The Wrench

There's a scene in the movie "Good Will Hunting" where Will (Matt Damon) is talking with Sean (Robin Williams) about how his father used to beat him. He was telling Sean how his father would put a belt, a stick and a wrench on the table and then make Will choose which one he wanted to be beat with. The story is heartbreaking.

Sean said "You chose the belt, right?"

Will said, "No, I used to go with the wrench"

Sean said, "The wrench? Why"

Will said, "Because 'F' him, that's why"

I don't know why, but that scene has always stuck with me. Why chose to endure more pain than necessary? Why chose a weapon that can inflict so much damage?

In the Old Testament when people would sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of their sins, they would bring a lamb to the altar and then it's throat would be slit. The lamb wouldn't suffer, it would just bleed out and die. Using the imagery from the movie, the lamb would get "the belt" - the easier of the three choices. No unnecessary pain, no unnecessary suffering.

So, once we get to the New Testament when Jesus died to take away the sins of the world, why on earth would Jesus choose the wrench? Why on earth would He choose to endure all that suffering instead of just getting His throat slit? All He had to do is die for us to be forgiven. All the Jews had to do is walk up to Him and slit His throat and we would still be forgiven. He was the perfect sacrifice. So, why the wrench? Why all the whipping, the spitting, the scourging, the thorns, the mocking, the suffocation, the nails, the torture?

Jesus chose the wrench - the nails - because He wanted to give us much more than forgiveness. He wanted to give us a hope and a future - "abundant life". He wanted to buy us the entire benefits package which included internal peace, freedom from sorrow & depression, freedom from pain, freedom from addiction, freedom from sickness & disease - all of which He described as the work of the enemy - the devil. "FOR THIS PURPOSE the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

See, Jesus came for more than our forgiveness - He came for us. We are not only forgiven, we are made whole. Not later, now. The devil had a field day with all the "killing, stealing and destroying" he had done. There was a LOT for Jesus to clean up - a lot for Him to make right - a lot more than forgiveness was needed.

That is what the Christian life is all about - understanding the finished work of Jesus and appropriating that work on earth as it is in heaven. Enforcing His victory. We may not understand it all right away - we may not understand why some people are miraculously healed and why some are not. But it is our calling & duty to lean into the finished work of the cross and make it happen as Christ's ambassadors. Jesus said that "believers will lay hands on the sick and they will recover." When people do not appear to be healed, we do not doubt God's Word - we do not doubt the wounds of Jesus - we keep pressing in until we get our breakthrough. There is a lot more going on in the spiritual realm than meets the eye. Jesus told many stories about how we need to keep knocking, seeking, finding. We need to be like the persistent widow who kept pressing and pressing until she got what she wanted (Luke 18). It's always God's will for us to be whole - for us to be healed. Jesus died for it.

He chose the wrench. He chose level 10 pain for level 10 blessings. He chose healing. He chose wholeness. He chose the full benefits package. He chose you.

"Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us." - Isaiah 53:4-5