Repent or Perish

Reflection on Luke 13:1-9

The popular wisdom among the Jews of Old Testament times was that bad things happened only to bad people, just as good things happened only to good people. We see that in the story of the Book of Job. Job's friends tried to convince him that the reason why those terrible misfortunes befell him must have been some sins he had committed, maybe without knowing it.

Jesus did not hold that view at all. The people who suffer misfortune are not necessarily the worst sinners there are. They may, in fact, be quite innocent. Imagine a road accident in which eight people die, and only two survive. Among the dead is an infant six month old. Is it possible that, that infant was greater sinner than the two persons who survived the accident? What about the many cases of children suffering and dying from cancer? What sins have they committed? It is all a mystery. God alone knows why bad things can happen to good people, including innocent children, while a lot of bad people can get away with their crimes - or so it seems.

The truth is that nobody will get away with any crimes, unless repent. That includes those who think wicked thoughts about their neighbour and say wicked things about him, as well as those who do wicked deeds. The day of reckoning may be long in coming. But it will surely come. If it does not come in this life, it will surely come on judgment day. That us when sinners who fail to repent will most certainly perish, and forever.

The good news is that every sinner who repents receives forgiveness from God. We may not like that. We would very much wish to see some particularly wicked sinners pay dearly for their crimes even after they have repented. Fortunately God is not like us. As we read in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, "I take no pleasure in the death of anyone -declares the Lord Yahweh- so repent and live" (Ezekiel 18:32). There is nothing we can do about that. It is God's way of doing things, and his ways are not our ways just as his thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).

We can repent of our sins at anytime during the year. But Lent is a privileged season for repentance. Everything at about Lent speaks of repentance and forgiveness. We should take full advantage of this season while it lasts and repent, so that we do not perish.