But For The Grace...

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? Or those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?”
Luke 13:2 & 4 (NIV)

Jesus has been busy. He has been teaching his disciples, making the religious leaders of His day look foolish, and teaching the crowds that seemed to be constantly around Him. Jesus had just finished calling the crowd hypocrites because they could forecast the weather, by the signs nature presented but they couldn’t figure out how to interpret the times they were living in. Jesus also warned this crowd to be reconciled with someone who had something against them before the matter gets before a judge, because they might lose, and lose big. This is where this week’s questions from Jesus come in.

Someone in the crowd tells Jesus about how Pilate had a bunch of Galileans killed as they presented their sacrifices. In one of these rare moments when Jesus asks and answers the question, Jesus asks: Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because of how they suffered and died? Jesus immediately answers “I tell you, no”!

Before we continue, it is probably important to understand, that in those days it was common to assume that if some tragedy befell a person or if a person was sick or crippled, that they were being punished for their sin. Think about the situation in John, where Jesus and his crew meet a man who was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus did the man or his parents sin that he was born blind. Basically, anything that happened that was bad, equaled it was a punishment for sin. Read the book of Job in the Old Testament for just such a story.

Let’s continue. Not only does Jesus tell them that the Galileans killed as they presented their sacrifices are not worse sinners than their Galilean brothers and sisters, but that all of those listening to him would also perish if they did not repent. Then Jesus brings up another tragic event where eighteen people died when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them. Jesus asked a similar question. “Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?” He answers this second question the same way. Nope and if you don’t repent, you will perish too. Then Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that gets one more chance to bear fruit or be chopped down – but that is a story for another day.

Sometimes we suffer because of someone else’s sin. Sometimes we suffer because we live in a very broken world. Sometimes we do pay the consequences for our own sins. Sometimes we suffer so that God's grace can be displayed in our lives. But we don’t have to stay in that sin-caused place of suffering. Jesus calls us to turn around, to make better choices, to choose Him and His grace. Like the fig tree that is given more time to produce fruit, before it is cut down. God’s grace gives us chance, after chance, after chance to produce the fruit that a life transformed by God’s grace is meant to bear. But for the grace of God.

What do you need to turn from with the power of His grace? What aspects of the fruit of the Spirit need to be cultivated by the power of His grace? Life is going to be hard. Life is going to be unfair. But Jesus is making all things new by His grace.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – will you choose His grace for yourself? Will you extend His grace to someone who needs it?