2 Corinthians 5:16-21 plays with the ways that understanding Christ’s reconciling work can change our vision, creating a new way of seeing ourselves and other people. This type of seeing might be illustrated by the way we read Psalm 32:11-12, which seemingly finishes the poem with a striking dichotomy between two groups: “the wicked” and “the righteous.” 

Great are the tribulations of the wicked; 
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; 
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

What if these are not separate groups? Throughout the Psalm, the writer celebrates forgiveness for their own sins. Those who acknowledge sin and do not conceal guilt receive forgiveness, while a refusal to admit sins causes pain. The Psalmist invites readers not to be too stubborn to receive mercy and to trust in the Lord, then finishes with a celebration of the righteous. 

This reading might also change how we understand the parable of the prodigal son, which responds to the accusation that the “tax collectors and sinners” with whom Jesus associates might contaminate his reputation. The story celebrates ways that a “lost son” can become reintegrated into the family—both the one who ran away and the one who refused to come to the party. Reading it can stir our desire to choose which son is really righteous, or to label the father as either wise or naive. And yet, the elder son is both proud and faithful, the younger son is foolish and repentant, and the father is loving and forgetful—he apparently neglects to invite the older son to the party! When we give up trying to categorize the characters unilaterally, it foregrounds the sweetness of the possibility that a messy family all ends up in the house together after the end of the parable. When Jesus tells this story that focuses on the joy of reconciliation, it becomes an open invitation for the Pharisees to join Jesus, and the sinners, and anyone else willing to come.

May we see this Lenten season with eyes to recognize that Christ’s work simultaneously reveals each one of us to be sinners and makes each of us righteous.