The Escape from Sin's Penalty
The Escape from Sin's Penalty
The Manchester Guardian once ran a literary contest which involved writing a new ending for Shakespeare's famed tragedy Hamlet. Contestants were to present a synopsis for "a better last act." All of the contestants kept Hamlet alive, and some had the heroine return after her "death" in the previous act and state that she had only been in a trance, or that she had been feigning death to see if Hamlet really loved her. Each of the entries involved some artful device to insure a perfect, happy ending. Thus man seeks to change life and make it something different than it really is. In real life there are tragedies, and the greatness of Shakespeare is that he was able to reproduce real life in his dramas. When man amuses himself, he wishes to escape from life for a while and give himself unreality; therefore, the majority of the world's make-believe stories end with everybody living happily ever after. Although men may live in the illusion of an "escape mechanism" for a while, life comes to an end in its own bitter way unless there is true redemption in Christ. The world may create an illusion of forgetfulness for a time, but beneath the surface remains the intense despair that must break out in the end.
Another column of this same British publication was an editorial comment upon the suicide of a brilliant cartoonist. The Guardian remarked that those who make other people laugh are, themselves, frequently sorrowful. A famous story is often used to illustrate this. A famous nerve specialist on London's Harley Street once received a visitor who requested an examination. The doctor completed his diagnosis and told the patient that there was nothing really wrong with him. "You need to get out among people and laugh." The doctor then told the patient that he himself had been, just the night before, to see a famous Italian clown who was causing all of London to roar with laughter. "Go and see Grimaldi," said the doctor. "He will take you out of your doldrums." The patient looked at the doctor steadily and said, "I am Grimaldi."
The only way to change the last act of your life is to permit the Author of peace to deal with your sins at the cross of Jesus Christ. Then He, who is Peace, will come into your life and bring His own peace with Him. All future scenes are rewritten from that point; there is a new creation.
1. It seems a lot of times today we avoid thinking about death and the reality of tragedy, how has mentality harmed us as believers?
2. Are there any biblical passages that we can classify as a tragedy? If so, what are they and how do we think of these passages theologically?
3. Considering eternity, is the end of time a tragic ending or a happy ending? Why or Why not?
