Grace Frees The Burden Soul From Its Prison

by Eric Elkin

“Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the past penny.”

— Matthew 5:26 (CEB)

Standing at the starting line, looking at the empty road ahead, I wondered how I got myself into this position. It had been two years since I ran my last marathon — two years since I had run any farther than from the couch to the refrigerator. But a friend talked me into running Grandma’s Marathon. He said it would be fun I was dumb enough to believe him.

It was a June morning. The air was supposed to be warm, but northern Minnesota does not care. The temperature was barely above 40 degrees. There I was cold wearing only running shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt. I kept asking myself, why was I doing this?

Still, the excitement of the other runners turned my fear into optimism. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Looking back, I should have paid attention to my worn-out running shoes. They were trying to tell me we were both unfit for this race.

Surprisingly, though, my running was smooth and effortless for 18 miles. The scenery along Lake Superior made the run enjoyable. As I headed into Duluth, MN, though, conditions changed. The cool morning air was now hot. I did not realize the temperature had shot up to 85 degrees. The heat started to expose my lack of training.

To keep myself cool, I poured water over my head. The initial blast of cold water felt good, but it was only a momentary feeling. The last two miles turned painful. My arms and legs were moving, but my pace slowed to a crawl. I think an older woman with a walker passed me.

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us. ”

— Anne Lamott

My t-shirt was soaking wet from pouring water on my head. It was so heavy and tight that it restricted my breathing. So I decided to take it off and throw it away. Suddenly I realized what a heavy burden I had been carrying. Free of the weight of the t-shirt, I felt light and free. I practically sprinted the last mile to the finish line.

Reading Matthew today felt like the end of that race. The weight of the words is heavy and oppressive. Sin and punishment are inescapable. The imagery Jesus paints is horrible. Judges are throwing people into prison. Whole bodies are thrown into hell, and hands are being chopped off. The words make spiritual movements slow and burdened. They make me yearn to be free.

Jesus leaves no room for special circumstances. Everything is bad behavior — every evil act results in punishment. If I get to choose, I’m taking prison, at least there is a buy out option.

At one point in my life, I tried to solve every grievance standing between my brother (related and not) and me. There were some temporary fixes, but mostly it was a futile effort. Grievances have a longer shelf life than nuclear waste. Where is the hope?

The hope of this reading is not in these words. These judgments are part of a larger sermon. To find the blessing, we need to go back to where it all started — “Happy are people who are hopeless because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” I guess even when you lose, you win. The burden is gone. Grace makes us all light and free to run.

Click to read Matthew 5: 21-37