“I tell you,
no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke
13:3).
“Now there were some present at
that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with
their sacrifices”
(Luke 13:1).
What…wasn’t Jesus reading the Advertiser, or
watching the evening news?
It was the talk of the day…the issue that kept
people talking. “Did you hear what Pilate did to those poor Galileans as they
worshipped…? Let us tell Jesus to see what He has to say about it.”
Today…people talk about Greenland’s seizure;
Maduro’s illegal kidnapping; American and Israel’s involvement in regime change
in Iran; and war in Ukraine or the hot weather – see global warming in action;
or fires, floods…you name it.
What is the talk of the day? What would Jesus say
today?
We don’t know what exactly prompted those people to
inform Jesus about the latest news. We know His response…His take.
And maybe we learn how to respond to today’s news.
The loss of life is less
important than the loss of one’s soul.
One thing in common in both stories was the sudden
loss of life. Sudden loss of life meant no time for reconciliation.
Jesus just told them (Luke 12:44) about the “present
time” being a time of reconciliation. “As you are going with your adversary to
the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you
off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer
throw you into prison” (Luke 12:58). Reconcile with your adversary while there
is time!
Tragedy strikes the sinner and
the righteous.
What is the difference? The sinner dies
unreconciled; the righteous dies reconciled to God. Again, what is the
difference? The difference is huuuuge…eternal…an eternity wide! Be
reconciled! Repent!