I was pondering this nugget from Jesus in Luke 15:

There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Why would a repenting sinner garner more rejoicing than 99 righteous? Because the 99 are actually self-righteous and not truly righteous? Maybe, but let’s think a little more.

Most people try to be righteous and do a decent job most of the time. Even people who might largely be regarded as “bad” typically have a take on why they aren’t as bad as they might be perceived. (Say, the pot dealer who says at least he doesn’t sell crack outside schools. And he might have a point.)

Most people don’t think they are perfect. We know we make mistakes. So what do we do about it? Perhaps we self-justify. Or we sink into shame and guilt. Or we just ignore our failures and hope they go away. Or whatever else. And sometimes, that might be harmless. But often, it causes a lot of trouble. How much suffering comes into the world because of evil ideologies built around self-justification, or child abuse that grows out of the unprocessed pain of the parents.

Maybe what Jesus is thinking is, “I know what you can do with your failures at being a good person. Bring them to me.”

And maybe this turning to Jesus is actually better for the world than sincere attempts at righteousness. Because the person who just repented and turn to Jesus doesn’t self-justify, doesn’t blame others, forgives easily, lives shame-free, feels free from guilt, doesn’t have unprocessed rage, and can wake up tomorrow doing their best to be the good person they want to be without worrying about the high stakes of failure.

Because maybe the only purposes of morality is a pathway to global joy. We’re all trying to find the path- and Jesus is quite willing to help- say, in the Sermon on the Mount. But the question is, what do we do when we find ourselves off the pathway to joy. Pretend we are on the right pathway? Try to sneak back on without anyone noticing? Start making a new pathway? Maybe Jesus’ favorite answer would be for us just to say “Hey Jesus! I’m stuck over here again!” And then he’d just like to help us right back on.

Would you rather have a friend who was almost always perfect? Or a friend who made some mistakes but always apologized and worked at fixing it? I’m not sure the answer, but I’ve got a hunch we could make some case for the second friend. I suppose of the first person could pull it off without being insufferably boring and cloying. But I think pretty only Jesus did that. So I’ll take Jesus first, but after that, I’d rather have friends who are repentant than friends who are righteous.

Is this how religion goes off the rails? It thinks job one is to help people do the right thing, and job two is what to do when they screw up? Maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe job one is to help people feel whole, forgiven, and healed in their brokenness, and then to point them on the way. Maybe every time I connect to God I should remember this. First, I need joy in him. Then he’ll help me figure out how to live. Otherwise, I become either an annoying pharisee, or a guilt-racked neurotic.

Am I on to something? Or am I just trying to make life too easy?