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How would Christ have us think about disasters? Jesus comments in Luke 13 on the senseless slaughter of some Galileans by Pilate’s soldiers. In His observation, Jesus adds another disaster: the fall of the Tower of Siloam that killed eighteen people. His response to both disasters was the same: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

These disasters raise questions. Why do things like this happen? How can we make sense of a world where one falls prey to seemingly random events? Moralists such as Job’s comforters say, “If you were living right, things like this would not happen to you.” This is the idea behind karma. If I do good, I create good karma. If I do bad, I create bad karma.

Others may rail against God. Why would God allow bad things to happen to good people? How can I trust such a God? Still others conclude that the world is random; no one can make sense of it.

The responses of both the moralist and the fatalist miss the mark. The first will make you proud; the second will make you despondent. Jesus responds with an incisive question that denies the moralist’s response: “Do you think they were worse sinners than others?” The obvious answer is no. In His forbearance, God does not always instantly bring judgment on sin.

But there is a second part to His answer: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” On one hand, in His mercy, we do not instantly get what we deserve. He sends rain on both the just and the unjust. On the other hand, if we were to get what we deserve, towers would fall on all of us.

Think about it. Have we gotten even the smallest portion of what we deserve for every lie, sinful choice, wicked thought, or dalliance with evil? If we really saw our pride, selfishness, bitterness, anger, and heart deception as God sees them, we would agree that we deserve to have towers fall on us. Until we understand that, we will never comprehend the patience and mercy of God.

We are in danger when things are going well and no towers are falling on us. We can become so accustomed to God’s mercies that we fail to see them as mercies. In Luke 13, Jesus rebukes people who are not suffering, who are self-righteous and feel smugly superior. No sin is too small to require repentance, and no sin is so large as to be beyond repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is calling us to Himself. He is calling us to acknowledge that we deserve the towers of ultimate justice to fall on us and crush us to powder. When the little towers of life are falling on us, we can take comfort that the ultimate tower of justice will never fall on us because it fell on Jesus. God, in His grace, gave Jesus what we deserve, so that He could give us what we do not deserve.

The Shepherds Spread the Good News

Mary and Joseph Keep the Law

Keep Reading Peace

From the January 2023 Issue
Jan 2023 Issue