Listen To Christ In the Midst of Catastrophe
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; 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 offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” - Luke 13:1-5
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Read these verses again. Read the response of Christ. Carefully. Seriously.
Now try and put yourself in the situation of one of the people present at this exchange: a person who’s not quite sure who this Jesus guy is; a person trying to figure it all out; a person honestly wondering why a good God who loves His people would allow something as blasphemously evil as what Pilate did to the Galileans.
Now, process Christ’s response through the mind of that person. What do you think they thought? How do you think they felt when He went right past Pilate’s murderous atrocity and instead to a natural disaster, a tragedy not driven by evil human choice? Imagine what they thought, no doubt looking for this potential messiah to blame Pilate and prophetically indict Rome in the name of God, when He turned the finger back at them and told them to deal with their own sinful mess instead.
If those people were anything at all like people today (and they were), I’m sure a great many of them left that encounter bitterly disappointed and convinced that this Jesus guy was nothing more than a compassionless blowhard.
My friends, stop for a second. This is Jesus Christ talking. This is the incarnate Word of God instructing all who have ears to hear about how to respond to catastrophe. This is literally what God wants you, me and everyone, then and now, to think about when disaster strikes.
Do not rush past it quickly.
The past couple of weeks have been filled with a cacophony of online Christian voices, all proclaiming what they’re absolutely sure is on God’s mind and heart in regards to this coronavirus outbreak. It has been stunning to me just how little of it is based in the Scriptures (what we *actually* know God thinks) and how much of it is instead directly contradictory to them.
We are told that there is nothing at all to glean from this pandemic but to sit and lament.
We are told that God has absolutely nothing to do with what’s going on because He would never do anything we perceive as negative or hurtful.
We are told that it can’t possibly be judgment for any reason whatsoever because Christ took all of the world’s sin at the cross.
We are told that this is judgement on the world’s sins in regards to abortion, homosexuality, addiction and unholiness in general.
We are even told that if we repeat Christ’s own words about the need for repentance and fear of God in the face of tragedy, an uncertain future, and our own imminent death, we are sending hateful messages to the world that mischaracterize God as unloving and monstrous.
My heart trembles for the sad state of Christianity in the modern world. It’s hard to imagine a time when people could have been as supremely confident of something they so obviously do not understand.
So, whatever else the Bible might say about God’s involvement or judgment or sin or compassion in the midst of this outbreak, remember at least Christ’s call to repent. Do not listen to those who would warp the Word of God to fit their own ideological notions of what God “must” be like. Do not listen to those who would have you believe they are more loving than Jesus, more Christian than the Apostles, and more enlightened than the Bible. Do not listen to those who claim to speak for God while ridiculing those who are literally quoting Him.
Face your own mortality. Deal seriously, consistently, routinely and honestly with your sin. Do not pretend to have it all figured out or to know exactly why all of this is happening. But listen to the words of the Master in the midst of it.
At the end of the day, it matters not a whit what you or I or anybody else thinks. But it matters a great deal what He does. Heed His words. Take them seriously. Disregard the opinions of those who don’t.
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