Who still speaks about repentance?
After all, repentance is an old-fashioned word used by preachers of doom. We do not need such preachers any longer. Our God is a God Who turns a blind eye ‘for He knows how we are formed’ (Psalm 103:14). We do our best, we progress slowly, we evolve through the generations.
When there is a famine due to crop-failure, scientists put their heads together and assure us this is not going to happen again. When there is too little rain, meteorologists come up with crystal-clear scientific explanations. When there is sufficient rain in one part of the country, but not a drop in another part, weather charts provide thorough insight, even to the layman. When a plague of insects suddenly devours the crops in the field, radio bulletins will tell us what insecticide to use. When a cholera epidemic suddenly rages worldwide, we say, ‘How is it possible in this modern age!’
When modern traffic claims thousands of victims, when many more perish in floods, when there are wars and rumors of wars, we shake our heads pityingly and thank God that these are - fortunately - faraway events. When we barely escape death, we congratulate each other. ‘What a stroke of luck!’
But who still wants to talk about repentance? Come on! Okay, maybe the prophets of old, who were not evolved as far as we are, or maybe Jesus, two thousand years ago.
But we, modern people, we will only notice that there is something drastically wrong in our mind-set, when it is too late.