Why?
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalm 56:8)
Like many others I was stunned by the actions in Oxford this week. The shock gives way to the senselessness of it, feelings of helplessness, anxiety, outrage, profound sadness…..so many big emotions….
How do we explain it? How do we make sense of it?
Promising lives cut short.
Being confronted with the realities of a sin cursed world.
Being reminded that we are…and those we love…are subject to both sin and mortality
What do we do? How are we to respond?
In Luke 13 we see Jesus response to a tragedy. Starting at verse 1:
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.”
Jesus is confronted with the tragedy of a senseless murder of Galileans over politics. What was Jesus response; to bring up another tragedy. The collapse of a building that crushed eighteen people. Jesus brings forth a manmade disaster and a natural disaster and connects them with a simple question: Why? Why did this happen? Did they deserve it? Did they earn it? What sin was committed?
Those are questions Jesus is not interested in answering.
All have sinned. All have fallen short. Death will come for all of us…often suddenly. Jesus turns the question from “Why” to “What does this mean to me”
Jesus answer of “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” Should not be read as repent or you will die. Don’t put the emphasis upon the word unless. It is better read as we are all going to die, and chances are almost 100% that you don’t know when that is going to be. Those who die outside the body of Christ are forever outside the body of Christ. Those who die in the body of Christ rest with Him. Where He is, we will be also. That is our Hope.
When we have tragedies like this few answers will satisfy. There will not be enough explanations. We won’t understand why. But we can respond as Christ did. As a shepherd with compassion and love and most importantly hope. As Paul wrote:
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Christ have mercy, and thy kingdom come.
- Pastor Dan