The Origin of Hell
The Origin of Hell
This is not a parable about economics, social justice or labor relations. It is an attempt on the part of Jesus to tell us what God is like.
The parable is about a father who goes beyond mere justice and gives more than what his children deserve without violating anybody’s rights. As creatures who receive our every breath of life from God and all of life’s gifts and resources, we owe God an infinite gratitude. As sinners who have offended God many times over since our birth, we deserve only punishment for our sins. But God graciously forgives us.
And so, if He decides to forgive my neighbor a few hundred times more than he forgives me, how can I be envious of my neighbor? If sinners convert at the last minute whereas I tried to serve God all my life and we all find ourselves in heaven because of God’s gracious grace, why should I complain? All of us get what we do not deserve. The bottom line is this: can I afford to face a fair God, a God who would be infinitely just — but nothing beyond that? If God decided to treat me with the laws of strict justice, where would I end up? The reality that God is not fair is actually the basis of all our hope. When we appear before him at the hour of our death, our hope is that we won’t be confronted with the sad reckoning of our sins but instead we will find a father ready to welcome us with open arms — even if we don’t deserve it!
The Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno has a story about the origin of Hell. The setting is the afterlife and the action unfolds outside the great diamond walls of Heaven. A long line of people wait to be processed before being admitted into Heaven. Suddenly there is a flurry of excitement. An angel who has come out of heaven spreads an astonishing piece of news among the people nearing Heaven’s gates. His announcement spreads like wildfire among the thousands of future saints. The electrifying report is about what God is like. The rumor of what he is like is breathlessly shared from mouth to mouth and reaches the end of the waiting line. That rumor says simply this: “He admits everybody inside!” When the angel confirms with a powerful megaphone for all to hear his wonderful words, some people lined up for heaven immediately rebelled at the idea of sharing Heaven with a bunch of sinners. And that was when Hell was created — to accommodate those who could not accept that fact that God was not fair but also lavishly gracious and generous.