Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need to repentance.”
Luke 15:1-7
In the last reflection, we discussed how the Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. There are many miles, some of which we will run well and some where we will stumble. God knows this. That’s why repentance is such an important theme in the Bible. There are many stories and parables about repentance in the Gospels, and examples of people who have gone wrong but got right throughout the Bible. The Bible is not just the account of the Jesus Christ redeeming the world, but a reflection on the human condition that leads each of us to sin, and how many great sinners have become great saints. In Matthew 21:28-32, Jesus tells a parable of two sons:
“What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.”
We’ve all been each of the two sons. We have all said we are going to do things and then we don’t come through. And we’ve all disappointed people and then found a way to make it up to them. One of the things that makes God different from us is that when we repent and get something right, it always pleases God. Yet, amongst ourselves, when someone fails, even if they turn it around and get it right, we still hold resentment against them. There are a lot of marriages in this category, unfortunately. The Bible assures us that even when we drop the ball with God, there is a way back. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could extend the same grace to one another.
Not only is there a way back with Christ, there is actually a celebration in heaven, when one of us repents and returns. In Luke 15: 1-7, we read the Parable of the lost sheep. In Jesus’ day, much of society was agrarian, so images of the farm were very appropriate and easily understood. Now that we are not an agrarian society, it is hard for us to understand some of these parables and points. I don’t own sheep and I don’t know anyone who does. What I do know, from a modest understanding of sheep, is that they are not very smart. They are also very vulnerable to attack. The shepherd carried a staff both to keep the sheep in line as well as to fight off wolves or other predators. Jesus poses an interesting question in Luke 15:4 when He asks, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go aft er the one which is lost, until he finds it?” One answer to this question might be “no one would do that, for fear that the other sheep might be harmed.” That one lost sheep would just be left to the wolves, literally. That one sheep who dropped the ball and wandered off would be forgotten, not worthy to be sought after and reunited with the flock.
Jesus came with a different view of the lost sheep. Jesus would leave the flock to find the lost sheep. He would find a way to protect the flock against the wolves while still finding the lost sheep, and finding that sheep, He would rejoice. In fact, He says in Luke 15:7, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” There will be joy in HEAVEN when the person who has dropped the ball and wandered off finds their way back. In fact, the lost sheep in the parable did not find his way back, but allowed himself to be found and led back, which is even less burden.
Ideally, we repent of our wrong-doings and correct our missteps. But even more simply, we first must be cognizant that we have taken missteps and allow ourselves to be guided back, to not continue deeper into the forest of sin, but to stand still, and allow the shepherd to find us. Sometimes repentance means walking back, and sometimes it might even mean standing still and allowing ourselves to be found. On a practical level, when someone (a spouse, a family member, a friend) comes to their senses and wants to make correction, we are supposed to rejoice in that. We’re not talking about big things either, like betrayal of trust or physical violence. There are certain things that happen where we cannot live with someone or trust someone. We’re talking about people who are committed to marriages, friendships, etc. which cannot thrive without both repentance and forgiveness. There is no way I could have a meaningful, long-term relationship with someone without the exercise of my repentance to fix what I’ve done to them and their forgiveness to loosen me of the burden. There is no way to have a long-term meaningful relationship with the Lord without repentance for my sins against Him and His forgiveness to loosen that burden. Jesus is very clear that He is easy to forgive when we come in repentance. And that sets an example for us about how we should be with one another.
Christ has always told us that there is always a way back when we’ve dropped the ball. If you feel like the lost sheep, like you’ve dropped the ball, there are two things to do. First, stop walking deeper into the forest. If you are totally lost, pray for the Shepherd to find you. If you know the way back, turn around and start walking.
Lord, You have given us so many examples, through Your ministry and through the sacred Scriptures on what it means to repent and to forgive. Help me to have courage to ask for forgiveness when I have messed up, whether it is with You or with someone else. Please continue to give me Your grace in forgiving my sins when I come to You in repentance. Please give me the insight not only to identify sin but to understand repentance and how to correct my course. Help me to have the same grace with others who have dropped the ball with me. May a spirit of repentance and forgiveness flow through my relationships, with You and with others, today and always. Amen.
As sinful human beings, it is impossible to live without “dropping the ball” either on Christ or on someone else. The challenge to the faith is not to drop the ball, but how we react when we have dropped the ball, or when someone else has dropped the ball on us.
