Are you sinning right now without realising it?

SINS OF OMISSION

Lk. 13:1-9

When many people think of sins they think of such deeds as murder, adultery, stealing, lying and the like.  It is true these are all sins, but the list does not stop there.  There is a tendency to forget the sins which we call sins of omission, things we ought to do that we fail to do.  Jesus told the story of a fig tree that should have borne fruit but didn't.  It had been manured and watered, but still it bore no fruit.  The gardener said, "I will wait one more year. If it bears no fruit, I will cut it down."

We are like the trees which God has planted, fed and nurtured, and like the gardener He expects us to bear fruit.  Like the gardener, He gives us chance after chance to bear fruit, and sadly some of us don't.  What sin is this?  It is the sin of omission. Sin is not only something bad that we do, it is also something good that we fail to do.  This was the constant teaching of Jesus.  You remember how He told a story about a man travelling from Jerusalem down to Jericho.  Along the way he was beaten and robbed. Jesus told that story, to point out the crime of indifference.  Yes, the men who mugged and stole from the man did wrong, but so did the priest and the Levite who saw the wounded man, but passed him by and did nothing to help.  What Jesus is telling us is, that it is a sin not to care, when we can.  It is a sin not to work when we can.  It is a sin not to give, when we can.  It is a sin not to pray, when we can.  It is a sin not to help, when we can.  Deliberately rejected opportunities, and "I can't be bothered" attitude are both sins of omission.

Jesus also reminds us that if we make no effort at all to do good, in spite of all the opportunities we are given, then we shall have to pay a price.  In the parable, He said, "If the tree bears no fruit, it will be cut down."  We have all been given talents, and either we use what we have or we lose it.  For example, if you learn a foreign language but neglect to practise it you will eventually lose all the knowledge you had acquired.

The same principle applies to human relationships. You don't have to abuse your friend to destroy your relationship.  All you have to do is leave him alone.  Don't keep in touch; don't answer his letter; don't call him on the phone; never pay him a visit; don't even send him a Christmas or birthday card. A neglected, unexercised friendship will eventually die a natural death.  The next time you happen to meet him, you may find you are talking to a stranger.

The same can happen in marriage.  More marriages die of neglect than are killed by abuse.  Two people who were once in love get too busy and distracted to exercise that love.  They start letting the little things go - the touch of the hand, the loving look, the kiss of thanks, the whispered endearment.  Common courtesies are forgotten.  Thoughtful remembrances are a thing of the past.  So, little by little they drift apart; and their love will die.

To counteract sins of omission we must use the talents and opportunities we have been given.  Everyone can do something with their lives, however little.  When Jesus compared us with the fig tree, He meant that we must become loving, caring people.  How long has it been since we did someone else a good turn?  When Jesus talked about fruitful living, He didn't mean big and spectacular things.  He was the one who commended the worth of a cup of cold water and the widow's two coins.

Lord Jesus, we are all capable of those little thoughtful deeds which make such a difference to other people and cost so little to us.  If we remember to do these little deeds then we are bearing fruit in our lives as God intended.

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