Jesus offers us the grace of a second chance to decide for or against His love
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Word of God doesn’t always convert a person’s heart — look at the mission and ministry of Jesus!
But the Word does always reveal a person’s heart — and in that revelation, the person receives a second chance to decide for or against His love.
We see many examples of this truth in the readings this week. Let’s consider just one: the episode of the man with the withered hand, from Mark 3:1-6.
The question in the background was: Is it lawful — and is it good — to heal on the sabbath or not? And we need to realize, first, that it was a legitimate question. There was no sin in the question itself.
But, second: Notice the attitude of heart of those who were watching Jesus. “They watched Jesus closely … so that they might accuse Him.” The attitude of their hearts isn’t good. But that initial attitude is not the end of the story. A second chance is coming.
The second chance comes when Jesus heals the man and explains why it is lawful (and good) to heal on the sabbath. When given this second chance, which will they choose — to repent or dig in their heels? The episode concludes with this: “The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against Him to put Him to death.”
We hear about the death of Saul (and his son Jonathan) this week — an event which clears the way for David to become king of ancient Israel (2 Samuel 1:1-4). We know very well that David wasn’t a perfect man or king. When he commits adultery, which we’ll read about next week, we see very clearly that there’s evil in his heart. But then God sends the prophet Nathan to uncover the sin, giving David a chance to reconsider the attitude of his heart. What is David’s reaction? Utter repentance. Psalm 51 captures this moment: “Have mercy on me God, in your kindness; in your compassion blot out my offense.”
What about us?
That there’s a measure of evil in our hearts is no surprise to the Lord! We see, throughout the life and ministry of Jesus, that it didn’t stop Him from drawing near to people. The same is true with us: He draws near, not only to the parts of us that are good, but also to those parts of our hearts that need conversion. (The same, by the way, needs to be true of our approach to others!)
But when Jesus gave people a second chance, He also took their choice seriously. He wanted them to be converted, to follow Him, but He also allowed them to walk away. He does the same with us. That’s why His mercy is always available, but our salvation isn’t guaranteed.
This week, we observe the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn” on Jan. 22. Two years ago, we — as citizens of the state of Missouri — showed a part of our hearts when we voted for an unlimited abortion license. This coming year, we’ll have a chance to reconsider. Will we dig in our heels or repent? It’s a good week to pray that we’ll make the most of our second chance.
