Twenty-five or so years ago, I substitute taught a 6th grade math class. I discovered they were learning about fractions. I also discovered all of the kids, except one young man, understood the basic concepts of how fractions worked. I thought, ‘well this should be easy enough to remedy’. I drew a circle on the board, divided it up like a cut up pie and explained the concept of 1/8, 1/2, and so on, but he didn’t get it. I tried using various others things to illustrate, apples and who knows what else, but finally I thought, ‘ok, he’s a boy and probably likes cars’. I drew 8 cars up on the chalk board and explained fractions one more time. The light went on in his eyes and he understood fractions.
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This last week I decided I wanted to create an analogy for salvation. When I told Brett he wasn’t his usual encouraging self. He said many great authors had already written some pretty good analogies for salvation. He added that while the “greats” had created good analogies, nobody he had read had ever encompassed the whole concept because we are all lowly humans incapable of entirely encapsulating in words something as big as salvation.
I attempted to share my analogy I had thought of but realized as I was telling Brett my analogy it was pretty cliche. Needless to say I wasn’t very happy with myself, but not one to give up I headed off to wash the dishes and give it some more thought.
I wanted to write my own analogy of salvation and add it to all the others out there. I wanted the light to go on for someone who might see a bigger picture of salvation they hadn’t seen before and now it made more sense. And maybe just something different, something simple, could change someone’s relationship with Jesus.
I scrubbed away at the pots, pans, plates and bowls a little annoyed my first attempt, while in writing, seemed sufficient, when I said it aloud it was not. I do know I’m not one of the greats, like CS Lewis for example, but if nothing else I am determined and I want what I want, so I told God, I’m just a simple girl and all I need is a simple girl explanation.
After scrubbing the last dish and putting it in the dishwasher I went back to Brett with my new analogy to salvation. I’m not sure what he really thought, but he did say, “that is unique”.
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Salvation is like your marriage partner you work from home with 24/7. You married up and this person provides all for you; the place you live, all you eat, everything you wear, what you drive. It’s all perfect and it’s all the best, though you may not have chosen it yourself. You become part of your in-law’s family business and you know nothing, but you are willing to learn. You follow all of your marriage partners advice about how to do business and how to interact with others to
grow the family business. If you mess up you apologize and since they follow their own business advice they forgive you and move on. Your marriage partners family has one thing to do and one thing only, love them and love everyone you do business with.
This is not only an analogy of salvation but also a relationship with Jesus and being in the attitude of prayer all day. It is also an example of humility.
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This last week my oldest daughter went to a thrift store and came home with a classic picture we have all probably seen depicting a couple of children playing near a steep cliff and an angel standing next to t
hem. She hung it on her wall and sent me a picture of the picture. Whenever I see a picture showing God’s angels watching over small children I usually think it’s great God sends His angels to watch over small children. But I had never bothered to take my thoughts of the picture further until now. I am an adult but God watches over adults too because we are His children, and we are to become as little children.
In Matthew 18 the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?” Jesus called a small child to Him from the crowd of people around them. The child stood in plain sight of the disciples and Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus calls out their pride and tells them they need to become humble. When small children play, truly play as small children do, they have the attitude of exploring and discovering and they have moments of the awe of discovery no matter how small it is. We need to have the attitude of a small child who is always exploring and discovering.
We are to become like little children in our exploration of God’s heart. Always exploring and seeking His great pearls of truth, always exploring the depths of His faithfulness to us.
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In Luke 18 Jesus tells the story of the Two Worshippers. The Pharisee thanks God he is better than other men and is especially thankful he is not like the tax collector standing nearby. The tax collector simply says, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”. The story ends with Jesus saying the tax collector, rather than t
he Pharisee, “went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I like the following comments from Ellicott’s commentary:
“This man went down to his house justified rather than the other. There is something suggestive in the fact that the “house” is made the test of each case. Home life is the test of the reality and acceptableness of our worship, the Pharisee, in spite of his self glory action, betrayed a conscience ill at ease by irritability, harshness, sitting in judgement upon others. The publican, not in spite of his self condemnation, but by reason of it, went home with a new sense of peace, sharing itself in new gentleness, and cheerfulness.”
Salvation is God showing up in new ways revealing who He is to us. Salvation is God protecting us and changing our hearts to be like the heart of a child. The tax collector humbly entered a 24/7 relationship with God and it changed his life, not only before God in the temple, but also before man at home. Salvation is bigger than every shining star in our universe and every universe we don’t know about.
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