JESUS’ CALL TO REPENT
Luke 13: 1-5
INTRODUCTION:
A. Tragedy and injustice have always been
a part of life
1. Jesus spoke of two that took place in His day
a. There was a tower in Siloam that fell
killing 18 people
b. There were Galilleans who had not only
been executed by the Romans but their
blood was then mingled with their
sacrificial offering
c. One incident was an unspeakable tragedy
and the other was an act of injustice that
infuriated the Jews
2. We still live in a world where such things
happen
a. The events of September 11 are still fresh
in our minds
b. That was both an act of tragedy and
injustice
B. How are we to react to such things?
1. Certainly we feel outrage and helplessness
when such things happen
2. Probably, we have all asked the question,
why, when such things happen
3. In this passage, we find some insight into
the why and the wherefores of tragedy and
injustice
I. THE PREVAILING THOUGHT IN JESUS’ TIME
A. The prevailing thought in Jesus’ time was that
all misfortune occurred because of a sin in
one’s life
1. This idea is seen in John 9 when Jesus’
disciples asked about a blind man and said,
did this happen to him because of his own
sin or his parents
2. It is true that sin has consequences
a. Sin brings guilt which takes our joy and
can destroy our minds
b. Certain sins destroy our health--
addictions to food, drugs, alcohol--
sexual sins that bring about disease--
tobacco that brings about cancer
c. Certain sins bring about poverty--
covetousness, living beyond our means,
refusing to be content
3. Sin also invokes God’s wrath and anger
a. Sin is so foreign to God’s nature that it
angers God
b. When God’s anger is expressed, it is
detrimental to man
c. God’s anger is seen in the tragedy of the
flood and at Sodom
4. God has an unchanging law-- we reap what we
sow-- spiritually as well as physically
B. Because our lives are so intertwined with
others, we often face misfortune and tragedy
because of someone else’s sin
1. Children do often suffer because of the sins
of their parents
a. The child of an alcoholic or drug addicts
does suffer because of his parent’s sin
b. The children do suffer when mom and dad
divorce
c. The children do suffer when the parents
gamble away the livelihood of the family
d. The children often suffer as the parents
pass their sinful lifestyle on to their
children
2. Innocent people often suffer at the hands of
the wicked
a. Thieves often steal from the innocent--
Naboth and Ahab
b. Innocent people are often the victims of
murder-- David and Uriah-- 911 victims
c. Wicked people often hate good people for
no reason but the result of it is that the
innocent suffer-- they hated Jesus without
a cause
3. Sin has caused this world to suffer tragedy
and injustice
II. NOTICE WHERE THE PREVAILING THOUGHT IN
JESUS’ DAY WAS WRONG
A. Not all tragedy and injustice is due to sin
1. From a human point of view, there is tragedy
and injustice that we can’t explain
a. Job was a righteous man, yet look at what
he suffered
b. From a human point of view, he didn’t
understand it and couldn’t explain it
c. He was left to wonder, why?
d. We have all been there
2. What Job couldn’t see, God reveals to us in
the book by his name
a. Job was a victim of Satanic attack
b. God allowed that assault on Job to reveal
to the world the quality of Job’s faith
c. In passing the test, Job revealed to the
world that faith in God can carry us
through the severest trial
3. God also reveals in this book that tragedy is
not always the result of a sin in our lives
or the lives of others
B. With that in mind, Jesus here rebukes the self
righteousness that often takes place when
tragedy happens to others
1. We often think that because we haven’t been
in the fire that we are more righteous than
the ones who have
2. Jesus dispels that attitude in v. 2-5
3. We can never base our righteousness or our
standing before God on the basis of:
a. A comparison between ourselves and someone
else
b. Whether or not we are being blessed
C. Jesus warning to all here is to repent
1. No matter how bad things may get here, there
is something far worse in eternity
a. That something is to perish in hell
b. To perish in hell will be a tragedy
because it is not necessary
c. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin
in order that we might escape hell
2. If one perishes in hell, it will be just
a. No matter what we may think of others or
ourselves, we are still sinners in God’s
sight
b. Being a sinner makes us deserving of hell
c. If we refuse to take our escape, if we
refuse to repent, we will perish and
especially deserve to do so
CONCLUSION:
A. In many ways, this life seems so unfair
1. Good people seemingly suffer and bad people
seemingly prosper
2. Even when we suffer as a result of our own
doing, we often don’t see it
B. Jesus also faced tragedy and injustice
1. He faced it in order to pay for our sin
2. He faced it so we could see the books
balanced in heaven and enjoy eternity
C. Repent and turn to Christ lest you experience
the tragedy of being lost for all eternity
