"Taking Chances" - Luke 13:1-9 - March 14, 2004

When Jerry Falwell made the statement that the tragedy in New York on September 11th was because of all the sinners in New York the nation responded angrily and many challenged his theology. "Thank God," I said to myself, "The majority of people do not share that view." Since we are human beings there is no way we can rationalize as to who dies because of their sins.

This is exactly what Jesus was saying in Luke. Jesus rejects any notion that those killed by Pilate were more sinful than others. He also follows that statement with an illustration about the 18 Galileans who perished because a tower fell on them. Neither could you determine that their death was due to their sinfulness.

The point of this story is not about out-guessing God. Any attempt to make the connection between a person’s death and their sinfulness is futile. That is something beyond our control. The purpose of this story is about repentance. Jesus is basically saying that it is not a good idea to put it off. We can’t control when death happens but we can, however be prepared when it does. In other words, whatever you do, don’t take chances. Don’t play Russian Roulette with God.

Jesus said, "Unless we repent, we will perish." We have a choice, we have hope. What we don’t have is the convenience of procrastination. Repentance is not something we should put off.

The parable of the fig tree illustrates how God intervenes and tells us what we need to do. Three years had passed and the tree had not produced. The landlord was just about to cut it down when the gardener asked for an extension.

On the one hand we shouldn’t be taking chances but on the other hand we have a second chance. The parable suggests that God is merciful but that there is also a limit to that mercy. Just as Jesus wasn’t willing to put God to the test during his wilderness journey, neither should we try to test the mercy of God and see how long we can go before we change our ways.

Repentance means "to turn around in the opposite direction in which we are heading." It calls for a radical change in behavior. It means that procrastination can literally take us down. How does God want us to change?

First, Jesus wants us to quit making judgments as if we were God. Have you ever had a preconceived notion about who a person was and then after you got to know that person you discovered you were all wrong? It can be embarrassing and it can also make the other person feel alienated.

Secondly, Jesus wants us to be in the business of forgiveness. The parable of the fig tree is a story of mercy. The tree didn’t yield fruit and the landlord was ready to cut it down. But the gardener intervened and asked that it be given a second chance. What the tree needed was a little manure. In other words it needed nurture and love, not condemnation and judgment.

In the movie Good Will Hunting, the main character, Will, played by Matt Damon, is a genius. He keeps getting into trouble with the law because of his outbursts of anger. Finally, he is released on parole with the condition that he see a therapist. He ends up with a therapist, Sean, played by Robin Williams. Williams and Damon have some stormy times in their client-therapist relationship. Williams can see that Damon is an orphan without Damon telling him. Damon breaks up with his girl friend who loves him and Robin Williams points out to him that he is always breaking up with people and leaving them because he's terrified that they might leave him first, just as his father had left him an orphan.

During the therapy Williams wins the friendship of Damon. In the end Williams says to Damon, "Look into my eyes." Then he approaches Damon and says, "It's not your fault." Damon becomes visibly upset as Williams comes closer and keeps repeating, "It's not your fault." "Don't use your games on me," Damon cries out and then collapses onto Williams' shoulders in a soul-wracking fit of sobbing. Williams has finally uncovered for Damon that he is a good person but has been blaming himself all his life for being an orphan; and he had been using his genius abilities to keep people away from him lest they come too close and find what he considered his unworthiness as an orphan. (from Jerry Fuller, OMI, "When Bad Things Happen")

We yield fruit when we forgive. We bear fruit when we withhold our judgment of others. We also bear fruit when we receive a little manure. I don’t mean the kind of crap that Jerry Falwell gives, I mean some genuine fertile conditioning that enriches us and changes our behavior.

My first pastorate was in the country. I will never forget the smell of manure, especially on the clothes of my church members when they came for a visit. The wheels on their pickup trucks were often caked with mud. The smells and sights of the country were new to me, in contrast to the sights and smells of the cities where I had always lived. At the same time, these were the folks that supported me while I tried to be a pastor and attend seminary at the same time.

I shall never forget the "pound parties," a tradition of showering the pastor’s family with groceries of all sorts. Nor shall I forget the farmer who filled our freezer with meat or those that frequently dropped off fresh fruit and vegetables. Since leaving the country those acts of kindness are far less frequent. Those county folks were also the ones who gave me my first chance to be in ministry. Had it not been for their nurturing, love and kindness I might not have succeeded.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio