WHO CAN PAY THAT MUCH?

It is some two centuries ago that one of the Russian Tsars liked to disguise himself and then go out among his people.  His aim was to try and discover their sentiments about the nation and its leadership and simply to observe the behaviour of the common people.

On a certain night he went out to a soldiers’ encampment with the idea of listening in on their conversations.  Walking past a tent, he saw a soldier sitting at a table, head on his arms, sleeping.  Carefully and softly, the Tsar went up to him.  Looking over his shoulder he was surprised to see a loaded revolver lying on the table.  Next to it was a paper with a long list of gambling debts.  After looking at the total amount on that list the Tsar intended to leave, but his attention was caught by a sentence underneath.  Coming a little closer he read: “Who can pay that much?”  The soldier must have fallen asleep after many sleepless nights, worrying about his huge debt.  Putting together the loaded revolver and the list of debts, the Tsar understood the situation.

How soon would it be before the soldier would wake up and use that deadly weapon?  “This must be reported,” thought the Tsar, but as he thought about that he realised that the father of the officer was one of his friends.  He took the pen, which had slipped out of the man’s hand and quietly wrote underneath: “Alexander!” then left without any noise.

When the young man awoke, he brought the revolver, slowly to his head.  Before pulling the trigger, he looked once more at the paper in front of him with its huge, unpayable debt.  Suddenly he bent forward.  What was that extra word, added underneath his own handwriting?  He read: “Alexander!”  Stunned the revolver slipped from his fingers and dropped to the table.  He had recognised the handwriting!  The Tsar must have been in his tent, while he was asleep.  He re-read joyfully the words: “Who can pay THAT much? – Alexander!”

Sure enough, when morning came, a messenger from the Tsar brought the money.  His debt was paid and his life was saved.

It’s an interesting story and ties in well with a story Jesus once told about a man with a debt so huge that he had no hope of ever paying it back.  His master was determined that he should be put in prison.  The man pleaded for mercy and his master, in a wonderful act of compassion, forgave him the huge unpayable debt.  Of course the spoiler in the story is that when this man was released he bumped into another man who owed him a few measly dollars.  He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.  When the master heard about it he had the man thrown into jail with the words, ‘You evil servant!  I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy.  Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked you for mercy?'

The point Jesus was making was not only that we all have a great, unpayable debt but also that we’re not very good at forgiving other people their debts.  Our huge debt is with God and is due of our failure to love Him perfectly and our failure to love our neighbour as ourselves.  The debt we owe God is so enormous that we can never make good.  When we cry out in despair: “Who can pay THAT much?”  God’s answer is: “Jesus can!”  The apostle Peter reminds us that our enormous debt was paid, not with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ who offered Himself for our debt by dying a cruel and agonising death by crucifixion.

How sad that there are people today like that Russian soldier – they think that their debt is too big.  They don’t think they can ever be forgiven.  How many have, in utter despair, even taken their own life because they failed to realise that Jesus is more than able to pay the price that sets us free.

But if that is the case then we also ought to show mercy and forgiveness.  One of the most sobering saying of Jesus is when he said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

John Westendorp