Moving The Comma

 

Alexander III was Tsar of Russia from 1881-1894. His rule was marked by repression, and in particular the persecution of Jews. His wife, Maria Fedorovna, provided a stark contrast, being known for her generosity to those in need. On one occasion her husband had signed an order condemning a prisoner to life in exile. It simply read, “Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia.” Maria changed the prisoner’s life by moving the comma in her husband’s order. She altered it to read, “Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia.”

 In the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the ant is portrayed as wise because it prepares for winter while the grasshopper lacks the sense to acknowledge its approach and thus suffers and dies. God seemingly infused the ant with the instinct to cooperate and work for the common good of the colony. In His Word, God tells the lazy person to observe the ant and be wise (Proverbs 6:6). Some species of ant cut leaves upon which they float across streams of water. Others form a chain of bodies to span open spaces, while some wage war and make forced laborers out of the prisoners they capture. All ant colonies have a Queen, but ants seem to know their role in the colony without Generals.

[Philippians 2:1-8] There is no way that Christians, much less anyone else, could truly comprehend what Jesus did in leaving heaven to become a human. But we might gain some small insight to what that involved by using ourselves and the ant as an illustration. Who do you know that would be willing to become an ant in order to communicate with the colony knowing that the ants would either kill or force into slavery any outsider? Jesus knew beforehand that he would be disbelieved, mocked, demonized and crucified for the totally unselfish act of trying to save and bring sinful mankind back to the Father. For a human to become an ant, one would have to give up family, friends, music, art, and so many other joys of life. Jesus gave up the marvels of heaven, the close love and fellowship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The huge gap in our illustration is that we didn’t create nor love the ant. Jesus both created and loves human beings. He wants us to appreciate and return that kind of love to God and our fellow humans.

 [Matthew 7:13-14] Jesus taught us that each person is traveling one of two roads: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”. Because of our sin, we are traveling down the road to destruction - to Hell. Our situation was hopeless until; through Christ, “the comma in our sentence was moved.” Because of His great love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might have forgiveness and receive the gift of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:23). God has promised to save those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). He will continue to cleanse those who steadfastly walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7). “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). In Christ, God’s grace has moved the comma that condemns us from, “Pardon impossible, send to hell” to “Pardon, impossible to send to hell” Thank-you Father! Thank-you Jesus! Amen.