Luke 13:1-3 - Repent!

Repent!

What image or meme does that word bring to mind? In contemporary culture, it's a scruffy little man, poorly dressed, dirty beard, a bit wild eyed, carrying a placard with the word "Repent" on it.

I'd like to dispel that image. Jesus sometimes told people to repent. Even though He had more to say than just that one word, He did tell people to repent--especially those who didn't think they needed to!

Luke 13:1–3 (New American Standard, 1995) — 1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
[We don't know the whole story, but something horrific had happened to this group of people.]
2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 

When something goes wrong for someone else, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that they've done something wrong. If they aren't being outright punished for sin, they are suffering the natural consequences for poor decisions. Jesus is saying that all of us are equally sinners, no one is a worse sinner than the next person.

Was Jesus a wild-eyed, scruffy character trying to scare people?
He wasn't trying to scare the hell out of people, He wanted to warn people out of hell!

If someone was in a house on fire, and they just thought the furnace was warmer than usual, we would warn them:
"Your house is on fire; get out!
For them, "repentance" would be a complete change of heart and mind; they'd run out of the house and toward safety.

This isn't morbid or negative. It creates joy for the individual, and for God Himself.

Luke 15:4–7 (NASB95) — 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons [the "goody-goody" people"] who need no repentance.

Father in heaven, Thank you for taking a personal interest in each and every one of us--enough to pursue us individually. Give us grace that repents from wandering and finds joy being with you as our Shepherd. In Jesus' name, Amen.