Grasping and Grabbing
When Eve gave birth to Cain, she gloated over what she had gotten from (in spite of) the Lord. This is not how the text is rendered in NASB or most of our translations, but it would be a literal rendering. God had said, “You will surely die!” And she said, “Oh yeah! Not only didn’t I die, but I gave birth to another life!” Cain’s name is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for “get.” She “got” what she wanted. It seems to me a tale of grabbing and getting, grasping for what one wants, and it usually comes at a cost.
Another re-translations of mine is in Philippians 2, where Christ considered that equality with God was not something to be grasped. On the other hand, He “took the form of a servant.” But the word “took” is also translated in the active sense “received.” He didn’t grasp; He gave up something of great value. He did not “take” as if to steal what was not His. He received that which no high and holy King would ever want.
Jane and I have had both kinds of experiences, just in normal daily life. One category would be the purchase of a car. They cost money, you know. And at times, not having all that much, you decide what you can afford, and then you borrow. But in our case, there have been times when we have waited, and God has supplied something, not necessarily free, but on the cheap. And we enjoyed it as a gracious gift. Grace is so much better than grasping or grabbing.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," the saying goes, and that applies to those vehicles for which I was most fond. That first Isuzu Trooper, damaged on three sides in a car accident, was a treasure. I got it for cheap and found replacement doors and had a blast with it. The Chevrolet Cavalier that was rear-ended received new life when a new body was given and the old engine placed in it, for free, by friends - more miles of grace and kindness. Other cars, when we “got” what we wanted and paid the price - not so satisfying. I am not sure how to categorize every case, but you know grace when you receive it.
The way of Jesus is in being given, and in giving; not grasping and grabbing. Salvation is not grasped or grabbed. It is received. Service happens as we step away from something that is nice for something that is better - hot chocolate at home vs. sitting and listening to a broken soul. Jesus did not call us to “get ahead.” If He would have done so, we would still be stuck, guilty in our sins. But He stepped aside from the most glorious to the mean and gritty. He did not grasp, but He gave. And He expects His followers to do the same.
