Luke 13:1-5

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered these things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.”

In recent days, we have witnessed events that some have concluded are the judgment of God upon the United States of America. In a previous article, I have discussed the issue of judgment upon the United States and what the Christian’s response should be. In this article, I would like to elaborate on the concept of judgment and some of the reactions of the religious community to it.

Shortly after September 11, 2001, a prominent preacher in the United States was reported to have said that the terrorist attack was the judgment of God upon this country. In like manner, after a hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast in September 2005, some might conclude that the strike was God’s judgment upon cities such as New Orleans and Biloxi with their wickedness and vice. It is difficult to argue against those who would assert that God is now judging this country for what sometimes seems an official national rejection of the Gospel. I personally am reminded of the words of God regarding the nation of Israel recorded by the inspired historian in 2 Kings 10:32: “In those days, the LORD began to cut Israel short.”

The message of God in the judgment of others is different, however, from might first be assumed. Jesus spoke of two very prominent current events that many in His day assumed to be the judgment of God. Particularly among religious people, there is a tendency to assume that bad circumstances happen to others because of wickedness. Whether or not this is true is not really the issue. The message of God in judgment is always this: “What about your own heart before God?”

The two events to which Jesus alluded are strikingly similar to current events today. The first event He mentioned was “the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.” Here a group of Jews was slaughtered by the direct instrumentality of man and specifically, the Roman government. This event could be likened to the events of September 11, 2001. On that day, many people suffered at the hands of man. The second event to which Christ referred was the collapsing of the tower of Siloam.

Whereas the first event was obviously the work of man, the second event seemed to be entirely of God. The tower fell on eighteen people, snuffing out their lives. This disaster bears semblance to the recent Gulf Coast hurricane and maybe even to a North Carolina storm in the near future. The tendency in the circumstances in Christ’s day and in our day is to judge at least some who find themselves victims of what seems to be the wrath of God. Those who come to these judgments, however, are worried about the wrong thing.

Jesus made this point quite clear in speaking to the multitude thousands of years ago. A careful analysis of His message reveals that Christ never denied that the events about which the multitude asked were the judgment of God. The crowd, however, assumed that the victims were worse sinners than the rest of the larger group from which they came. Jesus assured them, “Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” The modern thinking is no different. It might be summarized as follows: “New York was a center of wickedness worse than the surrounding areas. That is why God allowed the terrorists to hit there. New Orleans is a place of greater sin that the surrounding areas. That is why God allowed the hurricane to strike there.” Whether or not God was judging those individual cities is not the primary concern of outsiders. In fact, there is something far more important that must be on the minds of everyone who hears of the tragedies. The proper reasoning goes something like this: “Many perished in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Many died in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. All of them were sinners just like me. If I don’t get right with God, I’ll one day die and perish just like they did.”

God’s message in judgment surfaces again: “What about your own heart before God?” One of the greatest difficulties that I see in dealing with modern Americans is the preconceived ideas they have about religion and eternal destiny. In fact, this is not just an American problem; it is a human problem. Man has his own ideas about eternity, ideas that are not in accordance with God’s Word or with truth. Because of this, a man must repent in order to be saved. To repent means to change the mind. Whatever is in the human mind about eternity must be replaced with God’s truth about salvation in order for that person to be saved. That was precisely the point Christ was trying to make in Luke 13. Maybe those victims suffered what they suffered as a result of God’s judgment, but you had better repent because, in reality, you are no different from them.

Sobering events have become the rule of the day in our newspapers of late. Whether it is a new outbreak of disease, a new natural disaster, or a new threat from abroad, the news is filled with stories of tragedy that just might one day touch us. But when the tragedy touches others, the proper response is not first to judge, even though the event may indeed be God’s hand of judgment. The first proper response is to examine one’s own heart before God and see to it that he is right with God. Then take the disaster as a reminder of the brevity of life and align your thinking to match God’s truth. In short, disaster should bring repentance.