Ezekiel 18:25-28 / Philippians 2:1-11 / Matthew 21:28-32
Exams are a major part in the life of a student. Exam time is also probably the most religious time in the life of most students. One rather funny prayer before the exam the next day is this: As I lay me down to rest, I pray I pass tomorrow’s test. If I should die before I wake, that’s one less test I’ll have to take.
But exams can be so strange. Some statistics have it that 80% of the exam questions are based on that one lecture you didn’t attend and on that one book you didn’t read. When that happens then it’s poetry time: Tick tock, mind block, pen stop, eye pop, full shock, jaw drop, time's up, no luck.
But even when the exams are over, the anxiety comes next. Because there will be the results of the exams and that will be the time of reckoning.
Those who scored “A”s will be in the limelight and will get praises and rewards. But in the shadows are those at the end of the spectrum, those who are graded “F” or bluntly speaking, the failures.
In the exam grading scale, “F” stands for fail. In the social grading scale, “F” can also stand for forgotten. In the eyes of society, the failures are forgotten and there are not many who will feel sorry for them.
But we need to remember that failure is not the opposite of success; failure is part of success. In fact, failure is the mother of success, and we learn more from failure than from success.
One thing that can be learnt is that failure is not final, and failure can be good, as long as it doesn’t become a habit.
So if your child gets an “F” for the exam, “F” of course means fail, please go easy on the child. FAIL can also mean “First Attempt In Learning”.
After all, failure is just a bruise, not a tattoo. And failure is just an event in the life of the person; failure is not equal to the person.
Of course, this is not meant to encourage failure, but just to give encouragement in the event of failure. As it is said, if plan “A” doesn’t work, then the alphabet still has 25 more letters.
In the gospel, Jesus is highlighting a category of people who live in the shadows of society, and He pointed them out as the tax-collectors and prostitutes, in short, all those who are considered the failures of society.
Generally speaking, failures can be divided into two classes: those who thought about it but never did anything about it, and those who did it but never thought about it.
In a way, the tax-collectors and prostitutes, those so-called sinners, just did it and never thought about it. And since they had already done wrong, they stayed in the shadows of society and never thought much about it.
Until they heard John the Baptist preach about repentance and forgiveness, then they thought better of it, and as Jesus said of them, they are making their way into the kingdom of God. Yes, they have learnt from their failures and showing it in repentance.
They are like the first son in the parable, who refused to go and work in his father’s vineyard. But afterwards he thought better of it and went.
On the other hand, the second son thought about it, and he even said yes to his father, but then never did anything about it.
The teaching of Jesus in the gospel is about repentance, and that is expressed in that phrase “thought better of it”.
And that is also how we learn from failure. We need to think better of it, so as to learn from it, and to gain from it and even to make a success out of it.
And that is how we need to look at persons who have failed, to see failure as just an event in the person’s life and not failure as a person. We need to think better of it, so that the person can move on in life and become a “success” in life.
There is a story of a couple had a few children. All were normal and intelligent. Except one who had Down’s Syndrome and hence, was slow and different from the rest.
The couple took joy in their other children but for this special child, they had to swallow their disappointment and embarrassment.
At times, they even asked themselves why they were burdened with such a child. It seems that they will have to care for him all their lives.
As the years went by, the rest of their children got married and left home to start their own families. As the couple became older, their children also became busier with their own families.
Naturally, the couple felt lonelier with all their children gone. Except for one, the slow “special” one. Because of his inabilities and disabilities, he obviously had to stay with his parents.
In the past, the parents thought of him as a burden and an obstacle to their freedom in life. But now, the old couple realized that he is the only one who is with them day and night.
Once upon a time, he had to depend on them and they have to fend for him. Now that they are in their lonely old age, it is they who have to depend on him despite his inabilities and disabilities.
This story opens our minds to those whom society deem as failures or liabilities, people who are left in the shadows and forgotten, just like those tax-collectors and prostitutes in the gospel.
The gospel reminds us that when the message of repentance is preached to them, they responded more quickly and readily accepted the Good News of salvation.
In fact, despite their failures in almost every sense of the word, they showed that they thought better of it and did what God wanted of them.
When we can think better of those who failed, whether in academics or in life, and see how they are responding to the call of God, then we will be able to follow them in making the way to heaven.