Luke 13:1-9
What would it take to really bring home to you the need for
repentance? What would it take to
get your attention? That’s what
Jesus is doing in today’s Gospel passage.
He’s trying to shake up the disciples into an awareness of their own
need for repentance.
In Luke’s Gospel, this story is part of a series of events
where Jesus is teaching his disciples and the broader group gathered around
him. This particular event is
unique to Luke’s Gospel.
It touches upon the persistent question. Why does suffering happen? Why does calamity strike some people
and not others? Answering these questions is not Jesus primary point, although
he does address them. Jesus point
is to rattle the disciples’ into a recognition of their need for repentance.
Jesus refers to two historical events that we know nothing
else about. Evidently Pilate
murdered some Galileans while they were in the midst of offering sacrifices to
God. In another instance a tower,
perhaps in the walls of Jerusalem, fell, killing eighteen people.
The implied question is: Did these people die because of their own fault? Were their deaths punishment for their
sin?
Jesus is VERY clear.
These people did not suffer because of their fault. Suffering is not God’s way of punishing
sin. The occurrence of suffering
does not prove some particular state of sinfulness.
Never think that about yourself or about someone else. Jesus is very clear.
Perhaps more importantly for the disciples and for us,
implicit in Jesus’ words: Don’t
assume that just because a tower has not fallen on you that means you are right
with God. The absence of calamity
does not prove that everything is right between you and God.
There’s one more very important thing Jesus is saying. Sin does produce suffering. God does not produce suffering as a
punishment for sin. Sin itself
produces suffering. Not all
suffering is the result of sin.
Calamities just happen. But
sin does produce suffering. Our
sin produces suffering. Within
ourselves, in our relationships with people we care about, and in the world. As St. Paul says in Romans, the wages
of sin is death. Our sin kills our
souls. Kills our
relationships. And can kill
others.
In today’s collect we pray to be saved from our own evil
thoughts that assault our souls.
Our sin of pride or covetousness kills our relationships. And while the people from Jerusalem who
were crushed by the falling tower did not die as a result of their sin (Jesus
is very clear on that), it is possible that they died as the result of a greedy
builder who cut corners on quality or safety to save a few pennies.
So repent. Sin
causes suffering. Your own sin
kills.
Jesus is saying to the disciples and those gathered
around: You think being killed by
Pilate is bad? You think having a
tower fall on you is bad? The
consequences of your own sin are worse…
God is concerned about our sin. But if we think of our sin as a problem that God seeks to
fix, there are two possible ways God might respond to the “problem of sin.” One would be to impose justice through
punishment. The other is to seek
reconciliation through forgiveness.
One commentator writes: "[Why do you say that] sin requires punishment? Is God not
able to forgive sin? Indeed, aren’t punishment and forgiveness rather antithetical,
when you think of it? That is, each is a way of dealing with a problem, but not
that compatible. If someone has “paid for sin” then there is no need to
forgive. And if one has truly forgiven, then there is no payment required."
God doesn’t punish.
God seeks reconciliation and new life. God’s hope is that out of sin, new fruit will be born.
The Gospel reading we heard today has two parts. The first part where Jesus calls for
the disciples’ repentance and the second part about the fig tree… the fig tree that has failed in the
past, but God saves it, nurtures it and so deeply yearns for it to become
fruitful.
This passage not meant to be about the meaning of
suffering. Jesus is clear that the
tragedies he cites had no meaning. It’s about the seriousness of sin and a call to repentance. And the promise of reconciliation and
renewed fruitfulness.
It’s actually all there in our Ash Wednesday service.
In that service the Church invites us all to the observance
of a holy Lent: Remembering Jesus’
passion and resurrection, the season of Lent became a time in which “the whole
congregation was put in mind of the need
which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.” All Christians. All of the time. Need to renew our repentance and faith.
What does it take to bring that message home to you?
But the fig tree is in the Ash Wednesday service, too. After we say the sweeping and profound
litany of penitence, there is an equally sweeping and profound absolution. The absolution begins with these words:
“Almighty God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the
death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their wickedness and live…
God pardons and absolves. Restores, reconciles, renews… That is God’s hope for us; God’s response to our sin.
