One night, after working late, I was on my way home when I saw a police car parked along the roadside near my apartment. A quarrel had broken out between a taxi driver and an intoxicated passenger. Curious, I stopped to observe. The passenger had vomited in the taxi, and the driver was demanding over 100,000 KRW (approx. 86 USD) in compensation. Feeling the amount was excessive, the passenger called the police. Initially, I too wondered if the taxi driver was asking for too much. But after hearing his explanation, my perspective shifted.
The driver explained that vomiting incidents were not uncommon when transporting drunk passengers late at night. That’s why, before departure, he had clearly warned the passenger: “If you throw up in the car, I’ll need to get the seats cleaned and the interior sanitized. I’ll also be unable to work during that time, so depending on the situation, I may charge more than 100,000 KRW in compensation. This is legally regulated. If you start to feel sick, please ask me to pull over to avoid any trouble.” Despite his sincere warning, the very thing he had feared happened.
It turned out everything he said was true. In Seoul, there’s a city ordinance allowing taxi drivers to claim up to 200,000 KRW in such cases, and there are court precedents where passengers have been ordered to pay even more. The driver had given fair notice, and legal grounds supported his claim. The passenger, however, began making excuses, complaining about his salary and insisting, “I can only pay this much.” He was firm and unyielding. Eventually, worn out by the argument, the taxi driver gave in and accepted the amount the passenger offered. But before walking away, he left a remark that hung heavily in the air:
“Whether it was intentional or not, when you cause harm, it’s not for you—the one who caused it—to decide how to make things right. That’s for the one who was harmed to decide. And before any talk of compensation, there should be an apology. That’s the only way the person you hurt might begin to forgive you.”
His words struck something deep in me. I stood there, stunned, unable to move.
Spiritually speaking, the stubborn, unapologetic passenger was a mirror of myself. We are sinners who committed grievous wrongs in heaven, causing immeasurable pain to God, and were cast down to this earth as a result. The Bible’s commands—don’t be proud, be humble, love one another—are not burdensome rules but gracious instructions meant to lead us to repentance. And yet, how often had I done just enough to feel justified, saying, “This should be enough. I’ve done what I can,” while never truly grasping the weight of my sin?
The price for my sin is beyond anything I can repay. Forgiveness is only possible when I respond as God desires. That is why I must first acknowledge I am a sinner and come to Him in sincere repentance.
Instead of brushing aside the Bible’s teachings because they felt difficult, I will now reflect on the pain my sins have caused God. I will strive to understand what He truly wants from me, and live accordingly to repay, in some small way, His boundless grace.