Are You Ready?

Are You Ready?

Text: Luke 13:1-9

In August of 1965 a folk singer named Barry McGuire released a single titled “Eve of Destruction”. It’s a great song that talks about a lot of the things that were going on at the time, and one of the lines of that song says, “If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away. There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave.” And that line is in reference to the threat of nuclear war. And during that time… from the 1950’s to about the early 80’s, that was something that was always in the back of people’s minds… In-fact; I even remember doing nuclear bomb drills in school. We had our fire drills where we’d all assemble, and head out the designated exits and meet on the school lawn. We had our tornado drills were we’d all go to the middle hallway and sit on the floor with our head between our legs. And, we had our nuclear drills, where we’d get under our desks and wait to be incinerated.

And so… in 1965 Barry McGuire sings this song – “Eve of Destruction”; trying to get people to open their eyes to the threats of the Cold War… but the thing is – we’re ALWAYS on the eve of destruction! The real question is – ARE YOU READY?

If you have your Bibles, I’d like you to go ahead and open them up to Luke 13. We’ve been studying John’s Gospel, but this morning, we’re taking a break from that because things seem to be getting back to normal, and it’s good to get things into perspective… it’s good to consider not only the things that you are seeing and facing around you, but also to consider THE CAUSE of those things… and also… we’re looking at this passage, because I BELIEVE, we’re not done yet… I believe; based on scripture, that one birth pain is subsiding, but another one is ramping up.

So instead of John 13, we’re in Luke 13 this morning. And I’m going to read to you verses 1 – 9 (READ LUKE 13:1-9).

Now I don’t know about ya’ll but I love the way that God used the writers of the Gospel accounts. Matthew focused more on reaching Jewish readers, so he refers back to things they would understand and relate to. Mark was more focused on Greek readers, and he touches on the miracles a lot and it’s more “action” oriented. John wanted his readers to believe, and so he deals a lot with the evidences… evidence that Jesus is God the Son, who has come in the flesh, that He died for our sin, and was raised from the dead 3 days later… but Luke… Luke wrote in the style of a historian. I love Luke… He’s very detailed and particular. Luke was also a doctor, so he focused a lot on things like sickness, illness, healing, and also death. So if you’re tired of listening to the two doctors who are advising the President, say one thing, and the 130 or so other virologists, and epidemiologists, and other doctors who are saying something completely different… it might be helpful to go to helpful to go to Dr. Luke, and to his boss – THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.

Point is… Luke was a doctor… and so he kind of at times would focus on death. Not in a morbid way, but it was something that he had no doubt some familiarity with. And so he mentions this event that takes place in our text.

And apparently, there were some Galileans who had gone to do their sacrifices, and Pilate had them killed. That’s what Luke means when he says “Their blood mingled with their sacrifices.” In other words, they were going to sacrifice animals for their sin offering, and they themselves were killed, so that the blood of the men and the animals mingled together. Now this was a horrible thing in the mind of a Jewish reader. To be killed while you’re at worship, was an atrocity – it was an evil act. It’s the evil and wickedness of a Church shooter. You know, someone who will kill and murder people while they are worshiping God. That takes a special kind of evil person.

But also, in the mind of some – if you died in that way, you must have been some kind of sinner yourself. For God to allow that, you must’ve been evil and wicked in your own right.

So look at how Jesus answers them in verses 2 – 3 He says, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? NO, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will ALL likewise perish.”