Luke 13-A “Do You Think They’re Worse Sinners?”

S = 13:1-2 “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² 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.”

O = The world-view of the Jews was prone to see direct cause and effect of the spiritual condition being played out in a person’s circumstances. In the common view, if you were blind it was because of your parents’ sin, if disaster struck it most likely would have been some personal sin that triggered it. Job is a wonderful example of God debunking this theology—but it seems to be in our nature to point the finger of blame when disaster happens. But this involves a wrong view of our own sin (that we are somehow less sinful than others) and a wrong view of God. As one of my professors, Dr. Paul Metzger, says, “God is not a Judge who loves when he can, but a Lover who judges when he has to.” The real question here is not, “What did they do?” but “What should I do?” The answer Jesus gives is, “Repent.”

A = Am I prone to thinking I am better or less deserving of judgment than others? That is self-deception. Do I see the mercy and love of God as holding us all back from judgment today (Luke 13:6-9)? I should. He doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He sent Jesus not to condemn the world, but that we might be saved. I recognize that we all, apart from the work of Christ, are on a trajectory of judgment. I need to repent of that trajectory and all its trappings and follow Jesus as he seeks and saves the lost. As He, in compassion enters into their suffering in order to bring healing and wholeness.

P = O Lord, let me not look at others judgmentally, but in compassion. May I live in repentance and manifest the mercy I have received to the hurting people around me. Amen.

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