Luke 13:1-5

Luke chapter 13 and verses 1 to 5. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus answered and said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galilians, because they suffered such things? I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those 18 upon whom the Tower of Salome fell and slew them. Think ye that they were sinned. sinners, above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem, I tell you nay. But except ye repent, he shall all likewise perish. When Job suffered such tragic events according to God’s providence in his life, all in one day, it was quite shocking. The judge may of Job’s so-called friends was rather harsh. And you recall cruel, for basically they said, you must be a horrible sinner to have all this fall upon you. Eliaphas put it this way, is not thy wickedness great, and are not thine iniquities infinite? They were indeed, as Job said, miserable comforters. their judgment was quite erroneous. When God finally speaks at the end of the book, and we find him responding to all that’s been said, here’s what he says, the Lord said to Eliaphaz, the Teeminate, my wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends, for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant, Job has. You’re charging me with judging him, and that’s not true. That wasn’t the purpose of all this. If you read the book, you realize what’s going on behind the scenes with Satan and so forth. God was not afflicting Job because he was a terrible, notorious sinner. He had another purpose in mind on that. occasion. Now, Christ in our text gives you a similar warning about the kind of judgments we see God’s providence bringing into people’s lives. It’s easy to conclude that a devastating blow in life is always because of verses wickedness. Well, Jesus direct you here to be cautious in your assessment. of things and he turns it around and says you should look at yourself because these terrible judgments of God’s providence call for a careful evaluation of where you stand before God. They are sort of a wake-up call, if you would, to repent or else you too will likewise perish. I want to talk about the necessary. necessity of repentance from this passage of scripture this morning. Now let me begin by saying this. You cannot always tell by outward circumstances whether a person is being judged for extraordinary wickedness or not. You find news brought to Christ here of the horrible death of some Galileans here in verse one. They were present at that season, some that told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Now this is the only gospel that records this particular incident, and all that we know about is right here in this verse. We don’t really have much detail-wise. We’re not told why Pilate killed him and why he treated them this way. Some have suggested these. Some have suggested these These Galilians were followers of Judas Galonites or Judas of Galilee, which you recall that Gamaliel briefly refers to in Acts 537. We read there that there rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing and drew away much people after him. He also perished and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And it could be that, you know, they were rebellious sort and Pilot decided to kill them. You are told here that Pilate cut them off and their blood was mingled with their sacrifice. He killed them in the midst of their offering a sacrifice to God. That’s pretty interesting that it is their blood was mingled with the animal’s blood. You’re also not know why this incident came up. What was the purpose in these people bringing this to Christ’s attention? It may have been, you know, recent front-page news, and it was one of those things that they asked him about. Perhaps since Christ was from Galilee and a prophet, he would be, he would be, it would be necessary for him to be mindful. of the fact that Pilate was acting in this manner. Maybe to stir up his anger or hatred toward the Romans or something, I don’t know. Maybe they wish to deter Christ from going up to Jerusalem to worship. If that happened to them, it could happen to you. It does appear, however, that they wish to convey to Christ what kind of notorious sinners these people must have been. because that seems to be the way Christ answers this matter. So you find news brought to Christ of the horrible death of some Galileans. Now, Christ warns you not to draw the wrong conclusion from such a horrible event. In fact, we might talk about events because Christ is going to bring another event up. Versus 2 to 5. Now Christ adds a sense. second story here in verse four. We read here, For those 18, upon whom the Tower of Salome fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. I tell you, nay, except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish. Salon was really a spring outside the city of Jerusalem. It’s quiet water. went into the city. It seemed like they had a pool that they had dug. We read about the pool of Salome. It’s sometimes used for ceremonial cleaning and cleansing and so forth. And it evidently, because of the place there, that it was near the temple, that they built a tower next to it. of some sort, which suddenly collapsed and killed 18 people. Of this awful event, again, we know nothing beyond what we’re told here. It appears to have been a well-known event, maybe a recent event. We’re not sure. But such an event as this might have more readily be interpreted as a severe blow from the hand of God. I mean, the other one we could blame on pilot. That pilot, he’s an evil guy. But here, the tower just collapsing, we have to realize, you know, more directly the hand of God in that matter. Still, however, Jesus taught that such an interpretation about them being wicked sinners is erroneous. They weren’t wicked sinners above everybody else. When Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the the eldest brother’s house. If you remember in the book of Job, a great wind came up, smote the sides of the house, and it collapsed and killed all his children at once. But the scripture reveals that such a conclusion to the saying, well, it must be what Job’s friend say it is, boy, Job, you must be pretty bad to have something like that happened to you. But that would be wrong. Job was not an evil sinner being part. Job was not an evil sinner being punished by God. He eschewed evil, according to the very beginning of the book. So this was an event somewhat like that in this collapse of the tower. And people drew the wrong conclusion from that event also. Bad things must happen to bad people. But that’s not necessarily true, as Jesus says here, because all men are wicked sinners in the eyes of God. So you must be careful in judging God’s providence when extraordinary deaths occur. Jesus cautions you here. Don’t jump to a conclusion about the people themselves. You must not account that a person is a great sinner because they were suddenly killed by some tremendous act of God’s providence. It may or may not be. attributed to being a great sin. Sometimes God does bring judgment on wicked sinners like this. But the point he’s making here is what you need to learn from this is look at yourself. Look at yourself. You can’t make a judgment about men’s sins by what they suffer in this world. You know, many saints are thrown into a furnace of fire as they go through this life. Think of the martyrs. Think of the ones that were stoned, saw and asunder, torment. We read in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verses 1 and 2. No man knoweth either God’s love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. You can’t always tell. Well, when a hurricane comes along and flattens houses, it flattens the righteous house as well as the wicked. And when we have volcanic eruptions, they could kill righteous people just as well as it could kill the wicked. When we have shipwrecks and fires and everything else that we have, it happens in this life, we can’t guarantee that it’s only going to be for the wicked. It could swallow up the righteous as well. God’s providence is not so easily interpreted by us. We can’t, because we’re not omniscient, we can’t, we can’t know why God always does what he does. So you have to be careful in judging God’s providence when extraordinary deaths occur. Also, you should see in these extraordinary events you need to repent. Before judging others, Jesus says, I want you to look at yourself. Consider what you deserve from the hand of God. Many impetinent Jews met horribleness at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD. Maybe some of these that were saying, oh, they must have been terrible sinners. Well, you don’t know what you’re going to face in the future here either. The very people who were swift to judge these Galileans, and those upon whom the power fell met with great suffering which exceeded these events. I could just give you a few quotes from Josephus this morning, the Jewish historian. He said a multitude of slaying Jews lay in heaps round about the temple altar. The blood ran down the steps of the temple, and many perished by the falling ruin. of the towers and porches. Accordingly, it appears to me that the misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to these of the Jews, are not considerable as they were. Neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful and wickedness than this was from the beginning of the world. So when we decided all these Galileans were bad people, or there were those people where the tower fell on there in Jerusalem, those people were really horrible sinners. The point was, hey, there’s a lot of wickedness going around. You know, we could count, look at yourself and count yourself among them. And so we have to be careful in these judgments. It would be. wise for these Jews that are making these accusations really to repent. And that’s what Jesus says. You need to repent. You need to make things right. Sadly, most people do not recognize the need to repent and perish in their sins. So Christ warns you not to draw the wrong conclusions from such horrible events. Now, let me make a few practical observations from this passage this morning. Beware of rashly judging others. Enough has been already said on this. I don’t need to dwell on it. But on this point, let me say this, we have to be conscientious with regard to our own sin. It’s easy to point out the sins of others. Somehow or other, we’re good at that. It’s hard to look in the mirror. It’s hard to look in the mirror. see your own sins. And Jesus is really calling upon you, look at yourself here. Think of the guilt you’re going to incur. And also the retribution in kind, which you will bring on yourself. Judge not, the Lord said that you be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, he shall be judged. And with what measure you meet, it shall be measured. So let us be cautious about this judgment. Beware that. Secondly, learn not to be too hasty in interpreting any affliction that comes into your own life. There could be, you know, for sensitive souls who are conscientious about God’s hand and maybe bringing a chastisman or judgment upon them, the tendency would be to think, well, must be some terrible sin I’ve done that causes this to come upon me. But we have to realize we shouldn’t jump quickly to a conclusion. We should examine ourselves and see whether there be any sin there that needs to be confessed. But when you are suffering a great reverse or severe bodily sufferings, you can jump to the wrong conclusion quite easily. God must be punished me for something I’ve done. Otherwise, this suffering. would never have come upon me. But such suffering, even though it’s severe, must not automatically be assumed to be a sign that you’re some type of great sinner in God’s sight and you haven’t repented. You must immediately think that God is treating, you must not immediately think God’s treating you as an enemy. I think that would not be good or think that he’s going to cast you off forever. I think the best thing. do is let everyone that’s afflicted turn to the Lord pray about it seek his face and guidance as to what he’s doing in our life don’t be too hasty in your judgment if your trust is in the Lord don’t vex yourself with dark surmises about what is happening in your life scripture declares whom the Lord loveth, he chastenseth, and scourges every son he receiveth. And God does these things that grow graces in our life, to teach us lessons in this life. And one of the things you really learned, I think, is humility in these things. How frail we are. How easily our health can be taken from us. You know, I fell down these steps, and I I was very grateful that I didn’t break any bones. But that didn’t mean that every part of my body didn’t hurt. And so we have to look at things and realize, well, you know, God is good to us and that I could have been a lot worse. I could have broke my neck. I could have died in this fall. And the verse that kept coming to my mind was the fact that God’s mercy. endureth forever to us as his people. And even in the worst of times, God is merciful to us. Peter puts it this, or the writer of Hebrews, excuse me, puts it this way. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. but let it rather be healed. You know, when we’re hurting, when things are bad, let’s not be turned out of the way. Let’s be healed and look back to the Lord and realize he has a good purpose and what he does. We have to learn to sanctify our afflictions, to use them for our benefit. It’s not always an easy thing to do. And you can’t do. that if you believe that God is against you. You have to look at it. God must be for me. He has a purpose in this. Remember the story of Job. Because sometimes you, you know, everything, I mean, he had everything go wrong in one day. And yet, he didn’t curse God. He blessed God’s name and realized the Lord gives, he takes away according to his purpose. And he’s going to bless the name of Lord anyhow. That is a man of faith. That takes a lot to do that. Third thing is this. Be thankful for your own preservation. You know, when you hear of any heavy blow of providence which takes a life, we have to think about how the Lord sustains us in this life. What else could have preserved you except for God’s kind care? over you. He keeps us, in many cases, from very dangerous situations. You wonder why something happens. You know, sometimes your car breaks down, you’re running late, and you’re thinking, oh, no, and you think, I should have been there at this time. Well, maybe God didn’t want you on the road at that time. Maybe there would have been an accident you would have gotten in. We don’t know why God does what he does. And every day you have good reason to be grateful of the Lord, that his protective hand has kept you safe. I, you know, I’ve learned in many cases that if it wasn’t for the Lord, I don’t know how we would have survive some things, especially, you know, car, you know, when you’re in a car and there’s snow out there and you’re spinning around like a donut in the middle of the road, you don’t know where you’re going to land. And you land in the right lane in the right lane in the right direction, only it’s in the turn lane. And our conclusion was, well, God must want us to go back home and not continue on this trip. And so we turned around, you know, we took the turn lane and went back home. And so, you never know what’s going to happen in life. When you consider all your spiritual failures, when you consider your own foolishness of heart, let us be thankful. The Lord still keeps an eye on us. and watches over us. It is, it’s because of Christ that we are preserved. We’re his people and he’s merciful to us. Lastly, fourthly tonight or this morning, you must see the necessity of repentance. Let’s talk about specifically what Jesus mentions here. Except you repent, he shall all likewise perish. He mentions it twice. It must be important. Repentance unto salvation. is what he’s talking about here in particular. And it implies a change of mind which results in a change of living. Remorse over your behavior and grief that you have violated God’s law and that you have sinned against him. It involves a recognition of the depravity of your own heart, and an eye on the promises of God’s forgiveness. You must have the spirit of David who confessed after his great sin, created me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. I need a clean heart. I need a clean slate here. We must look to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer as the one who can forgive us of our sins. Repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Those are two sides of one coin. And so have you repented? You see the necessity of it, but have he actually done it, do you really see your own sinfulness? Do your sins cause you any sorrow? Have you cried out to God about your sins? Have you sought for forgiveness? forgiveness before the Lord. Have you learned to hate every false way? If you die without repentance, you will wish you will never be born. Because you’re going to end up in the lake of fire, in the hell. And repent and be converted were Peter’s words to the Jews who had crucified the Lord Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost. Remember that? You need to repent without delay. Because you don’t know if you’re going to have tomorrow or not. Who knows what could happen? You know, the tower falls on this person, pilot kills the others. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. And so the need to repent. And then what will you do if it’s too late to repent? Today is the day of salvation. We don’t have any guarantees about tomorrow. And so the message is, repent. Look at yourself now and make things right with the Lord. When Job suffered the tragic events that occurred in his life, his friends jumped to the wrong conclusion. He must be a terrible sinner to have all this happen to it. But they were wrong. Dead wrong. You find a very similar problem here in our text. Now, whether or not these people were great sinners is not the point. They may well have been great sinners. But the point is, unless you repent, you’re going to perish just like them. And end up in hell. So Christ would have you focus on yourself here. Make sure your heart is right with God. Let’s close.