How I wish...

There is rejoicing if a sinner repents!

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”-Luke15:1-10

Two weeks ago, I wrote my experience of being a victim of an online fraud. I never used my debit card to any online transactions yet somebody got hold of my debit card number and made three separate online purchases illegally. I filed a dispute already to my bank account but it will take a maximum of three months for the lost funds to be reimbursed (sic). Supposing the lost fund is returned to me today, I would definitely rejoice and jump about. If I am capable of much rejoicing because something lost is returned back to me, I believe everybody and anybody is capable of rejoicing, too, when something they lost is found once again. Any sinner that repents cause much rejoicing, feasting and celebration in heaven and also here on earth.

But sometimes the world we live in is cruel. Sometimes, people do not rejoice that a repentant sinner returns. Families shoo away a pardoned loved-one who happened to be a former inmate. Sometimes people prevent themselves and their loved ones from befriending a former prostitute, a former alcoholic, a former addict, an ex-convict, a former inmate, a person with dishonorable past, or a child sired out of wedlock. Sometimes no matter how hard we say, "Sorry," we are forgiven superficially, but not internally. Sometimes no matter how hard we clean ourselves, people only see the stain. Sometimes no matter how we sober and help ourselves, people only wait the time we go down again and believe their conviction that there was never a change or any attempt at all. Some people thought that bad persons will always be bad.

How I wish we are Christ-like always. Jesus never judged nor condemned anybody. The shepherd did not judge, condemn, beat or yell at the lost sheep. The woman only felt pure joy that the lost coin was finally found.

In the story of the adulterous woman in John8:1-11, Jesus did not judge nor condemn the woman despite already caught in the very act. He did not ask, "Why aren't you careful?" or "Why aren't you discreet?" Jesus only felt compassion and mercy for the woman as He said, "Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?... Neither do I. Go and sin no more." Not only Jesus forgives our sins, but He erases them all. Not only are our sins erased, we are made brand new once again - pure and clean as if nothing happened. If Jesus forgives and makes us brand new again, we should be forgiving towards others too. We should strive to give others a chance to start all over again. After all, it is much better to live in a world where there is peace and love.

Image courtesy: Godfried Schalcken (The Parable of the Lost Piece of Silver); Passion of the Christ; artist