A Dumpster-Diving Savior

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

            Have you ever found yourself desperately searching through a pile or a can of garbage because you have lost something important and you think you possibly put it in the trash? Depending upon its value, you may be prepared to go to great lengths – disgusting, smelly, dirty lengths – to recover what is lost.

            The Quincy Patriot Ledger last month reported a story of a Massachusetts woman who had had a roller coaster-like day when she both lost and then found a full set of diamond jewelry. The woman had been cleaning off her 3.1-carat engagement ring, a 1.75-carat diamond pendant and her grandmother's diamond ring in preparation for a wedding anniversary dinner. She was in her kitchen, drying and then rolling each of the pieces up in paper towels when she was finished. She then left them on a countertop. A few moments later, when she heard the garbage truck coming, she swept a number of things into the garbage in a hurry – including her jewelry. She was heartbroken when she discovered her mistake. Upon notifying the waste removal company's authorities of the accident, a transportation supervisor at a transfer station made arrangements for the truck to drop the trash off at the Braintree station. The 51-year-old woman, her husband and a loader operator searched and dug through the garbage until they found the jewelry that was so precious to her.

This real-life event made me think of two parables Jesus told. The first is a very short one in Matthew 13. Jesus speaks of a merchant looking for fine pearls. He finds one of great value and sells everything he has in order to buy it. Though it is not precisely replicated in the true-life Massachusetts story, there is a principle in the parable that relates. Someone values something so much that he will do anything to make it his own. He will spare no expense. While that may be primarily a financial depiction, it also suggests a man who will do whatever it takes to get the object of his desire. The second parable is found in Luke 15 where a woman loses a coin and goes to great lengths to find it, because she values it. She celebrates and rejoices when she finds it.

I believe both parables are about Jesus, and the lengths He was willing to go to redeem us. You could say that Jesus was the ultimate “dumpster-diver”. One dictionary defines dumpster-diving as “the practice of foraging in garbage that has been put out on the street in dumpsters, garbage cans, etc., for discarded items that may still be valuable, useful, or fixable”. Isn’t that a good way of comprehending what Jesus has done for us? Because of sin, we have cast ourselves off from God. Satan has had his way with us and treats us like trash. Other people have “cast us off” in various ways as well. We are “in the trash” and have little or no worth. But when Jesus comes looking for us… when Jesus is willing to get deep into the slime and stink of the world’s sinful trash bin, He reaches out and puts His hand upon us and says to us, “You are precious to me. I’ve come and I’ve found you in order to take you out of here to be with me. I love you.”

In spiritual terms, that’s pretty close to what Jesus has actually done for us. When we could not deliver ourselves from the trash truck of sin that was heading toward the dump of hell, Jesus reached in and plucked us out and cleaned us up. And as nasty as that got for Him – because the cross was the only way He could do this – He endured it all. What does all this say about Him? It makes us want to exclaim, “Wow! What a Savior! What a friend! What love is this? Praise God for His dumpster-diving Son!

Luke 15:8-10 (NIV) ⁸  "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' ¹⁰  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Matthew 13:45-46 (NIV) ⁴⁵  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, thank you for the lengths you went to – I will never comprehend the depths of such love – for me. May all that you have done for me bring glory to the Father. In Your precious name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott