Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
This is a beautiful world, but it has been terribly spoiled. Although the kindly fingerprints of God's creative majesty are everywhere, so too is the ugly wreckage caused by sin. Jesus was not indifferent to tragedy, but in using these two examples, He pointed to the message which accompanies every disaster. The people wanted Jesus to condemn the violent behaviour of Pilate (who would later condemn Him to death). However, He ignored the political controversy around the massacre of protesting Galileans who had come to sacrifice at the temple; instead He linked it to multiple deaths from a badly built tower which collapsed onto the crowd. But what was the message?
The assumption, that in this life, nice things happen to good people and bad things to those who are evil, is wrong. Although we push away the thought, all of us die ... both the good and the bad. Physical death is inevitable for everybody, because all have sinned: how we will die and when are mere details. Jesus said that those who come to a premature end as a result of violence or carelessness or natural disaster are not more sinful than those who live to breathe another day; all are equally under the curse of sin. The critical question is whether we will perish eternally or live for ever after God's judgement of us.
Terrible tragedies are a reminder of the much greater wrath of God against our sin, and of our need to repent and be reconciled to God now; before we meet Him in judgement. Jesus was ruthless in pushing that message home. It is still the essential message which prepares people to hear and receive the gospel. Without the extraordinarily bad news of hell, there is little reason to repent; and a repentance-less gospel is no gospel at all. So the sense of 'it could have been me' which accompanies each disaster, is God's wake up call to get right with God before it is too late (see www.crosscheck.org.uk). Therefore, part of our work is not only to comfort people who are traumatised by tragedy but to help people to recognise the 'signs of the times' and wake up to the need to repent and be reconciled with God through Jesus Christ.
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