God Doesn’t Give Up Easily
October 16, 2005
Luke 13:6-9
Sam was a sad, small little boy and had lived a life that no one, especially someone so young, should have to endure. He had been the greatest joy his mother had known. She saw the sun rise and set in his eyes. But then, she had fallen ill with a rare, fatal disease.
She had gotten sick when he was in kindergarten and died the summer before his first grade year. His once bright eyes grew dull and lifeless. He was too young to really understand death, only that he felt terribly alone.
He had never met his father and so had been shuffled between assorted aunts and uncles. He wore hand-me-down clothes and became the target of cruel taunts of his classmates. He withdrew into himself.
When he wasn’t sullen and withdrawn, he was a behavior problem, often rude and belligerent. His grades suffered and he performed far below his grade level. By the time he reached fourth grade, he had developed a reputation among the teachers as a child who just couldn’t learn.
There were three fourth-grade classes in the school. There was Dave Klepper, a young man in his first year of teaching. Then there was Mrs. Abbott. Rumor had it that she had been a fine teacher at one time, but now, after thirty-five years in the classroom, she was burned out and just getting by until her retirement in two years.
The principal knew that there was no choice other than Amanda Stewart. She had proven that she had a special way with kids and so was given many of the most difficult students. Sometimes she got a little tired of it, but she really did have the best interests of the children in her heart.
This, after all, was why she entered teaching the profession in the first place…to make a difference in the lives of children. When she thought clearly about it, she realized that the principal had great confidence in her abilities and so, she considered it a compliment to be trusted with big jobs.
The first day of school was a preview of things to come. Sam called her a bad name before lunch. He tore a page out of his math book. He got into a fight on the playground. Even Mrs. Stewart wondered what in the world she was going to do with this kid.
Somehow, they made it through the first semester. Sam showed little progress. His academics were far below grade level and his behavior hadn’t improved much. But she decided that she wouldn’t give up on him.
She made it a practice to touch Sam several times a day…a pat on the back when he achieved even a small victory…holding his hand as they walked out to recess…giving him a hug as he left school on Friday afternoon.
When her class had their Christmas party, all the students gathered around Mrs. Stewart to present her with their presents. There were small bottles of cologne, pretty Christmas candles, coffee cans full of cookies and candy, and ornaments for her Christmas tree.
She opened Sam’s gift and found an old, cheap bracelet…the kind you get on the sale table at the Dollar Store. It was silver…or at least had been silver at one time…now it was an interesting shade of green. Several of the rhinestones had been lost.
When she unwrapped it, there was a split second when she didn’t know what to do or say. But she told Sam how pretty it was and put in on her wrist. When they returned after Christmas break, Mrs. Stewart had Sam’s bracelet on her wrist. In fact, she wore it every day for the rest of the year.
By the time the school year was over, Sam had made some progress in his academics and his behavior. In the middle of June, he moved to another state to live with another relative and Mrs. Stewart lost track of him.
Eight years later, a note came in the mail. It read simply, “I’m graduating from High School and just wanted you to know.” It was signed…Sam.
Four years later, she received another note in the mail, again with a simple message, “I’m graduating from college and just wanted you to know”…Sam. Four more years passed. A note arrived in the mail, “In two weeks, I will be graduating from Medical School and just wanted you to know”…Sam.
Two years after that, one more note came. “Dear Mrs. Stewart, I have met a wonderful woman while in my residency and we have decided to get married. You know my own mother died while I was very young. I would be honored if you would be able to attend the wedding and sit where she would have sat. Because of you, your patience, your kindness, and love I learned that I am not a hopeless failure. Through you, I learned t.hat I was important.” Sam.
Jesus was with a crowd of folks one day when he told them a story. There was this fellow, he said, who planted a fig tree in his garden. For some reason, this tree didn’t produce any fruit. He kept going back to look at it, hoping that it would be ready for harvest…but nothing happened. So he talked to the gardener one day and told him to cut the tree down because it was worthless and the ground could be used for something more productive.
The gardener had another idea. He said, “I don’t think I am ready to give up on it this year. Why don’t we wait one more year? I’ll continue to take care of it…even give it a little extra attention. We’ll see what happens next year.”
Peter wrote a couple of letters to Christians, many of who were scattered throughout Asia. They were worried about a whole host of things; not least among them was the return of Christ. Peter was not hesitant to remind them that the Lord would indeed return and that there would be a time when everyone would have to stand in judgment.
In his second letter, while not backing away from his belief that the coming judgment was a reality, he says something very interesting. II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
When Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, he included some instructions on prayer. He reminded the people that they should make intercession on behalf of kings and those in authority. This was at a time when Nero was in power in Rome and it must have been strange to hear him ask for prayers for such a brutal despot, but he had his reasons.
I Timothy 2:3 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” He was holding out hope that even Nero might see the Light and come to worship Christ.
There are so many different themes in the book of Revelation, but one of the things that stands out for me is the extraordinary lengths to which God will go in order to save the people. When you read through Revelation, you see that in the midst of all the plagues, destruction, death, and general ugliness…God never destroys unbelievers completely.
He could, if he wanted to do so, simply wipe out ALL of the sinners, pagans, and blasphemers with a word. But he doesn’t. In the midst of it all, God is always giving people a chance to repent.
That is my problem with so much contemporary end-times theology and those who promote it. There is also a joyful glee among some, at the prospect that sinners will go to hell. That is not how I read the Bible. I believe that God grieves over those who bring judgment upon themselves; over those who refuse to see the light; over those who reject Christ.
As I read the Bible, it seems to me that God goes out of his way to save people, to allow them one more time to make a decision, to delay as long as possible so that as many as possible might be saved.
John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness. He said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire: (Luke 3:9).
We can’t ignore that warning. We ignore it at our peril. But we also have to remember that Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, release for the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
He reaches out to stop the fall of the ax – at least for a little while. Let’s give this hopeless case – this hopeless and faithless generation – this bunch of grievous sinners – one more year.
God knows how we were created, what we looked like at our inception, and what we are meant to be. He knows how far we have fallen away, but is not yet ready to give up on us. He is saying, “Let’s give it one more year.”
Daily, we come up against our sins. Daily we realize that it is our sins that made the cross of Christ necessary. But daily, I believe that Jesus is saying, “Let’s give it one more year.”
I don’t know what your individual sins are, what burdens you are carrying around with you, what parts of your life are keeping you from a full restoration of your relationship with Christ. But I do know that it is not too late yet.
Amanda Stewart refused to give up on a small boy named Sam. He was incorrigible and nasty. He was slow and showed little promise. But she knew what he had been and had an idea of what he could be like. She never gave up. She was willing to give him one more year.
I firmly believe that God refuses to give up on us. We too are incorrigible and nasty. We are sinners. We do not live up to our potential. Sometimes we go out of our way to avoid being good.
But through it all, there is God. Through it all, there is the cross. Through it all, there is the empty tomb, because God is willing to go to extraordinary lengths so as not to lose any of us.
God is not willing to give up on us even though others may have written us off a long time ago. God is not willing to give us up without a fight. God is not willing to reject us without giving us every opportunity to say “Yes” to him.
This is a time, I think; to be confronted with those things about ourselves which we would rather have remain hidden. But it is also a time of hope. It is also a time of a good word.
The word is this: when you come to resemble that barren fig tree, and have ceased producing good fruit, God loves you enough to say, “Let’s give it one more year.”
