Larry Devich
Sunday, March 11, 2007
On Repentance The 3rd Sunday in Lent
Read: Luke 13:1-9
Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell
you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:2-3)
As we have reached another Sunday in Lent, we turn to the day’s Gospel
lesson. Remember: the Lord Jesus Christ is present there, in the flesh; and
whatever He is saying or doing, it is for you.
The introduction to this booklet begins with the question, “Where is God?”
The answer lies at the heart of today’s text. People tell Jesus about some
Galileans, victims of Pontius Pilate’s erratic rule. Caught in the wrong place at
the wrong time, they were killed even as they offered sacrifices. What did this
mean? Was it a sign that God hated these men and thus used Pilate as His
sword? Were they worse sinners than those who lived? Jesus answers, “I tell
you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
The Lord Himself offers another example: “Or those eighteen on whom the
tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners
than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?” His answer is identical to the first:
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Despite man’s best attempts, we live in a world of random violence and
unfair, sudden death. The drunk driver survives the head-on collision, while the
mother and child in the other car do not. The IED explodes alongside a convoy
in Iraq: one soldier lives and the other dies, and the one who lives feels guilty
for doing so. Why does it happen this way? What does it mean? And where is
God?
In the text, the answer to the final question is clear: God is standing in the
middle of the crowd, bidding them to repent. It’s a crowd of people instructed by
the Pharisees to believe that good behavior is the key to salvation, and who
naturally believe that bad things only happen to bad people; but the dead
Galileans and the fallen tower belie that. (The upcoming death of the sinless Son
will do so all the more!) Jesus instead tells the stark truth that death stalks all,
and good works don’t give life. Rather, He bids them to repent of their sin.
Repentant, they are forgiven. Forgiven, they have eternal life no matter when
death strikes. Unrepentant, they are like a fig tree that produces no figs and
exists only as long as the farmer extends his patience and labor.
The same Savior is present in your midst, calling you to repentance and
forgiving your sins in His means of grace. He does not grant you grace because
you've been exceptionally well-behaved over the past 24 hours, nor does He
deny it because you have sinned. His grace does not depend upon your work, but
upon His work and cross. We do not know if we will live to see tomorrow’s
sunrise, no matter how well we behave. But you do know that, for Jesus’ sake,
eternal life is yours—even when bad things happen. And when it is given you to
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil: your Lord
is with you, as near as His Word and Supper. ¶ 3/11/2007 09:51:00 AM 0 Comments
Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell
you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:2-3)
As we have reached another Sunday in Lent, we turn to the day’s Gospel
lesson. Remember: the Lord Jesus Christ is present there, in the flesh; and
whatever He is saying or doing, it is for you.
The introduction to this booklet begins with the question, “Where is God?”
The answer lies at the heart of today’s text. People tell Jesus about some
Galileans, victims of Pontius Pilate’s erratic rule. Caught in the wrong place at
the wrong time, they were killed even as they offered sacrifices. What did this
mean? Was it a sign that God hated these men and thus used Pilate as His
sword? Were they worse sinners than those who lived? Jesus answers, “I tell
you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
The Lord Himself offers another example: “Or those eighteen on whom the
tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners
than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?” His answer is identical to the first:
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Despite man’s best attempts, we live in a world of random violence and
unfair, sudden death. The drunk driver survives the head-on collision, while the
mother and child in the other car do not. The IED explodes alongside a convoy
in Iraq: one soldier lives and the other dies, and the one who lives feels guilty
for doing so. Why does it happen this way? What does it mean? And where is
God?
In the text, the answer to the final question is clear: God is standing in the
middle of the crowd, bidding them to repent. It’s a crowd of people instructed by
the Pharisees to believe that good behavior is the key to salvation, and who
naturally believe that bad things only happen to bad people; but the dead
Galileans and the fallen tower belie that. (The upcoming death of the sinless Son
will do so all the more!) Jesus instead tells the stark truth that death stalks all,
and good works don’t give life. Rather, He bids them to repent of their sin.
Repentant, they are forgiven. Forgiven, they have eternal life no matter when
death strikes. Unrepentant, they are like a fig tree that produces no figs and
exists only as long as the farmer extends his patience and labor.
The same Savior is present in your midst, calling you to repentance and
forgiving your sins in His means of grace. He does not grant you grace because
you've been exceptionally well-behaved over the past 24 hours, nor does He
deny it because you have sinned. His grace does not depend upon your work, but
upon His work and cross. We do not know if we will live to see tomorrow’s
sunrise, no matter how well we behave. But you do know that, for Jesus’ sake,
eternal life is yours—even when bad things happen. And when it is given you to
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil: your Lord
is with you, as near as His Word and Supper. ¶ 3/11/2007 09:51:00 AM 0 Comments
