RESPONDING TO DISASTER LUKE 13:4-5 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” In this passage, Jesus is talking about a tragedy that happened during his lifetime in which a tower fell over in Jerusalem, killing 18 people. His point is that the tragedy wasn't caused by sin--it just happened. He wanted to teach clearly that all of us are in need of repentance because all of us wrestle against the curse of sin and death. Tragedies are not the acts of a vengeful God. Tragedies are the lingering effects of the long shadow cast by the curse of sin and death which has disturbed the order of immortality and perfect love that God intended in the beginning and will restore to us (and to the whole earth) in the end. And so the best way to respond to tragedy is to grieve with those who grieve, preach with clarity about our hope for the restoration of all things in the age to come, and to invite people to BEGIN THAT RESTORATION NOW, by coming to the Lord, acknowledging His love, and receiving his life, peace, and immortality as a free gift. It is true that sometimes God does have a clear message for us in events that unfold--these are what Jesus referred to as "signs of the times." However, it is a mistake to go reaching for a prophetic interpretation in cases when it would be far more impactful just to shift our focus back to the hope we have.

Posted by mfickess at 2025-01-30 14:51:33 UTC