Jesus Preached to Call People to Repentance (Contd):
Value of repentance: Jesus taught the value of repentance through his many examples and parables besides the sympathetic attitude shown to sinners like Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, the woman who anointed him with perfume, the thief crucified on his right side, etc. In answer to the grumbling among the Pharisees and the Doctors of the Law about the practice of Jesus in welcoming and eating with the sinners, a parable was directed at them. Jesus asked them to imagine that one of them had hundred sheep and one was lost. Would he not go after that lost sheep leaving behind all the ninety nine unattended until the lost sheep is found? When he finds it, would he not put it on his shoulders and go home to call together his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him? "In the same way, I tell you, there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous people who do not need to repent" (Luke, 15:7). The same is the case with the woman who has 10 silver coins and loses one of them. How much trouble would she not take to regain it and when found would she not rejoice over it? "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents (See, Luke, 15: 10).
Repentance and God's Love: The masterpiece of a parable elucidating the importance of repentance may be seen in the parable of the prodigal son where the Father is actually prodigal with his love. Once there was a man who had two sons and the younger of the two asked his father for his share of the property. Without any hesitation, the loving father divided the estate between the two sons. After a few days the younger son sold his share received from his father and went away to a far country squandering the cash on reckless living. As there was no one to control him or check his accounts, within a short period of time he spent it all when a severe famine struck the country. He began to feel the pinch as by then all his friends had left him leaving him alone to face poverty single handedly. He had no other alternative than to seek employment with a local landowner who sent him to his farm to look after the pigs. Even there he hadn't enough to fill his stomach with and he would have been happy to be satisfied with the pods the pigs were eating. When even that was not possible, he came to his senses. Till then his senses were numbed by the attractions of the world and the false promises of friends that he was oblivious of the real values of life. Suddenly he remembered his father and his paid servants who had more food than they could eat while he was starving to death! As a result of coming back to his senses, he decided in his mind to go to his father and tell him: "Father I have sinned, against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants". The son set out for his father's house with reluctance and shame writ large upon his face, whereas the father was anxiously waiting for his son since the day he lost him. While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart went out to him. The father ran to meet his son, flung his arms round him and kissed him. The son was ready with the words he had thought of in his mind to address his father but was interrupted in his confession as the father had other plans for his lost son. He wanted to rejoice with everyone for having got his son back and ordered the servants to prepare a big feast killing the fatted calf. the son was not allowed to say that he wanted to be one of the paid servants and, taking a cue from his confession that he was not fit to be called his son, the father wanted to show how he could still be his son. Therefore the servants were ordered to fetch quickly the father's best robe and put it on him. Likewise they were to put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Thus the father showed the position of his son in the house lest anyone should think otherwise. "For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found! And the festivities began" (Luke, 15: 24).
The remaining part of the parable answers a natural question concerning justice and fairness from the part of the father who seemingly showed partiality to the younger son. That is what the elder son felt who was working in the field in obedience to his father's wishes and never had an occasion to celebrate. He expressed his anger and frustration openly to his father bringing to his attention the strange way he dealt with him not giving so much as a kid to celebrate with his friends whereas the son who squandered his wealth is adorned and welcomed in festivities. The great answer the father gave shows his sense of fairness and justice without retracting his love for the lost son. " 'My son, said the father, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. How could we help celebrating this happy day? Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found' " (Luke, 15: 31-32). (To be Contd).
Value of repentance: Jesus taught the value of repentance through his many examples and parables besides the sympathetic attitude shown to sinners like Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, the woman who anointed him with perfume, the thief crucified on his right side, etc. In answer to the grumbling among the Pharisees and the Doctors of the Law about the practice of Jesus in welcoming and eating with the sinners, a parable was directed at them. Jesus asked them to imagine that one of them had hundred sheep and one was lost. Would he not go after that lost sheep leaving behind all the ninety nine unattended until the lost sheep is found? When he finds it, would he not put it on his shoulders and go home to call together his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him? "In the same way, I tell you, there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous people who do not need to repent" (Luke, 15:7). The same is the case with the woman who has 10 silver coins and loses one of them. How much trouble would she not take to regain it and when found would she not rejoice over it? "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents (See, Luke, 15: 10).
Repentance and God's Love: The masterpiece of a parable elucidating the importance of repentance may be seen in the parable of the prodigal son where the Father is actually prodigal with his love. Once there was a man who had two sons and the younger of the two asked his father for his share of the property. Without any hesitation, the loving father divided the estate between the two sons. After a few days the younger son sold his share received from his father and went away to a far country squandering the cash on reckless living. As there was no one to control him or check his accounts, within a short period of time he spent it all when a severe famine struck the country. He began to feel the pinch as by then all his friends had left him leaving him alone to face poverty single handedly. He had no other alternative than to seek employment with a local landowner who sent him to his farm to look after the pigs. Even there he hadn't enough to fill his stomach with and he would have been happy to be satisfied with the pods the pigs were eating. When even that was not possible, he came to his senses. Till then his senses were numbed by the attractions of the world and the false promises of friends that he was oblivious of the real values of life. Suddenly he remembered his father and his paid servants who had more food than they could eat while he was starving to death! As a result of coming back to his senses, he decided in his mind to go to his father and tell him: "Father I have sinned, against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants". The son set out for his father's house with reluctance and shame writ large upon his face, whereas the father was anxiously waiting for his son since the day he lost him. While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart went out to him. The father ran to meet his son, flung his arms round him and kissed him. The son was ready with the words he had thought of in his mind to address his father but was interrupted in his confession as the father had other plans for his lost son. He wanted to rejoice with everyone for having got his son back and ordered the servants to prepare a big feast killing the fatted calf. the son was not allowed to say that he wanted to be one of the paid servants and, taking a cue from his confession that he was not fit to be called his son, the father wanted to show how he could still be his son. Therefore the servants were ordered to fetch quickly the father's best robe and put it on him. Likewise they were to put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Thus the father showed the position of his son in the house lest anyone should think otherwise. "For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found! And the festivities began" (Luke, 15: 24).
The remaining part of the parable answers a natural question concerning justice and fairness from the part of the father who seemingly showed partiality to the younger son. That is what the elder son felt who was working in the field in obedience to his father's wishes and never had an occasion to celebrate. He expressed his anger and frustration openly to his father bringing to his attention the strange way he dealt with him not giving so much as a kid to celebrate with his friends whereas the son who squandered his wealth is adorned and welcomed in festivities. The great answer the father gave shows his sense of fairness and justice without retracting his love for the lost son. " 'My son, said the father, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. How could we help celebrating this happy day? Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found' " (Luke, 15: 31-32). (To be Contd).
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