Les Calvary: My Redeemer Lives Reprise

One Year Bible (Aug. 28)

Job 28:1-30:31

“Les Calvary”: My Redeemer Lives Reprise

The “Lost World Jewish Theatre” has just been purchased by new owners. The theatre will be refurbished and renamed. The new name is “The Majestic”.

When the theatre was “bought out” they were currently running the show, “Les Misery” about the life of Job. Their first undertaking as a new theatre under new management will be to run a “revised version” of this musical to make it more contemporary.

They want to keep the original content and broaden the understanding of their viewers by offering a modern version of the characters.

They have decided that the main character, Job, should be played by Billy Graham.

Can you imagine?

Their thinking is that Billy Graham is probably the man of our entire decade that God would look at and say, “Have you seen my servant, Billy?”

This humble servant never grew wealthy or proud in spite of serving kings, queens, and presidents. He lived his life faithfully all the days of his life. He never gave in to fancy cars, private jets, and all the glitz that is often a trap for others. He would carry the suitcase of famous people. He always stayed humble.

Yes, this was their man. The man to best reach our generation!

Next, they began to discuss how suffering applied to him. Dr. Graham was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which slowed him down in the last decade of his life.

How unfair that a man who gave so much of his life to faithfully serve God in all kinds of adverse situations would be struck with such a debilitating disease. It doesn’t seem fair, does it?

The most well-known evangelist in the world had such a tragic disease that he might not even recognize words, people, or his own memories. How could this pass through God’s hands?

Next, they looked at his sermon series. What did he most often preach about? Every sermon contained the theme that, “ALL can come to Jesus who loves you and died for you. Repent and turn around to receive his GRACE”. He definitely fits the bill as a righteous man in God’s eyes, but how could this drama get off the road with so much GRACE and so little LAW?

The producers also considered Billy’s wife, Ruth. Would she be willing to tell her husband to “Curse God and Die”? They began looking through some of her words…

“Temptation and testing (or a trial) are two sides of the same coin. Satan uses an occasion or a person to tempt us to fall; God uses the same to try us and make us stronger.” (Ruth Graham)

The more they read about her words and life there was no doubt of the answer to this question. This woman of God was as filled with hope as her husband. She could not be easily bent or broken as she was usually kneeling in prayer.

The final test would be his friends. Could they find “Three Amigos” who would sit in this place of brokenness with him and offer words… lots of worthless words?

This shouldn’t be too difficult, they thought. Someone mentioned that Johnny Cash had been a close friend of Billy Graham’s. How difficult would it be for them to hire him and get him to turn against Rev. Graham in the play?

Hadn’t Johnny Cash landed in jail about seven times? Surely he would be willing to sit and stare at the Reverend for about seven days and then give him some condemnation.

The more they searched into his character they found that he had become a new man-- a changed man. He had sung in crusades and been a close friend of Rev. Graham for a very long time. In fact, it was rumored that his last words were, “I hear the train a-comin'.”

They began interviewing others about what they would say if they were in the play and they started singing songs like “I'd rather have Jesus”, “Just As I Am”, and “How Great Thou Art”.

The producers of this drama knew that their play was doomed. When Grace enters, Condemnation fails. When “Victory in Jesus” takes over the stage, no accusation can stand with an advocate and mediator like that. ‘Oh death where is your sting”... It lost its power when the enemy was dethroned and defeated. Grace could do what the law never could.

Billy Graham didn’t get picked for this production. He was ruled out by his very own words, which were taken from a quote by D.L Moody, “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

I think the producers were onto something alright… However, because of “Les Calvary” there will be no more “Les Misery”. We now have an Advocate, Mediator, and Redeemer!

Job was onto a powerful new understanding of what God was up to... “But as for me, I know that My Redeemer lives…” (Job 19: 25)