Lent 3 Luke 13:1-9 Repent & Live
Ezekiel 33:7-20 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9
Pastors are asked many questions. Sometimes they are difficult to answer. One of those questions is, “Why do bad things happen to good people.” And other times the question is, “Why do bad people get away without being punished?” But one of the hardest questions a pastor gets asked is, “Why is God doing this to me?” This question is usually asked during a time of intense suffering. A horrific accident occurs or a criminal wreaks havoc in their life. Many times it is because of the death of a loved one or at the birth of a child with many defects. Other times it is caused by sickness or infirmity.
In our gospel lesson this morning, Jesus answers these questions after two terrible events. Roman soldiers slay a group of Galileans as they are worshipping and offering sacrifices to the Lord. The second event is the tower of Siloam that fell and killed 18 people. Obviously the Galileans were slain because they had offended the Roman Governor to such a great extent that they were put to death by the sword. Still the question remained, were they so sinful that God punished them more severely?
Jesus asks them a question, “Are these people worse sinners because they suffered more?” and quickly replies, “No, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Than He adds another example, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Notice the difference between the two examples. In the case of the Galileans, their sins were readily apparent. In the case of the tower, they appeared to be innocent people who just happened to be there when the tower fell. Jesus does not associate individual sin to individual suffering. He does however, associate suffering with sinful nature and to the sinful world in which we live.
Evil exists in the world because of sin. Saint Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death. And since we are all sinful, we shall all die. The entire creation is under a curse brought on by man. God is not the cause of evil. Sin is the cause of evil and the entire world is infected with sin. Jesus came into the word not to condemn the world and punish all mankind but to save them. Jesus is saying that because of sin, all will perish, but not all will die in sin. Therefore Jesus urges repentance by all people whether they have been involved in a tragedy or not.
In other words, God is not an angry Judge, reviewing each and every deed a person does to see whether it is good or bad, wrong or right and then giving out punishments of sickness, death and tragedy as He sees fit. God’s judgment comes later. God cannot be blamed or accused for all the brokenness of this world. When we look at God as the author of sin, He becomes the destroyer who produces evil, death, and destruction. We do not worship a god of destruction, but the God of creation.
God says in Ezekiel, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked would turn from his way and live.” God has never said, “I am sorry I have caused people to suffer, and now I want to change that so I will deliver them out of this suffering that I have caused.” God did not take responsibility for the suffering the people undergo. He has no reason to apologize to us, for our failure to live the life of stewardship of the earth He originally had desired. The fact is that the earth that He created to last forever is now “wearing out like a garment” precisely because of sin. (Isaiah 51:6) We are the ones who need to apologize to God for our sinful and destructive behavior. We are the ones who deserve to be severely punished. He has every right to punish us.
But contrary to this, God sent His one and only Son into the world to suffer punishment for our sins, so that all who would believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life in heaven.
There is a life to come after this world ends where men and women of God will live in perfect harmony to the good and gracious will of God. And God desires that all men would be saved and live with Him in eternal happiness in heaven. This is the God of scriptures that we see. He is God our Savior; a kind, compassionate God who cares for His people, who doesn’t want to see them suffer in this world any longer than necessary.
Those who do not understand God’s love look at God and see only His wrath. They do not see the love of Christ on the cross; only a prophet that failed in His mission to teach the world how to live a perfect life. So in an effort to avoid severe punishment they worship a God of wrath that they desperately try to appease. God does not desire our own feeble efforts to obtain salvation; rather He desires our faith in the work completed by His Son. It is only when we realize the extent of our sinfulness and our inability to save ourselves from physical death that we realize the enormity of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross and begin to see the life awaiting us with Him in eternity.
It was our inability to live that life that God desires for us that brought the consequences of sin and brokenness into the world. The question is not, “What did I do to deserve this?” as if God was punishing you at every wrong turn along the path of life, but the question should be, “How can God help me live with the consequences of sin that I have become entangled in?”
The question is not “Why has God done this to me?” But the question becomes, “How has God rescued me from my sins?” When we know that Christ has suffered and died for us, it gives us the comfort and the peace of knowing that when this short life ends, we will have a long undying life ahead.
So rather than blaming God for the brokenness of the world and our own lives, our actions should be to give Him thanks for what He has done to rescue us. Therefore we turn to God in prayer, in repentance, in hope and in faithfulness. Instead of blaming God for our troubles, we allow Him to strengthen us, build us up, and give us the courage to live a life of holiness and love for those who are less fortunate.
As Jesus tells us in the parable of the fig tree, God is a patient parent and wants his children to grow in faith, repentance, and to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. So I have a question for you. If a fig tree produces figs, what should a Christian produce?
As a Christian, when you see the terrible things that sin has done, the manure that is already in the world you should have a desire to produce the fruit that leads others to eternal life. Or does the evil in this world have to cover your life with manure to get you to grow in faith, love and charity?
God does not want to see His children separated from Him. So He will wait, and give you many chances to change your sinful ways to His way. You still have time to build a relationship with Him, to grow in repentance and in Christ Jesus. He is a patient, kind, and loving father. He gives everyone many opportunities to rely on Him, to bear His fruit. He is fair and just.
Those who put their faith in Christ realize that their punishment has been paid for and will be judged according to their faith. Those who reject Christ will be judged by their lack of faith. Thus the wicked will continue in their wickedness and get what they deserve and the righteous in Christ will continue in God’s righteousness and receive God’s grace and forgiveness for ever and ever, amen.