to make whatever eternal choice we desire. Any injustice in this life is offset by the honor or choosing our destiny in the next.
Wouldn’t you agree? Would you have wanted otherwise? Would you have preferred the opposite? You choose everything in this life, and He chooses where you spend the next? You chose the size of your nose, the colour of your hair, and your DNA structure, and He chooses where you spend eternity? Is that what you would prefer?
It would have been nice if God had let us order life like we order a meal. I’ll take good health and a high IQ. I’ll pass on the music skills, but give me a fast metabolism… Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote.
But when it comes to life after death, you were. In my book that seems like a good deal. Wouldn’t you agree?
Had we been given any greater privilege than that of choice? Not only does this privilege offset any injustice, the gift of free will can offset any mistakes.
Think about the thief who repented. Though we know little about him, we know this: He made some bad mistakes in life. He chose the wrong crowd, the wrong morals, the wrong behavior. But would you consider his life a waste? Is he spending eternity reaping the fruit of all the bad choices he made? No, just the opposite. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. In the end all his bad choices were redeemed by a solitary good one.
You’ve made some bad choices in life, haven’t you? You’ve chosen the wrong friends, maybe the wrong career, even the wrong spouse. You look back over your life and say, “If only… If only I could make up for those bad choices.” You can. One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth.
The choice is yours.
How can two brothers be born of the same mother, grow up in the same home, and one choose life and the other choose death? I don’t know, but they do.
How could two men see the same Jesus and one choose to mock him and the other choose to pray to him? I don’t know, but they did.
And when one prayed, Jesus loved him enough to save him. And when the other mocked, Jesus loved him enough to let him.
He allowed him the choice.
He does the same for you.
Cast of Characters; Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God. Max Lucado.
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I like reading books such as this. Easy-going. Easy to digest. Light. Nice. Factual. Revelational. With a nice, little, summarized "Lesson of the Day" to pack home with. The very thing I hate in books is: Step 1, do this. Step 2, do that. Step 3, do somemore. Step 4, do once more. Step 5, do again. Step 6, do it this way. Step 7, do it that way. Step 8... Step 9... I think it's silly and redundant. Everyone works - and is wired - differently. What works for you may not necessarily work for me. And, in my opinion, life and success is more than a bunch of formulas.
Recently purchased this book - Cast of Characters - by Max Lucado. Now, I've always enjoyed books by this brilliant writer. But, as of now, I can't remember what is the exact reason that drove me to make this particular book - out of so many other Lucado books on the shelves - mine. I remember being impressed by a couple of the chapters. Which ones exactly, I can't recall now.
Anyway, I am still in the midst of completing this book (I bought A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado, too! Can't wait to finish this and get started on that!). Due to busy school and personal commitments, I have been setting the pace at one chapter a day. A few nights ago, I was reading this particular chapter: "I Will Let You Choose". It sort of blew me away.
It has never occurred to me about the Calvary's trio. It has never occurred to me why is Christ right in the center, between the two criminals. It has never occurred to me that both criminals started out with the exact nasty sarcasm, and that one of them changed towards the end. Also, it has never occurred to me why did Jesus not say a word of encouragement to the unrepentant thief. Jesus was "dying", as so was the thief. Surely, isn't it the natural reaction to try to save as many as possible? Strangely, though, it has never occurred to me why did Jesus not do so.
Most importantly, what really blew me off is that it has never occurred to me why did the father of the prodigal son left him to be; while the shepherd and the housewife searched high and low for what is lost. How could I have missed this glaring difference in attitude? It is so glaringly obvious! The shepherd searched, the housewife swept; but the father of the prodigal son did nothing.
I pondered for a bit before deciding to post this up. Fact is, my heart skipped a beat when I came to the paragraph, "Sometimes, our lack of choices angers us." I can understand this sentence all too well. Memories, memories. But it's nice; remembering the person who and how I once was, and the person whom I am now. I've not gone very far, not yet; but at the very least, there is some moving forward.
Admittedly, the main reason for the departure, apart from discouragement and disappointment, is anger itself. Angry at the recurring disappointments. Angry at circumstances. Angry for the lack of choices. Angry at not being given a voice or a vote for my own life and circumstances. Angry at having decisions made for me while I was still forming in the womb. Angry. It's just unfair.
When I decided to come back (well, I didn't really decide. It just happened subtly and gradually), one of the personal resolves is not to ask "why". I've learned it through the hard way - "why" questions get nobody anywhere. It is destructive. It just makes people build up frustration and anger.
Ok,
I don't know, but I personally find that He doesn't like such questions very much. For one, I've never had Him answering to my "whys". Not even once. And, hate though to admit it, I like it better this way; albeit it's a painful process. The rewards are better. It's like... Ploughing through despite and in spite of everything, and getting an answer at the end of everything. The satisfaction; the joy. I don't know about the future, heck! I can't even change what happened 5minutes ago. But for now, I can safely say I don't ever want to ask Him "why".
The Israelites saw Goliath and said: "He is so big, we cannot win."
David saw Goliath and said: "He is so big, I cannot miss."
Think positive. Believe.
“I can't do it" never yet accomplished anything. "I will try" has accomplished wonders.
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