When the Silver Was Not Enough

In the 2012 film Les Misérables, Jean Valjean stumbles into the home of Bishop Myriel after nineteen years in prison. The bishop feeds him, gives him a bed, and treats him with dignity. Valjean repays this kindness by stealing the bishop's silverware in the middle of the night.

The police catch him almost immediately. They drag him back to the bishop's door, certain they have caught a thief red-handed. This is the moment that changes everything. Bishop Myriel looks at Valjean and says he gave him the silver. Then he reaches for two silver candlesticks and tells Valjean he forgot to take the most valuable pieces.

The police release Valjean, stunned. And Valjean stands there holding more than he stole, given freely by the man he wronged. The bishop leans close and tells him he has bought his soul for God.

That is grace. Not a second chance earned through good behavior. Not a reduced sentence for showing remorse. Grace is the bishop pressing the candlesticks into the hands of the man who robbed him and calling it a gift.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Where sin increased, grace increased all the more." God does not merely forgive what we have taken. He gives us more than we ever thought to ask for. He meets our worst moment with His best offer. That is the gospel — not getting what we deserve, and receiving what we never could.