Year C

Luke 13:1-9

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

The Need for Repentance

Do you remember the TV show Touched by an Angel that aired back in the 1990’s? You can still find it playing on certain channels in the early morning hours. I believe I watched most of the episodes when it ran on CBS for 9 seasons. One episode that I still remember was titled “Jonas vs. God,” It takes place in Clarion, SD during a time of drought that caused most of the farms to be in trouble. Tess and Monica, the two main stars and angels, show up to help them out, with not only the lack of rain but also the lack of faith. Justinian Jones, one of the struggling farmers, decides to sue God, Jones begins the trial by saying that droughts are considered “acts of God” and as such, God should be held responsible for the problems in Clarion.

Tess appears for God and reminds them how God brought them through so much over the years and how faithful God has been. Sometimes bad things just happen. As the episode ends, Justinian realizes how blessed he is and leads the town at a picnic in prayer. Their faith is rewarded as rain begins to pour. Now, I’m sure we are all aware that in real life things don’t often happen as they do in the movies. But the main moral of the story is that we are to realize our blessings which can lead us to see where we have fallen short in our faith and turn back to God. The season of Lent calls us to turn from all that distracts us to focus our attention on Jesus and his journey to the cross. It invites us to take stock of our sin and its consequences.

A recent poll from LifeWay Research found that 1 in 4 Americans prefer not to consider themselves sinners. No need for repentance. Paul deals directly with this need for repentance today in his letter and Luke in his gospel commands us to repent and move into the abundant, fruit-bearing growth God has made possible through Jesus Christ. There was and is now in our time an urgency to look toward God in trust. St. Augustine famously wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God.” He understood our restlessness to be a result of our sin; we are restless because of our repeated attempts to take refuge in something other than God. When we mistake any other good thing-whether it be love of another person, food, money, possessions, when we mistake these things for the Ultimate Good, Augustine argued, our hearts remain restless, unsettled.

The consequences of such misdirection can be harmful. God has provided a world of good things for us. Yet, so often we run after other things that are not healthful for us thinking they will somehow provide the meaning, purpose, and identity we seek. Such is the essence of sin which means, literally, “to miss the mark.” Certainly there are occasions that call for warning, Paul discerns such a moment in his letter to the Corinthians as he counsels his converts that they might “miss the mark” if they neglected to resist temptation. Paul knew the Exodus story and wanted his converts to know the story as a part of God’s message. God had adopted the people of the Exodus through the covenant God had made with Moses and Israel.

The promise God had made to Abraham for numerous descendants had been fulfilled. God heard their cries of distress in Egypt and acted with Moses to bring about their deliverance. The cloud that led their journey and the sea through which they passed were a baptism into a new life. The manna that came down from heaven and the water that flowed from the rock was their spiritual food and drink. Yet, even though these blessings could be seen and touched and tasted, the Israelites’ response did not please God. Paul warns, that they too might fall into temptation if they are not careful and he assures them that God is faithful and that when temptation comes, God always provides a way out and helps us to endure when we relay on God’s grace.

While Paul’s call for repentance was based on Israel’s past, the warning of the Gospel was based on current experience. It was a commonly held belief that illness and misfortune were God’s punishment for sin. The prophets before had tried to explain that suffering is not God’s will nor does God cause suffering. But the idea of such punishment persisted and still does today. Those who approached Jesus to remind him about the Galileans who were killed by Pilate, were reminded by Jesus that the sin was not that of the Galileans, but of Pilates cruelty. Jesus tried to correct a false belief as did the prophets before him and to stress that there was no reason to believe that either the Galileans or the eighteen killed by the tower of Siloam were more sinful than anyone else.  Bad things happen. Yet, their fate was to be a warning to the group present that all are in need of turning back to God and for repentance, as time is short.

When Jesus looked out at the world, it was ripe for judgment. Each person carries within the weakness to sin, the vulnerability to suffering, pain, and death. Jesus saw his ministry as offering the opportunity to receive the good news of God’s grace and such acceptance would empower people to recognize their own wrong and guide them to turn away from it. He illustrated this point by telling the parable of the fig tree to stress the need for repentance. The warning is softened by the God who offers yet another chance to repent, to change ways. The tree still needs to bear fruit but God gives one more year and for his children, one more year, and one more year, never ending chances to embrace the life possible in Jesus Christ.

Talk of sin and repentance are never popular subjects but they are never intended to humiliate or disgrace; rather, such talk is always motivated by love. We call others from sin to life in Jesus because we know and wish to share the love of God. We also invite others to call us to repentance because we trust that they, too, have been filled with God’s amazing grace. Jesus does not merely call us to repentance, he takes on our sin to the cross and our life by his resurrection. Forever promising to tend and watch over the fig tree, reminding us that repentance and change do not occur apart from the watchful, loving care of God. This is Lent and how can we know salvation, love, grace, forgiveness, and blessings, if we do not recognize our sinfulness and our need for repentance.