Shalom,
Let us always learn to understand the truth of God’s word and put it into practice in our daily life in order to bless those who have not believed the Lord yet so that they also may gain salvation through our life’s testimony.
The part of God's Word that we will study this morning is taken from the Gospel of Luke 13:1-9.
- Sin and suffering (vv. 1-5)
- The parable of the fig tree that did not bear fruit (vv. 6-9)
When misfortune and suffering befall a person, he will instinctively wonder why this happens to him, how to deal with this problem, etc. Various reactions also arise, including: panic, worry, fear, anxiety; they don’t know what to do or they’re even being indifferent because they don’t want to take steps or actions to improve themselves so that things don’t get worse; they might even blame and try to find scapegoats among people or things around them. Example: During this pandemic, when most countries are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak, the response from the community varies.
There are those who respond positively and obey the health protocol imposed by the government. Some refuse to be vaccinated while others blame the government for being slow to deal with this problem. What about our church’s response? Answering God’s calling to show compassion to our church members who are suffering from Covid-19, we have made a special ministry to reach out to them by praying for them and supplying medicines.
When disaster and suffering are occurring, it’s unlikely that people make the response that Jesus expects: personal repentance. He mentioned about it twice in verses 3 and 5, “… no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. …, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
We have to admit that it’s not easy to call for repentance for those who are experiencing calamity or suffering because it might seem inhuman and unmerciful; it can even be misinterpreted that we’re trying to blame them for their misfortune. But Jesus didn’t give any other direction and response except strictly reminded them to repent with a humble attitude.
At that time a group of Jews spoke to Jesus about the disaster that had befallen the Galileans on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They brought sacrifices but were killed and Pilate mixed their blood with the blood of the sacrifices. Jesus then gave them advice to be careful and humble in judging people who suffered such things.
But they seemed to be insensitive. Knowing their hearts, Jesus asked them the same question about the incident where eighteen people were killed when a tower in Siloam fell on them. He wanted to correct their erroneous perception and emphasized that they were killed or suffered not because their sins were greater than others’.
This kind of perspective was very common among religious people at that time because it was indeed mixed with customs and traditions. For example: When Job suffered so much, his friends Eliphas, Bildad, Zofar thought that he deserved it for the sin he had committed and they suggested him to repent whereas it was actually a test. John 9 writes a question about a person born blind: whether it was the result of his own sin or his parents’. The idea of suffering being the consequence of breaking God’s commandments seems rational and has existed since ancient time until now.
Therefore, Jesus wanted to straighten out such incorrect way of thinking and false judgment. His wisdom and work transcend human’s understanding. Doesn't He send rain on both the righteous and the unjust (Matt. 5:45)? He wants us to know that just because we’re not in adversity doesn’t mean that we’re more spiritually righteous than those who are in calamity; thus we’re not supposed to judge them by saying, “they had it coming.”
Actually we don't know what will happen in the future even though at this time we may be spared from suffering but we need to remember that we, believers, aren’t immune to disasters, problems and suffering; however, God is still present to express His love and will never leave us. The speaker’s testimony: When his family was grieving for his mother who was just called back to Heavenly Father’s home, thankfully reconciliation among family members took place.
The fact is that we often see people whom we think are good and pious face suffering while those who indulge in sin seem to be doing well. Actually, the experience of suffering is meant to arouse humility to make us careful in thinking and talking about the suffering of others. Don’t immediately judge that they suffer because their sin is greater!
Jesus didn’t tell the reason why the Galileans were slain; so, when someone is severely suffering, it’s because of God's sovereignty, and we have no right to judge the sufferer.
Although Jesus didn't explain the real reason, He clearly warned, "Unless you repent, you will all perish in this way." What does it mean? We are told again to understand two events written in the Bible, namely:
- The curse that Adam and Eve experienced when they fell into sin. We, their descendants, are As a result of their sin, God declared punishment and judgment. Adam, Eve, snakes and the earth were cursed. Because of sin, man is separated from God and death awaits.
Now the earth is heading to destruction (1 John 2:17) and men who were made from dust will return to dust that is to die because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). No one is right and good, all have sinned (Rom. 3:10,12,23).
- In fact, if God wants to bluntly apply His righteousness and justice, He can immediately eliminate men as soon as they fall into sin. But it’s evident that He shows His great love and grace by giving people the opportunity to repent in order to gain salvation. However, when God decides that His mercy is enough and the time for them to turn to Him is up, He will judge the whole world with perfect righteousness. His judgment is comprehensive and eternal, we will one by one appear before the judgment seat of Christ for all that is done in life (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15). So don't waste time and opportunity to repent before it's too Disease, plague, violence, political oppression, serious accidents etc. happened because of the curse of sin that came upon the whole world. This kind of condition should serve as an opportunity not to judge others but to awaken us to repent so as not to be condemned along with the world.
Jesus also warned that the curse of sin can fall on anyone. And to reinforce His teaching, He gave a parable of a fig tree that didn’t bear fruit and deserved to be cut down because it would be useless to let it live. This context is addressed to those who deserve to be punished for their sins against God.
Application: God has the right to punish us if there is no fruit of repentance in us and we cannot refuse or argue with Him.
There is something interesting in this parable: the gardener didn’t stand idly by but took good care of the tree so that it would bear fruit the next year.
This is a picture of God's patience and kindness that still gives time for us to repent and produce the fruit of repentance. Not only does He give time, He faithfully works in our lives. He humbly serves us in love and ultimately is willing to bear the curse of our sin on the cross.
Heavenly Father crushed Him for our iniquities (Isa. 53) so that all who turn to Him, confess and believe in Him who was crucified and resurrected will be saved from God's wrath and the impending judgment. God calls us and His call echoes throughout the world for us to return to Him to repent so that we will be saved. But unfortunately many people reject Him. We can see when the seven bowls of God's wrath were poured out, they remained unrepentant (Rev. 16:9,11,21).
Introspection: Have we repented and produced the fruit of repentance in the midst of the current global catastrophe? Let every disaster and suffering be an opportunity for us to repent and a warning that we really need Him. Remember that as long as we live on the earth that is under God's curse, disaster and death will always exist. There will be time when men can’t repent even though calamities strike them repeatedly because the time to repent has run out.
Let us use every opportunity to repent while there is time and chance so that we will someday be allowed to inhabit the new heavens and earth where there will no longer be pain and tears of suffering. Amen.