Studiously Avoiding God

“…There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” – Luke 15:10

A tzaddik lived in a town with a large seminary. He often sat in the city square where the up- and-coming preachers would stand and practice preaching to the passing crowds. One day, a young energetic man passionately expounded the Scriptures, not merely practicing but trying desperately to bring the people to repentance for their sins before God. The crowd recognized the difference and stopped to listen to the young preacher. His words moved them and they publicly wept while confessing their sins.

The wise man watched all this and began singing a cheerful hymn. The young preacher did not want to be rude, and the singing wasn’t disrupting the spontaneous service, so he patiently waited until the man stopped singing. Then he asked, “Sir, why do you sing such a cheerful tune when so many others are weeping and repentant for their sins?”

The tzaddik placed his hands on the young man’s shoulders and exclaimed, “The angels sing and dance when one sinner repents! Because of your ministry today hundreds have confessed their sins and are turning back to God. How could I not rejoice when so many sinners have taken their first steps on the Way?”

“You’re right!” cried the young preacher. He turned to the people and began singing with all his might, thanking God for His mercy and rejoicing in the forgiveness that the repenting sinners had received. The crowd picked up the tune and began singing with one voice in a mass demonstration of gratitude and worship.

Meanwhile, off to one side, the elder saw two seminary students who had ignored the whole proceedings while assiduously studying the Scriptures. The wise man went over, sat by them and began praying for their forgiveness. Caught up in the throes of his prayer, he began weeping. The students were astounded by this and asked, “Sir, why are you weeping and praying when so many in this square are singing and dancing?”

The wise man answered, “How could I not weep, when I see you pushing God away in your arrogance? You are studying the Scriptures, but forgetting the One who gave them to you!”

Too often we get caught up in the mechanics of religion and forget that the point is not religion but relationship. It’s not about attending church every week. It’s not about praying so many minutes a day or reading so many chapters of the Bible every day. It’s about developing a loving, dependent and grateful relationship with the Master. Oh, all those external things are very good, don’t get me wrong. But it would be like saying that cooking, cleaning and paying the bills are all there is to marriage! All those things are important, but there’s so much more. Something wonderful…something magical…it’s knowing God and letting Him know you in a deep, personal and intimate way. It’s love.