The Need for Constant Self-evaluation and Repentance—Luke 13:1-9

Satellite image of a hurricane
(Image courtesy of http://library.thinkquest.org/)

Please read today’s passage here: Luke 13:1-9

“Have you heard the news?” Accidents and loss of life are always big news. Usually, the reports are given in a tone of great sympathy. But sometimes not. If a professional athlete loses his life in an automobile accident, while he was drag racing with a teammate in their $2.5 Million Lamborghini cars, and there is even evidence of drugs in their systems, the news is shared with more disapproval than sympathy.

Because our New Testament is not preserved in audio or video, we cannot see the expressions on the faces or hear the tone of voice in which these bystanders told the news to Jesus about the Galileans who were executed by the Roman prefect Pilate, presumably while they were visiting Jerusalem for a festival. Since Pilate had no authority in Galilee, we must assume that the offense occurred in Judea (probably in Jerusalem), and the mention of “their sacrifices” suggests something in the temple area of Jerusalem.

Although the Roman occupiers were certainly unpopular with the masses of Jews, some who did not want trouble with the Romans would have disapproved of Jewish terrorists who provoked retaliation from the Roman garrison. So it is possible that the ones telling Jesus, knowing that he disapproved of violence of this sort, expected him to say something like “Well, those who live by the sword (meaning the terrorists) can only expect to die by it”. But that was not his reply.

Don’t get me wrong here. There is nothing in Jesus’ reply to suggest that he approved of whatever these people did that prompted Pilate’s action against them. He merely wanted those who told him to understand that all of us are sinners, in one way or another. And before we focus on the weaknesses and failures of others, we should look inside ourselves and repent of our own sins.

Since the ones reporting the first incident obviously thought God was punishing those Galileans through Pilate, Jesus cited another current event, where there was no obvious human responsible for the deaths other than “an act of God”. A large tower in the Siloam district of Jerusalem, south of the temple complex, probably made of large stones, collapsed upon some people and killed them all. Was this also a sign of God’s special displeasure with these people? “Certainly not,” answered Jesus (v. 5), “BUT — the same kind of fate awaits you all, unless you repent.” Very harsh words, right? And a bit scary. But, I’m afraid, quite true.

Today, when such things happen, the interviewers from TV and newspapers, instead of presuming the victims somehow at fault, want to blame God himself! After the 9/11 murders, many prominent clergymen were asked why God would allow such a thing to happen. I remember reading the answers given in the newspapers. In most cases I didn’t disagree with their attempts to “exonerate” God, as though God needed “exoneration”. But I thought the most thoughtful answer came from Cardinal George of Chicago, whose answer I sincerely hope I correctly recall and reproduce here. He said something like: “It happened because the perpetrators are evil men, to whom God gave the freedom to choose. And this is why we all need to reject evil and choose to follow God.” Instead of getting hung up on speculations about God’s character and his sovereign plans for history, the good cardinal “cut to the chase” and hit the nail on the head. The problem, dear friend, is with us! Not “us”, the victims of 9/11 or “us” the USA alone, but “us” fallen human beings from every nation under heaven, who do not listen to God through his Son Jesus, and who think we do not need to seek his forgiveness and follow his teachings.

I am sure that Osama bin Laden and the organizers of the 9/11 murders—like Pontius Pilate and the terrorists who provoked him to violent retribution—will someday have to answer for their deeds to God in the final judgment of humans. But, if I do not repent and seek the forgiveness of God through Jesus my Lord, I too will someday have to stand before him to account for my many failures in life. And the Judge of All is completely impartial and wise in his judgments.

But Jesus promised :

"The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming, in fact it is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live" (John 5:22-25).

It is only that promise and our clinging to it that makes the difference between a judgment we all deserve and the exoneration that we do not deserve.

While God waits for us all to turn and trust his Son, he shows unbelievable patience. In the second part of today’s reading (v. 6-9, the Barren Fig Tree) an orchard owner has decided to wait no longer for a barren fig tree to produce figs and plans to cut it down and replace it with a tree that will produce. The tree represents those of us who have not repented; the owner is God. But someone intercedes and begs the owner to give it more time, and the owner relents.

Who is the intercessor here? It could be a picture of Jesus interceding for the world of unrepentant sinners, asking his Father for one more chance for them. We know from the Bible that Jesus intercedes for those who have repented and believed. It is also possible that he asks also for more time for the unbelievers. Yet, we cannot be sure that the intercessor in the story represents anyone in particular. It might also be a disciple of Jesus. I sometimes find myself praying for a friend who isn’t yet a believer and asking God to soften his or her heart. I may not actually verbalize a plea for more time, but that is inherent in my prayer.

But whether it is Jesus or me praying, neither of us intends that God should not require repentance eventually. No human being—for we are all guilty of sins before God, just some less obvious or sensational—will ever enter the kingdom of heaven (or the family of God) without sincere acknowledgment of his or her sins and faith in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s Son.