Luke 13 seems to open on a very tragic account. Then, Luke reports (13:1), “on the same occasion,” some were present who reported to Jesus about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. We don’t know any more about this event than is here reported. Apparently, Pilate had sent in his troops to break up a gathering of Galilean Jews that he deemed dangerous. The Roman soldiers did not even respect the fact that the Jews were worshiping God by offering sacrifices. They slaughtered them so that their blood flowed together with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus uses this current event to make a spiritual point. Then He brings up another tragedy from recent history, when a tower fell down and killed 18 people, and uses that event to reinforce the spiritual lesson he was about to teach.
This is probably one of the few places in scripture where the master discussed the implications of the tragedies that we face in life. From the master discourse on this subject, we would base our blog post on today, and draw some good lessons.
LIFE LESSONS ON TRAGEDIES
1) From the reported incident to Jesus of the Galileans that were killed by Pilates and from the one that Jesus himself cited we can see the two major causes of evil in our world: the ones facilitated by evil men and the one caused by natural disaster or accidents. And even though these two sets of people were in places where it seems tragedy cannot hit, yet they were taken away by the cruel hands of death. The Galileans went to 'church', they were offering sacrifices to their God, but yet in the midst of that, the violent men came into their midst and wrought evil. We have lot of contemporary examples in this respect. The other set was by the tower. The tower is the stronghold of a city, it is by the wall of the city defense center. It is where an external enemy must first breakthrough before they can bring down a city. Yet at the defense tower, these people were without defense against death!
Really there is no safe place on the earth, even in your room. Has the Psalmist not said that it is whom the Lord keep safe from evil that is free from evil! The safest place on the earth is in the hollow of his hands. Psalm 91:1 tells us
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty"
Under the shadow of his wings is the safest place there is!
2) The fragility of life should make us think more of eternity beyond. One moment I can imagine the Galileans leaving their home excitedly to the place of worship and sacrifice unto God and then they were offering their worship and sacrifice the next, only for some Italian soldiers to badge and turn the worship feast to a blood fest! Life is but fragile. This fragility of life should help us put our focus more on that which is eternal, that which is not ephemeral, and that is life beyond in heaven or in hell. And this was what Jesus was trying to do here, refocusing the people's attention from life's fragility to heaven's eternity, for its there we will be forever! And here was the point of Jesus message and it's what is the focus of the third point
3) The greatest tragedy of life is dying without hope of eternity in God! These were strong words from the master:
'And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"
Luke 13:2-5 KJV
In other words, Jesus was saying without repentance and embracing life in God mankind would suffer a worse fate, and that is eternal destruction which is not just physical death but spiritual! Here mankind will face the judgment of God which is more terrifying than that of death! The fragility of life should point us to our eternity in God. And we enjoyed this eternity in God when we repent and receive the life of the son of God, for without this life we are dead even before we die
Read full blog post here UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book Of Luke - Luke 13
This is probably one of the few places in scripture where the master discussed the implications of the tragedies that we face in life. From the master discourse on this subject, we would base our blog post on today, and draw some good lessons.
LIFE LESSONS ON TRAGEDIES
1) From the reported incident to Jesus of the Galileans that were killed by Pilates and from the one that Jesus himself cited we can see the two major causes of evil in our world: the ones facilitated by evil men and the one caused by natural disaster or accidents. And even though these two sets of people were in places where it seems tragedy cannot hit, yet they were taken away by the cruel hands of death. The Galileans went to 'church', they were offering sacrifices to their God, but yet in the midst of that, the violent men came into their midst and wrought evil. We have lot of contemporary examples in this respect. The other set was by the tower. The tower is the stronghold of a city, it is by the wall of the city defense center. It is where an external enemy must first breakthrough before they can bring down a city. Yet at the defense tower, these people were without defense against death!
Really there is no safe place on the earth, even in your room. Has the Psalmist not said that it is whom the Lord keep safe from evil that is free from evil! The safest place on the earth is in the hollow of his hands. Psalm 91:1 tells us
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty"
Under the shadow of his wings is the safest place there is!
2) The fragility of life should make us think more of eternity beyond. One moment I can imagine the Galileans leaving their home excitedly to the place of worship and sacrifice unto God and then they were offering their worship and sacrifice the next, only for some Italian soldiers to badge and turn the worship feast to a blood fest! Life is but fragile. This fragility of life should help us put our focus more on that which is eternal, that which is not ephemeral, and that is life beyond in heaven or in hell. And this was what Jesus was trying to do here, refocusing the people's attention from life's fragility to heaven's eternity, for its there we will be forever! And here was the point of Jesus message and it's what is the focus of the third point
3) The greatest tragedy of life is dying without hope of eternity in God! These were strong words from the master:
'And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"
Luke 13:2-5 KJV
In other words, Jesus was saying without repentance and embracing life in God mankind would suffer a worse fate, and that is eternal destruction which is not just physical death but spiritual! Here mankind will face the judgment of God which is more terrifying than that of death! The fragility of life should point us to our eternity in God. And we enjoyed this eternity in God when we repent and receive the life of the son of God, for without this life we are dead even before we die
Read full blog post here UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book Of Luke - Luke 13
