How do you Repent?

Sermon from the pulpit March 23, 2025

New Testament reading is Luke 13: 1-9

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners that all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those 18 who dies when the tower in Soloam fell on them-do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Then He told this parable: A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard “ For three years I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should I use up this soil?”

“Sir”, the man replied,” leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it, bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”

            In my twenties and thirties, the book by Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, had a profound effect on me.  I would still say it is one of the 5 most influential books on my thinking.  In that book, Kushner says that God weeps with us when bad things happen – all bad things that happen are not a direct consequence of our poor choices or sinful behavior.  In other words, all bad things are not retribution of a judgmental God but instead the result of a broken world that we live in.  And who broke that world? Of course, we did.  But the underlying assumption of the book implies good people should expect to avoid pain and loss  - that assumption is just not biblical. 

            The bumper sticker philosophy that says “God never gives you more than you can handle” couldn’t be more wrong.  A vet commits suicide in this country nearly every hour – those vets have lost hope and are overwhelmed by their pain.  No, the bible says you will never be given more than you handle with God’s help.  With God by our sides, we can face literally anything.

            So, in today’s reading in Luke Jesus is teaching us about when bad things happen… He says in Siloam the tower fell and killed 18 people and the question that comes up whenever we see this sort of terrible senseless tragedy. The question is, “why did that happen to those 18 people?” 18 people are killed and here's a bunch of people who are not.  Were the people who were killed worse sinners than the people who were spared?  That's the question.

Now friends, this is absolutely natural.  It's instinctive.  When good things happen to us or bad things happen to us, our instinct is to immediately begin to compare yourselves to other people.  In other words when something bad happens to you – do you say what have I done wrong?  Am I so much worse than other people? Am I being punished?

But on the other hand, when something good happens, we immediately assume superior circumstances are a result of our  superior character.   We tend to say, if something good happens to us:  well ,you know, I do work pretty hard and I am a pretty decent person, so I deserve this good thing.

Jesus answers the question about the 18 dying from the fallen tower: No, these were not the worst sinners in the city: but unless you repent, you will perish also.  But that is the same response we should have when good things happen – repent.

In Romans, Paul says this amazing thing: Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness? - not realizing that God's kindness also leads you to repentance?   When good things happen to you - when God is kind to you - you should let that lead you to repent too.  If you don’t, you're treating God's kindness with contempt. (see Romans 2:1-4)

You know what that means?  Good things are designed to lead you to repentance and bad things are designed to lead you to repentance.  

When modern people hear the Christian message about the love and power of God, they say that's great!  But when they hear the message of Christianity saying that it's through repentance and faith that it's received, it seems too mystical.

Modern skeptics just don't comprehend it. One of our founding fathers of the reformation, Martin Luther, said “they stare blinking at the doctrine of repentance like a cow stares at a new gate.”  

Jesus says that repentance is the key to everything. Jesus says that repentance is the way in which we should process everything that comes to us.  Jesus shows us that repentance is a universal need.  

This is what Luther said when he nailed the 95 theses to the Wittenberg door and began the Protestant Reformation.  The first of his 95 thesis said the entire life of believers is repentance.  And since Luther is starting a theological revolution, the second thesis spells out he’s not talking about confession administered by priest but personal repentance.  

 When Jesus begins his career in Mark chapter 1:15, he says the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent!  And later in the gospel of Mark, when Jesus equips other people to take His message to the world, He says, I send you out to preach that everyone should repent.  And finally, in the very first sermon that's ever preached after Jesus ascended to heaven, Peter, in Acts chapter 2,  preaches his long sermon and everybody gets together and says what was the point?

I’ll pause for a moment here in the story to say I have a lot of sympathy for Peter; it was his first sermon after all and he went a little long - as we are all prone to do in the beginning, and he left his audience wondering what the call to action was in his sermon? Peter, I’ve been there, done that.

So back to the story: the people say, “what shall we do?”  And the first word out of Peter’s mouth?  Repent!

The Bible tells us Jesus says repentance is the gate to everything: and yet most of the world “stares blankly like cows at a new gate.”  You see, here’s what the Bible is trying to say: are you happy?  Repent.  Are you sad?  Repent.  Are you angry or confused?  Repent.

Now at this point in my reading this sermon to my wife, she says, “is this another downer Lenten message?”  Yes, it is Lent. but there are 2 parts to repentance and most of us get lost in the first part of recognizing our sin and guilt.

Now we just had Ash Wednesday, a service of repentance:

That service focuses on our sin and guilt and for some of us that leads us to  a sense of self-loathing - you're supposed to beat yourself up – now we’re told Martin Luther did this: he whipped his back and knelt with his bare knees in the snow to express the sincerity of his repentance.

But what does Jesus say in today’s reading of Luke 13:1-9?

Jesus says you can't repent unless you realize that you deserve to have a tower fall on you too - he is saying, I want you to know that those killed are not worse sinners than you.

Jesus says, you don't understand your true condition? We all deserve to have towers fall on us.  It is a wonder that God doesn't let it happen, considering what we owe him, considering how we treat each other and considering how we treat him. But if we stopped at that first step of repentance, then every day would be like Ash Wednesday - over and over again.  But most of us miss the Good News of the second step of repentance.

Yes, #1, we don't deserve a good life but #2 you have to understand,  you have to be thrilled by the fact that God is committed to saving you from what you deserve. God is calling you to be a son of God.

So, in the parable, we have a man who owns a fig tree, and that fig tree deserves to be cut down. But the caretaker is so compassionate and committed to getting fruit out of the fig tree and to avoid having it cut down.  So, the caretaker says, give me another chance: I will dig and fertilize it, so the tree bears fruit.

 It's not that hard to see that God the Father is the owner and that we are the tree not living up to our purpose. Jesus is the caretaker, who's the one saying, I know they deserve to be cut down, I know they don't give you the place they should, I know what they deserve, but I want is save them from what they deserve.

The perfect illustration is in the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15: 11-32.  There's a father with two sons and the younger son takes his half of the inheritance and goes away, squanders it and when he comes back: he repents.  The prodigal son says, “father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight I am not worthy to be called your son “ - there it is - that's repentance: I am not worthy and I don't deserve anything from you, but I ask that you would take me back in as a hired servant.

How does the father react? The father says you're not a servant, you’re my son.

The father kisses him, puts a robe and a ring on his son, and orders the fatted calf to be killed and served as the homecoming celebration.

 Even though the prodigal son deserves to be cut off, he repents and because he repents, he doesn't get what he deserves. In the parable, of course, the eldest son is furious, why?

Because everything the father has, will belong to the older brother – the eldest brother gets all of what is left – the prodigal son already squandered his share.  Every ring, every fatted calf belongs to the elder brother. And in that story, the eldest brother resents it.

 But in the gospel, we have an elder brother who not only doesn't resent us but he offers us his inheritance.  Our elder brother is Jesus who goes to the Father and says, I will endure the cross,  I will endure the shame,  I will pay for it all.  So that when my brothers and sisters repent, you can give them my robe and my ring.

Now do you see the two parts of repentance?  On the one hand, you can only say: I am not worthy to be your son. But if you don't see the robe, the ring and the fatted calf too, well then that’s not real repentance. That’s just Ash Wednesday every day.  That’s not what the Father wants for you.

Here's the test: how do you know whether you've truly repented?  You've seen both parts: that you're a wicked Sinner and that you're cherished and loved. That's true repentance: it's those two things in tandem.

Those two things, together, humble you and build you up: that's what repentance is - it cleans you out.  How do you know you're repenting and not just beating yourself up?  After repenting, do you find that you can take criticism better now? that you have more confidence?  that you are less self-conscious? That you can speak more easily about your faith with others? Then you’ve truly repented.

But if you feel the opposite to all those things: you’re more sensitive to criticism, you’re less confident, you get down on yourself – then you’ve missed the second part of repentance: the forgiving kiss of the Father, the robe and the ring.

When good things happen to you, do you say “well it's about time? " There's no joy in that - you're robbing God of his glory, but not only that, you're robbing yourself of sweetness. There's no sweetness in saying, well it's about time.  But if God gets the credit in your heart then you build up a trust in him.

 Now in the best of times and the worst of times, you know God is with you.  You are a child of God welcomed home. And that is the good news for this sabbath day of our Lord and all God’s people said, AMEN.