Where were you on 9/ll? If you’re reading this, you most likely were not in either of the Twin Towers the day the terrorists attacked. If you were, you obviously were among those who were fortunate enough to survive, thank God. Why was that? Were those who perished that day greater sinners than those who were spared? Based on our reading today, (Luke chapter 13), that’s exactly the question Jesus would have asked if He were here with us in the flesh. In His day it was the slaughter caused by Pilate and the death of those 18 crushed by the Tower of Siloam. Tragedy is no respecter of persons: it can happen to any of us. We are all vulnerable… but for the mercy of God.
It's human nature to want to know “why”. Living life generates questions: they’re what keep us learning and growing. If we can figure out why something happened to someone else, then maybe we can understand how to prevent it from happening to us. I imagine that’s what was behind the accusations of Job’s so-called friends. Surely there must have been some secret sin that brought this evil upon him – evidently Job wasn’t as godly as he appeared (or so they hoped). Some questions, however, have no answers – not in this life. For those, we need God’s grace to accept the things we cannot understand and come to peace with them. Forcing our own conclusions never fully satisfies. The secret things belong to God (Deut. 29:29): we must learn to leave them with Him.
The fact that we tend to consider ourselves better than others (because we have been spared some mishap), only proves Jesus’ point - we are all in need of repentance. Such an attitude exposes the underlying pride that tells us we are deserving of God’s blessing while others are not. Jesus used this occasion to teach his disciples about God’s mercy, human compassion and the greater importance of our eternal state over the temporal.
If God gave us what we deserve, who could stand? It’s of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not; they are new every morning… (Lam. 3:22,23) God’s goodness is not bestowed upon us to confirm how good we are, but rather, to show us how patient, kind and loving He is. When properly understood, the goodness of God leads us to repent of anything in our lives that is not worthy of Him. (Ro. 2:4) His constant goodness makes me see how truly unworthy I am of His love, and causes me to want to give back what I can in return, namely my best, myself, my all. Romans 2:4 says… the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Another rendering of this verse brings out the thought that the very act of bringing us to repentance (however that may come about), is in itself an expression of God’s goodness. Repentance is so important to God that in the grand scheme of things, it would be better for someone to die suddenly here and enter into life, than to be spared a tragic end only to perish eternally. (See Ezekiel 33:11) In the parable that follows in Luke 13 (verses 6-9), Jesus shows how the husbandman, reluctant to cut down the fig tree, tenderly nurtures it in hopes of finding the desired fruit thereon. Doesn’t this perfectly illustrate God’s patient and loving dealings with each one of us?
The next time we hear of some tragic event in someone’s life, let’s not be so quick to “cut them down” with our judgements and opinions. Many fellow Christians died on 9/ll as well. Instead of asking “Why did this happen to them?” perhaps the question should be, “Why didn’t this happen to me?” And then thank God for His mercy while showing compassion to those who have endured such pain and loss. Look within and remind yourself that every day is a gift from God … what you do with it is your gift to Him.
“For mercies so great what return can I make?
For mercies so constant and sure?
I’ll love Him, I’ll serve Him with all that I have,
As long as my life shall endure.” – T. O. Chisholm