Our world is filled with tragedies. From natural disasters, to war, famines, and physical death we have all been touched by calamity and sorrow. In recent history, the greatest tragedies to befall our nation are the events of 911, when the two towers of the world trade center were brought down through an act of terrorism resulting in the death of thousands.
One of our first responses to tragedies is to ask the question “Why?” Why did “innocent” people lose their lives? Why did families lose their wives, husbands, mothers and fathers? Why didn’t our nation’s intelligence agencies able to stop this attack? Why do the terrorists have such a hatred for our country? The list of questions goes on and on. There are many questions that will never be answered this side of heaven.
However, the greatest question that is asked during times of tragedy is “Why does the Lord allow tragedies to take place?” Again, I’m sure there are many aspects to this question that cannot be answered this side of glory. But, in one text containing 5 short verses, the Bible gives us a partial answer to this great historic question… Let us take our time to study Luke 13:1-5 and find a partial answer to our question… “Why does God allow the tragedies of life to take place?”
THE SCRIPTURES:
Luke 13
1) There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2) And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4) Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
THE STUDY:
In the previous chapter (Luke 12) Christ had been teaching one several related topics:
1. The need to proclaim His truth vs 1-12
2. The need to avoid living for this world’s wealth but to give of themselves for Christ instead vs 13-21
3. Do not worry about physical needs being met, but put Christ first. Then trust Him with the temporal needs of life and use them for His glory. vs 22-34
4. Be prepared for Christ’s second coming by taking care to fulfill our God given responsibilities. vs 35-48
5. Be prepared for persecution when we commit ourselves to serving Him vs 49-53
6. Take advantage of this time to be sure our hearts are right and tell others about Him. It is a very dangerous thing to have unrepentant sin in one’s life. vs 54-59
The entire lesson in Luke 12 revolves around the need for Christians to humbly submit to the Lord, placing Him first in their lives and proclaiming the truth no matter what the cost. This is an absolute necessity because there is a great danger awaiting those who have not been forgiven of their sins.
Of those who listened to this message of Christ, there was a group that approached Christ and spoke to Him in Luke 13:1-5…
1) There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Those who heard Christ’s teachings now come to Him thinking they have an example of the results of unrepentant sin. (Remember the results of unrepentant sin was a major theme of the Lord’s previous teaching in Luke 12:.)
They explained to Him that some Galilaeans had become victims of a great calamity as they worshipped Jehovah in the temple at Jerusalem. Following the slaying of sacrificial animals by the Galilaeans, the Romans came in and slew the Galilaeans in mid-worship. The Galilaeans’ shed blood ran along the ground mixing with the blood of the animals they had just sacrificed. In their minds, this great slaughter of worshippers was the direct result of unconfessed sin in the life of the worshipper.
Jesus responds to their accounting of this event in verse 2….
2) And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
Based upon the response Christ gave to them, it is easy for us to understand the motives behind these men who related this event to Christ.
It appears as if this teaching by Christ had convicted prideful listeners among the group. They had seen in their lives that they were putting themselves ahead of the Lord, and that they were not being willing to partake of mistreatment for the sake of the gospel message.
In an effort to soothe their own conscience, they began to look for others who had committed far greater sins than they. Their minds came upon the murder of the Galilaeans. By coming to Christ with this example of the results of “heinous sin”in the lives of the Galilaeans, these prideful men were implying that their sin of pride was a much smaller sin than that of the Galilaeans. After all, they were still living on the earth, but these Galilaeans were so sinful God has removed them from off the planet!
Jesus response displayed His understanding of the motives of those who had told him of the event. Jesus understood that when an incident like this takes place there is a tendency to believe that those who suffered such abuse had committed grave sin. He verbalized what they were thinking when they spoke of this event…. “Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?”
3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
The Lord’s answer to His rhetorical question was “Nay”, in other words, “NO” the murder of these Galilaeans is not the direct result of unforgiven sin in their lives.
The Lord goes on to clearly reveal to them that their sinful condition of pride would result in their future perishing as well. This unwillingness to put Him first was a sign that they were not repentant, not forgiven and destined for an eternity in the Lake of Fire.
The Lord was quashing their thinking that these tragedies are always the result of sin in the lives of those who are harmed. Remember, He had just taught that those who were in submission to His will would be the recipients of persecution for their stand. (12:49-53)
Just because calamity may enter one’s life we cannot make a judgment as to the reason for this harm. It may be due to sin, or it may be the direct result of faithfulness to His cause. We can only understand the purpose behind any given tragedy in the mind of God.
The Lord now emphasizes His point by using another example….
4) Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
There was a tower in Siloam that fell and in the process killed 18 men. Did this happen because of sin in the lives of the 18? …
5) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Once again, He clearly explains to them that “Nay” the death of these 18 men were not the result of unconfessed sin. The prideful men could expect no better treatment due to the lingering unconfessed pride they were exhibiting in their lives.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
The greatest lessons we can learn from tragedies of life is two-fold:
“think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay:” - We should all restrain ourselves from trying to discern why any particular tragedy has taken place.
Our carnal flesh would try to lay blame on the victim using the tragedy as proof that we are better than those upon whom the tragedy fell. The Lord made it clear that in these two instances the tragedies did not fall upon these men due to sin that was in their lives.
This is reminiscent of John 9:1-3 where His disciples asked Him about the cause of blindness for the man blind from birth. Once, again, His response was that this man’s blindness was not the result of sin in his, or his parent’s lives. It had occurred so that the Lord may be glorified in His healing.
The only way we can understand why any individual tragedy may take place is found in the mind of God. To try to prejudge God’s motives in allowing a tragedy to take place is foolishness. (Isa 55:8-9)
“except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” - The second great lesson we can learn is that unrepentance leads to tragedy in our lives.
Every time we see a tragedy take place, we should remember that this tragedy is the result of living in a fallen, sinful world. Without sin, there would be no sickness, no sorrow, no death and no tragedies. Although we cannot assume that any particular tragedy is the result of sin in the lives of the tragedies’ victims, we can, without doubt, know that this tragedy is taking place because mankind is fallen and in need of redemption.
All of us, if we have not repented of our sins and have come to the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, are headed for a great tragedy that cannot be compared to any other tragedy this world has ever experienced. The unrepentant will have to experience the tragedy of an eternity in the Lake of Fire. (Mark 9:41-48, Rev 21:8)
My prayer is that we allow the tragedies that take place in this world remind us of the existence and destructiveness of sin and the need to prepare for eternity by forsaking those sins and trusting in Christ as our Lord and Savior.
If you have any questions concerning the way of salvation please feel free to visit or call a Bible teaching church in your area. They will be happy to speak to you about the Lord Jesus and the salvation He graciously gives.
Or, if you would rather, feel welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to answer any question you may have.
Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A Relationship With God”. On this page, you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation.
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