"Why Is Death Stalking Humanity?” "The Questioning Mind Wants To Know”

In Jesus Holy Name March 20, 2022

Luke 13:6,8 Lent II

“Why is Death Stalking Humanity?”

“The Questioning Mind Wants to Know”

In 1966 the St. Louis Cardinals built a new ballpark and named it Busch Memorial Stadium. There is a story that the owner of the Cardinals, August Busch, wanted to name it Budweiser Stadium, but the city officials would not allow him to name it after a beer. Frustrated by their answer, he named it Busch Memorial Stadium after their family name. But shortly after the new stadium was opened, August Busch introduced anew beer to the market: Busch beer. I guess he got his way!

When the new Busch Stadium was built in 2006 a similar conflict happened. The city had an ordinance that advertisement signs were not allowed on the Southside of the new stadium Facing the situation of losing millions of dollars in advertising costs, the designers of the stadium got around the ordinance by making a huge sign that faced the outside of the stadium, but was offset by one foot so it was located inside the building framework. Technically, it was not “on” the outside of the building. (story from Getting to Know Jesus by Paul Schult)

These two stories remind us of our human nature, how easily we can find away around any rule, and how much we hate being told what we can and cannot do.

Which brings us to your week long Lenten devotional study this past week on the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are God’s values. He takes them seriously. God is holy and perfect, and so are His rules. When kept, they create harmony and peace between us and our Creator and our neighbor.

Like August Busch, we too often find ourselves trying to find a way around God’s Ten Rules. The Apostle Paul wrote one verse in Romans 6 that contains both the consequences of breaking the Ten rules and also a word of Grace and Mercy.

“The wage of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”

In Luke 13 the Lord had been talking and teaching and answering people's questions on any number of different subjects. That's when somebody in the crowd brought up a terribly tragic incident, an event which was, in all probability, on the minds and tongues of everyone. Although we don't know many details about the event, we know this: the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, had ordered some people from Galilee to be killed, while they were making their sacred sacrifices to God.

Everyone who had heard about what had happened to these poor souls was stunned... at first. Then the shock of this scandalous action by the governor was replaced by questions. Inquiring minds wanted to know, "Why had this happened? What terrible sin had these people committed that would allow God to punish them

Many everyday Jewish people, including Jewish Pharisees during the time of Jesus believed that in this life God rewards the righteous and punishes the sinner. In the Gospel of John (9) this point is made very clear when the disciples asked Jesus this question after He restored sight to a man who was born blind. “Lord, who sinned, this man or his parents.” It is a theological question about their understanding of how or if God punishes people for their sins.

The current Jewish thought was that maybe these Galileans deserved what they got. Is their tragic death a punishment from God for their specific sins? It would be the same as asking: Is God trying to teach all those Nebraska farmers a lesson? In 2019 a blizzard killed thousands of their cattle and pigs in the heaviest snowstorms in 50 years? Then flooding their farms and houses were flooded? Are they being punished for their sins?

Jesus rejects the popular theory that these Galileans were worse sinners than others. He gave an amazing answer. No, it has nothing to do with punishment for their specific sins. But you should consider your own life and relationship with God. Unless you repent you too will perish. ( The Gospel of Luke Fred Danker p. 157)

And when the people had finished telling their story, Jesus added one of His

own. He said, “Yes, that was bad….and how about those eighteen folks who were crushed when a tower fell on them?”

Both stories ask, “Does God love us or doesn’t He?” If a person commits a very, very, very bad sin, will God show His displeasure and hit that fellow with a very, very, very bad punishment?” Jesus said No, that is not how God acts.: Then Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree in a vineyard. It is both about judgment and mercy. Judgment: “Unless you repent you too will perish…you all are sinners and have broken God’s commandments and you must repent. God offers mercy to the fig tree. God offers mercy to you and me.