The Real Question
Luke 13:1–9
But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3
Whenever we talk about evil things happening to the “righteous” we are talking only from a human point of view and are actually asking the wrong question. We are asking, “Why did God let that happen to him or her?” when, actually, the question should be, “Why doesn’t God let it happen to us all?”
The Lord dealt with that issue in the incident found in this passage. Some people had pointed to a recent tragedy: Herod’s soldiers had fallen upon a group of Galileans who were at the temple offering sacrifices. Here were devout men and women in the very act of worship—that is, if they were ever right with God, it was then when they were standing before the altar with their sacrifices. But at that very moment Herod’s soldiers had fallen upon them and had slaughtered them. How could that happen? Or again, there was the matter of the tower of Siloam that fell over and killed many innocent people. How could God let that happen? If God is all-powerful and can therefore do as he wants and if he is loving and therefore cares about us, how can situations like these occur?
A philosopher said, “Either God is all-powerful but he does not care. Or he cares but he is not all-powerful.”
What did Jesus reply? He said, “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” (vv. 2–5). What is Jesus saying? He is saying that whenever we ask a moral question of God—“God, how can you let this happen in your universe?”—we are on dangerous ground, because we are asking the wrong question. We are saying, “God, how could you let this happen to them?” When the real question should be, “God, why hasn’t it happened to me? Why am I still living, sinner that I am? Why am I not in hell this very minute?” Our problem is that we have forgotten how sinful we are. It generally takes a disaster to awaken us from sin’s lethargy.
Abraham argued with God and said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25). A very good argument! But when the Judge of all the earth did right in that story, judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, annihilating those cities. It is not justice that we want from God. It is grace!
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.