City Life Starter

I. Word: Luke 13:1-5

1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?

3 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

4 “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?

5 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

By Scott Fiddler

How could a good God allow bad things to happen to good people? That is the question that is on the table this week. One of the things I love about the Gospels is they record how Jesus responded to some of the very same questions and situations we face today. This passage of Scripture is a perfect example.

Jesus is teaching and people report to him about some Galileans who had been murdered by Pontius Pilate, while in the midst of making their religious sacrifices. They were in the very act of sacrificing to God and they were murdered. They were doing good and they were killed.

This story shows people haven’t really changed; they have the same questions now about God as they did 2,000 years ago. You are trying to talk to someone about God and they ask, “Yes, but how do you explain the 2,500 killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11? How could a good God allow that to happen?”

Jesus’ response is remarkable. He does not engage the people in a philosophical discussion regarding the problem of evil. He doesn’t tell them that the Lord created the world good but man rebelled and caused it to become corrupted. He doesn’t talk to them about free will and how for God to have intervened in the situation which they reference would have violated Pilate’s free will. No, instead he does something remarkable: he makes it personal.

In response, Jesus touches the question just enough to segue into His point by asking them whether they think these Galileans are worse sinners than all other Galileans because this happened to them. Then comes the real zinger: “I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

And in case they missed the point, Jesus reminds them of the 18 people who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them, asks them whether they were worse sinners than others in Jerusalem, and tells them again that unless they repent they will perish as well.

Application

Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. He was no fool. He knew when people asked philosophical questions about God, usually, they really didn’t have a philosophical problem but a heart problem. When the Pharisees brought Him the woman caught in adultery and asked Him a legal question regarding her punishment, Jesus immediately turned the tables by questioning them about their sin. Jesus turned the conversation to the question of their sin and need for repentance. See John 8:1-11.

The lesson here is that apologetics is a merely a means to an end, and Jesus made it a point to get to the ultimate point, which was repentance and faith toward God. So, if you find yourself engaging in philosophical discussions with others who don’t know God, always remember the real issue probably one of the heart and not the head, and like Jesus, turn the discussion to the heart.