“When Bad Things Happen”
Luke 13:1-9

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Third Sunday in Lent—March 20, 2022

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The news media today tends to focus on the sensational and bizarre.  Serious and important matters get ignored, while the news media focuses on odd and unusual people and events.  Entertainment Tonight often has more viewers than the nightly news.

Back in Bible times, they didn’t have television, or telephone, or even telegraph.  The only kind of news network they had was “tell-a-friend,” word of mouth.  But, even without a modern news media like we have, already back then there was a tendency to focus on the sensational and bizarre, odd and unusual events.

Consider today’s Gospel Reading, from the beginning of Luke chapter 13.  If you have a Bible with the words of Christ in red, almost all of the previous chapter 12 is printed in red.  This is one of the longest, continuous blocks we have in the Gospels of Jesus’ teachings, including several famous parables and well-known sayings of our Lord.  Imagine what a thrill it would have been to sit at the Master’s feet, to actually hear the Master’s voice. 

However, immediately after Jesus expounds on such serious, important matters throughout chapter 12, at the beginning of chapter 13 some in the audience interrupt with this jarring, incongruous note: “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.” 

That was the hot gossip, the sensational, bizarre news of the day on the “tell-a-friend” network.  “Oh, yeah, Jesus, all that God stuff is very interesting--but did you hear about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices!”  It seems they’re ready to switch channels, from Jesus’ inspiring teachings, to the latest sensational news.

It wouldn’t be surprising for our Lord to reply in exasperation as he did another time: “O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long must I be with you?”  But, a good preacher uses illustrations that his hearers can relate to, and so the greatest preacher takes their fascination with this bizarre episode and uses it to make an important point.

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  The title of my sermon is, “When Bad Things Happen.”  You may recognize that as the first half of the title of a bestselling book some years ago.  The book was titled, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”  But, for a Christian sermon, we have to leave off the second part.  Because, that’s the important point Jesus makes: there are no good people.  “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

We are all equally sinners in the sight of God.  So, when bad things happen to people, we’d better not think they’re just getting what they deserve.  Because, St. Paul tells us in Romans what we would all get if God gave us what we deserve: “The wages of sin is death.”  Because of our sin, we all deserve to be cut down right now, like the fig tree in today’s Gospel Reading.  Like a dead branch, we all deserve to be cut down immediately, and thrown into the fire of hell.

Paul continues in Romans: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Jesus is the gardener in the parable, who begs the owner of the vineyard not to cut the tree down.  As St. John says, “We have an Advocate who pleads with the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Like the gardener in the parable, Jesus pleads with the Father to have mercy on you and spare you.  He pleads with the Father on the basis of his atoning sacrifice, his perfect life, his suffering, and death, by which he earned you forgiveness for all your sins.  “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus said at the Last Supper, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.”  When bad things happen in your life, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  Trust in him as your Savior, and when bad things happen, you need never fear that God is punishing you. 

“He was pierced for our transgressions,” Isaiah says, “he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.”  St. Peter puts it this way: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” That is why when bad things happen in your life, you need never fear that God is punishing you.  For, there is no more punishment left for you to suffer.  It has already all been paid for you, by your Savior, on the cross. “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him.”

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! . . .  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no!” 

Neither the Bible nor secular history outside the Bible gives us any more details about these two sensational incidents.  We do know from ancient accounts that the Roman governor Pontius Pilate was at this time upgrading the water system at Jerusalem.  So, the tower of Siloam that fell was probably construction near the Pool of Siloam, part of the ancient water system which still exists today--and in which I’ve waded.

We also know that Pilate’s construction project was very controversial, and led to protests and major riots.  It may have been in retaliation for these riots that Pilate, in a heinous act ominously foreshadowing his execution of Jesus, apparently had some worshippers slaughtered during the act of sacrifice. 

Whatever the specific circumstances of these two sensational incidents, Jesus is using these tragedies to illustrate an important point.   “Do you think they were worse sinners or more guilty because they suffered this way?”  That’s our first reaction when bad things happen, to ourselves or someone else.  We jump to the conclusion that it must be a punishment from God.  But, Jesus asks the question, “Do you think they were worse sinners or more guilty because they suffered this way?” And then he answers, “I tell you, NO!”  

Even as Christians, we do still experience trouble and suffering in this world, as Jesus said at the Last Supper, “In this world you will have trouble.”  But, we have the comforting assurance that, for Christians, suffering is never a punishment from God.  Psalm 103 puts it this way: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities. . .  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  As Christians, our troubles and sufferings in this world are never direct punishments for specific sins, but rather the tragic result of sin in general, because we still live in a fallen and sinful world.

Jesus proclaims in Revelation, “Behold, I am making all things new,” and he promises that in heaven, “There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  However, as long as we remain in this world, we still have to endure the catastrophic effects of the fall into sin.  As St. Paul says in Acts, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

For non-Christians, it is possible that bad things might be a direct punishment from God, perhaps for a specific sin, intended by God to bring them to repentance.  But, even in that case, God forbids US to make that connection or come to that conclusion about someone else.  That’s exactly what Jesus means when he tells us, “Do not judge.” 

Finally, the book of Hebrews says that as Christians we should “endure hardship as a discipline” and that “God disciplines us for our good.”  Just as human parents discipline their children, it may be that our heavenly Father at times allows hardship in our lives, but NEVER out of anger, as a punishment, but always as a loving discipline, for our good.

St. Paul gives us his own example in 2nd Corinthians.  He apparently had some kind of very painful illness, which he calls “a thorn in my flesh.”  But, he concluded there was a loving purpose for this discipline: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations.”

In Romans, St. Paul asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  THAT is the difference between Christianity and all other religions.  All other religions teach that God is against us, angry with us, and therefore when we face troubles and sufferings, it must be God punishing us.  Only Christianity teaches the Good News that God is not against us, but FOR us, on your side in all your struggles.

As St. Paul continues in Romans, “Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . .  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”