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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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One for Many
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A small town community gathers for its annual lottery. Set in the early 1900's, Shirley Jackson’s short story captures the trappings of a traditional belief that would seem more appropriate with its sinister superstition in an era centuries before. Locked in time though, adults and children exchange apprehensive formalities, some with growing questions about the tradition that will claim the life of one of its community members in order to bring perceived prosperity to the rest. The decision about who would be stoned in an almost immediate response to "the luck of the draw," elicited little, if any, sympathy from those who picked up stones, thankful that at least for one more year, fate had not chosen them. Such was the disquieting story my son was assigned to write a response to for his college English class.
Jon’s response asked a question more than making a statement. In arbitrarily "casting lots" or "drawing straws," is the sacrifice of one for the supposed good of the many, a practice that should be condoned or even accepted, much less, encouraged? There have been cultures of the past that have practiced human sacrifice. There are still cultures today and some subcultures within our own, that do not see every human life as ordained by God, and therefore, sacred, worthy of caring for and preserving. And yet, the disquieting story rests uneasily against the sacrifice of One who was totally without sin, who became sin for us, that we might become daughters of God. One life for the many. One life for many lives that those "many" might experience all the riches of God. What’s the difference??
The arbitrary taking of another life, regardless of tradition or belief or convenience, is murder. The life of Christ was not taken from Him. Yes, the Father had a plan for redeeming His lost creation, and that plan required a blood sacrifice. And the Son said "yes" to the Father’s plan. Jesus’ death was voluntary, a choice unparalleled by any other. No man has ever chosen in the same way, with a full knowledge of the horrendous cost of his choice. Jesus speaks in the book of John of His sheep, meaning us, who need a Shepherd, and He says, "I lay down My life for the sheep. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative." And His choice benefits the many who believe in and accept the sacrifice on a personal level. What He did was incomprehensible. What He gives is totally undeserved and yet it draws in unlimited abundance from the riches of the Father.
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— Bev |
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