Lessons From Tragic News

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 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? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”

The people that told Jesus about this incident were focused on the people involved and especially the two groups they represented—the Jews and the Romans. That's what most people do today. When they hear about some calamity, they focus on the physical, personal aspects of the situation. They talk about what happened, where it happened, how and why it happened, whose fault it was, and what should be done about it. Those things have a place, but God-fearing people see higher principles and deeper lessons. That is one of the lessons we should learn from this story in Luke chapter 13.

It appears that the people who told Jesus about this killing had the idea that these Galileans were bad people—perhaps worse than most—and that was the reason they died this horrible death. Jesus said, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?” Was that the reason this happened to them?

Jesus gave a quick answer: “No.” He said you can’t draw that conclusion. Just because something bad happens to a person does not always mean he deserved it or that he deserved it more than others. Life is not equal in how justice is administered. Sometimes people get what is coming to them and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes people don’t deserve what happens to them and sometimes they do. That is a second lesson to remember.

Did God cause the tower in Siloam to fall because these 18 people were the worst sinners in Jerusalem and deserved to die? Jesus again answers “No.” That was not the reason. Accidents happen. Not everything that happens is an “act of God” in the way people use that phrase—that is, an act of special divine intervention to bring justice on earth. This does not leave out divine intervention. It just reminds us that we can’t always say that suffering is punishment from God. That is a third lesson.

These people talked about physical, earthly trials that others experienced. Jesus made the discussion more personal and more spiritual. “No,” He said, is the answer to the question about whether the people who died were any worse than others. But He turned their attention inward to themselves. “But, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

The people who told Him about others needed to look at themselves. They were sinners who needed to repent, and they still had time. The ones who died in these calamities could not. That is lesson number four. When we hear people talking about tragedies, they stop short of any spiritual application. It’s all about the earthly side. We need to remember the higher principles involved in such events and teach others who will listen.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • May 25, 2025