Knock and It Shall Be Given Unto You

"What is it you seek, my son? Why, you seek Me. Alas, here I Am, for I have been seeking you..."

(jgr 7.27.16)

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from 52 Little Lessons from Les Misérables. Bob Welch walks readers through Hugo’s masterpiece, extracting dozens of uniquely spiritual reflections from this enduring portrait of poverty, social injustice, mercy, and redemption. 

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Have you knocked at that one there? - A woman in Digne who takes pity on Valjean

In Digne as a recently released convict, Jean Valjean is turned away for this job and turned away from that inn. He is even turned away when he asks a jailer if he can stay for a night; the irony is that Valjean, though technically a free man, is a slave to his past — so much so that he is willing to go to jail as a means of survival.

In Hugo’s no-room-in-the-jail scene, Valjean resembles the prodigal son, who became so desperate to survive that “he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating.” Alas, “no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:16).

“Everybody has driven me away,” Valjean tells a woman who takes enough pity on him to help.

“Have you knocked at every door?” she asks.

“Yes,” he says.

“Have you knocked at that one there?”

“No.”

“Knock there.”

Because of that door — the bishop’s door — what he finds isn’t just a hot meal, a glass of wine, and a warm bed.

What he finds is life. Grace. God. Better yet, God finds him.

And not with the suspicion of Inspector Javert. Not with the unreachable you-must-be-this-tall-to-enjoy-the-ride standards, but with the open arms of a father of grace welcoming home the prodigal son.

In a material world, where we’re honored for what we look like and what we own and how high we score on the SAT, God looks deeper.

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at,” says 1 Samuel 16:7. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Like Javert, we can look completely put together. Fully in control.  Totally committed to a noble cause. “Our addictions make us cling to what the world proclaims as the keys to self-fulfillment: accumulation of wealth and power, attainment of status and admiration; lavish consumption of food and drink, and sexual gratification without distinguishing between lust and love,” writes Henri J. M. Nouwen. “These addictions create expectations that cannot but fail to satisfy our deepest needs... I am the prodigal son every time I search for unconditional love where it cannot be found.”

So we stumble in the dark, clinging to blind pride to prove ourselves right. Until, desperate, we knock. Then, as Matthew 7:7-8 says, everything changes.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened

REVIEW OF THE BOOK 

I still remember when I had my mom buy me a copy of Les Mis in middle school, the awe I felt as I cracked open the cover and began reading Hugo’s tome brought me in the history and lives of those living in France. The story of Jean Valjean, Cosette, Fantine, Javert and many others enraptured me – and still does to this day – the story is one we can all relate to, we may not be physical prisoners in a cell but we can relate to being a prisoner of something, some sin that holds us, we know the pain of those who can despise us, and many know the love and forgiveness of a loving God. Yes, Les Mis isn’t just a story about the French but about the bigger story in us all so when I saw 52 Little Lesson from Les Miserables I knew I had to read it. Bob Welch gleans much from the pages of Hugo’s book and in doing such he relates the story of Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, the priest Myriel, Javert who ends his own life – to us all – who knew a novel so long ago written would still resonate with so many today?

My goal is to re-read Les Mis when I have some spare time and with it I’ll be re-reading 52 Little Lessons so that Les Mis becomes even more clear and even more life altering. Even though Hugo was not a full out Christian there are many, many Christian values and morals and thoughts throughout the book and Bob Welch seeks to bring that out in his book – there is so much in Les Mis that so much can be overlooked and that is what I liked about 52 Little Lessons is that the little things that are missed he picks up and brings to the reader’s attention. No worries, if you have never read or even seen a movie or theatrical version of Les Mis you’ll still be able to read this book – and it may just have you looking to read or watch a version of Les Mis. From “context matters”, to “the conscience must not be ignored”, to “the law is not enough” 52 Little Lessons will have something that resonates with everyone – I know I can’t pick just one lesson that meant the most because they all spoke to me