I’ve profited greatly from a book called The Joy of Being Wrong by the theologian James Alison. After ten years of spiritual direction, I’ve never heard such a succinct and accurate summary of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

“Being wrong” is less about facts and arguments and more about lapsing out of the Kingdom of God into unredeemed logic: assuming scarcity, parlaying advantage, defending territory. In the Gospels, Jesus’ disciples are frequently “wrong,” arguing over who was the greatest, expecting earthly return on investment, and defending Jesus’ campaign with violent arms. Through his nonviolent love, his death and forgiving return, he convinced them of their wrongness.

In my own spiritual journey, “being wrong” always looks the same: impatience, perfectionism, quickness to judgment. “Being wrong” is what happens when the wounds, not the grace, speak. Again and again, in various episodes of my life, I’ve had to take joy—thank God!—that I was wrong.

In today’s Gospel, we witness people who, from the evangelist’s point of view, are factually wrong about who Jesus is. More significantly, however, is their way of being wrong— theirs is the religious logic of the mob, convinced with increasing lethal momentum that it is right.

No follower (or group of followers) of Jesus is exempt from being wrong. And yet the Gospel also counsels us to take joy, because Resurrection forgiveness—the infinite, tender, forgiveness that holds us until our wrongness is expended—is coming soon.