Sadly, there is a constant stream of reports about tragedies that are taking place around the world. It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new story about some tragedy that has taken place somewhere.
Recently, Brad (one of the pastors at our church) shared a little about the destruction that has been left in the wake of earthquakes in Central Asia over the past couple of months.
On April 14th, an EF4 tornado ripped through north Mississippi leaving a wake of destruction in its path. This tornado had peak winds of 170 mph and stayed on the ground for close to 60 miles. At least 26 people lost their lives and hundreds more have been displaced.
I remember receiving texts from some of our church members checking on us as we were heading to Mississippi to see family. We were not down there when this storm came through, but we saw the path of destruction that was left by this storm.
As devastating as what we saw was, a beautiful picture was coming out of the ugliness: the body of Christ reaching out to help in many ways. We went to services the Sunday we were there at a church we were part of some 11 years ago, and heard about the prayers and plans to help in different ways.
When tragedies like these strike, it is common to hear questions in the aftermath. Questions like: Why did this happen? Is God punishing us? Where was God in the midst of this?
While these are good questions, there are other questions that might be even more important that get lost in the rubble. These questions are more of the “big picture questions” that look past the present circumstances.
In Luke 13, we see an instance of this played out in the life and ministry of Jesus. I want to go back to the beginning of Luke 13 to see how Jesus dealt with the questions that arise during a tragedy.
1 At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And he responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well. 4 Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.”
Luke 13:1–5 CSB
We see a group of people coming to Jesus reporting about a tragedy that had taken place. Pilate had apparently killed a group of Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. This was a horrific scene. We may think about times when we’ve heard of shootings or other tragedies that have taken place in houses of worship. There is just something extra wrong with that.
Jesus first addresses a common teaching that was among the people – one that even remains today: those who suffer like this do so as a result of sin in their lives. We see this going back all the way to the story of Job. These types of things do not happen to “innocent people.”
Jesus also brings up a tragedy that took place where 18 people were killed by a tower falling in Siloam (v4). He asks, “Do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?” The way Jesus words this question is with an understanding the answer is no.
What Jesus is trying to get them to see is the answer is not “Why did they die?” but “Why am I still alive?”
Bad things happen because we live in a broken world
The Bible is clear that when sin entered the Garden of Eden, it affected everything. Sin separates people from a holy God. Sin has also messed up the order of creation. Where things were intended to work perfectly together, it does not anymore.
Why do we see massive earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, area floods, and droughts even on a more frequent scale than ever before? It is the curse of sin on this world.
Just because a tragedy takes place in a particular area does not automatically mean the people of that area were worse sinners. Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners.
While the news of this tragedy had brought about certain questions, Jesus wanted to draw each of them to the deeper truth: there is a judgment that awaits any who do not repent.
The gospel is a message of mercy
We like the word mercy. It is a precious word. The best definition of mercy I’ve come across is “not getting what one deserves.” Mercy is a good word, isn’t it?
There is something about tragedy that wakes us up to reality. Maybe that is why Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.”
The message of the gospel is one of mercy. While each of us has sinned and deserves God’s wrath, He has chosen to offer His mercy to anyone who will trust in what Jesus has done for them.
The beauty of the gospel is that while God should condemn us, He has chosen to forgive and save any who will turn to Him by faith and repentance. This is the message Jesus was sharing with those people then and us today.
Mercy is offered for a time
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’ 8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
Luke 13:6–9 CSB
To further illustrate His point, Jesus shares a parable about a man ready to cut down an unfruitful tree. Jesus shares that repentance is the fruit produced by a life that as trusted in Christ.
In this parable, Jesus shares three important truths:
True belief results in fruit evident to all
Jesus said many times during His time on earth that you will know a tree by its fruit. We like to put labels on ourselves for many things. We live in a world today that says you can identify as whatever you would like. The truth is you can only be what you are created to be.
Just because a person carries a Bible around, attends church on a weekly basis, and calls themselves a Christian doesn’t make them a Christian any more than me reading a manual and boarding a plane makes me a pilot. The proof is in the fruit.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 CSB
“Jesus is Lord” is a declaration that you no longer call the shots in your life, but Jesus does. What Jesus says, you do. That can be seen by others who take Jesus’ words from the Bible and hold them up to your life.
Believing in your heart is an internal decision that only you know if it happened. But if it has happened, then there will be a change in the rest of your life that is evident to others.
Through this parable about an unfruitful tree, Jesus says that imposters will be exposed for who they truly are.
We don’t know our time
A second truth of this parable is that we don’t know how much time there is to make a decision. Jesus could see the hearts of these people as they asked about tragedies that had occured. Some of them would take His words and ponder them for a time. Jesus did not want to leave them with the assumption that there was plenty of time.
Jesus wants us to understand that the point of hearing the gospel is the point of decision. It is not something that we can afford to put on the shelf and come back to at a more convenient time.
2 For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:2 CSB
As long as you live, there is an opportunity to respond
While we do not know the number of our days, we can know that, with each day the Lord gives us, we have a chance to respond.
There have been many who have heard the beautiful news of mercy that comes from the gospel but thought, “I don’t know if it can work for me.”
Jesus’ parable about the unfruitful tree shows us that He gives plenty of opportunities to respond. You may be hearing this message again. Know this, God is giving you an opportunity to respond. You may have a loved one or friend that you care about greatly who needs to hear this message of the gospel. Understand that as long as the Lord gives them breath, He is giving them an opportunity to respond. That means though, that we need to be sharing it.
Conclusion
We have good news, people. Jesus Christ has come and taken on the punishment that we deserve. In the midst of the tragedies of life, Jesus offers hope and mercy to any who will trust in Him and follow Him. Will we respond appropriately? Will we be the ones who share this life-giving message with others?
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