When a calamity strikes, instead of asking “why”, Jesus teaches us what we can learn from it. His answer has to do with the doom of sinners, the necessity of repentance, and the great mercy of God.
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What Should We Learn From Calamities?
Luke 13:1-9
Ever since the Fall, this earth has been the scene for horrible calamities. Most of us here can clearly remember 9-11-2001. In fact, I would venture to guess that you can tell me the exact spot you were in when you heard the news. Terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing into the two World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, resulting in the sudden deaths of almost 3,000 people.
In 2004, there was a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean, causing 230,000 deaths.
A few years later in August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, causing massive flooding, especially in New Orleans, causing 1,833 deaths.
Then in 2011, a tsunami hit Japan, causing almost 16,000 deaths.
All this is not even mentioning the calamities of mass murders committed over the last 15 years. In 1999 there was the mass murders in Columbine, Colorado in 1999, Blacksburg, Virginia in 2007, the shooting in the Theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012, Newtown Connecticut in 2012, and the latest was the shooting in the African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina just a few weeks ago. On top of this we have the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.
We are definitely a people who know about calamity. However, there have been calamities and tragedies in every age and in every place. The people in Jesus’ day experienced calamities as well. Jesus speaks about two calamities in his own day. Whenever a calamity strikes, we demand to know why. It seems completely unjust to us. Loved ones are cut off suddenly and unexpectedly and this makes us angry. Sometimes it makes us angry with God, and we demand that He explain His actions to us.
What we discover in this passage, is that Jesus used these calamities to teach people about vital spiritual truths. There are things we can learn from terrible tragedies and disasters. In this passage Jesus used modern calamities to teach about 1) The Doom of Sinners; 2) The Necessity of Repentance; and 3) The Long-suffering of God.
1. The Doom Of Sinners
Let’s take a look at the calamities Jesus was talking about which occurred in His own day.
Murder of some Galileans. Verse 1 tells us it was on the same occasion. So, Jesus is still teaching a vast multitude of tens of thousands of people. In the midst of His teaching, someone reports to Him about a recent tragedy in Jerusalem. Some Galileans had been in Jerusalem offering sacrifices to God, Now, the only place you could offer a sacrifice was at the temple. This was likely one of the National Festivals, perhaps Passover. Pilate had ordered some of his men to execute them while they were in the very act of offering animal sacrifice to God, so that their own blood was mixed with the blood of the lambs or goats they were offering. Now, we know nothing else about this tragic event than what is recorded right here. We don’t know why Pilate ordered these Jews’ deaths. Some have speculated that the ringleader in this execution was Judas of Galilee. In Acts 5:37, we are told that he rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him, but he too perished and all those who followed him were scattered. However, that is pure conjecture. We just don’t know any more than this.
Tower of Siloam. The only other time we read of Siloam in the Bible is in John 9, where Jesus directs a blind man to go wash in the pool of Siloam and regain his sight. Siloam was an area in the southeast portion of Jerusalem. A large tower had been erected in that area, perhaps as a lookout for enemies who might approach. However, the tower had fallen and killed 18 people.
Both of these events were great tragedies that everyone would have known about and been talking about. If there was a Jerusalem Times, they would have been on the front page.
Likewise. Now, notice one word in our text. It appears in verse 3 and 5. It is the word “likewise.” That word tells us that Jesus is drawing a line from these current calamities to their eternal doom in hell. In other words He was saying, “Unless you repent, you will all perish in way similar to theirs.” Now, Jesus wasn’t saying that everyone who didn’t repent would suffer some natural disaster or be a victim of a mass murder. He was drawing a parallel between those that are swiftly, suddenly, and unexpectedly killed, and those who will swiftly, suddenly, and unexpectedly be brought before Christ at the final judgment to be sentenced to hell. Everybody is going to die, and we all know that. In a calamity, many people die at the same time. What makes these disasters and calamities so horrible is that they come so unexpectedly when no one is ready for them. Jesus is saying that the sinner who doesn’t repent will not be ready for Christ’s return and judgment. It will come upon him suddenly. He won’t be prepared, and just as these men experienced a dreadful end, so will you.
Jesus brought this same truth out in 12:45-46 when He said, “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.’” The point is Christ will come swiftly and unexpectedly and bring sinners to a miserable end.
The Context. Now, remember the context of this passage. Jesus has just told this enormous crowd a little parable in Luke 12:58-59. He says that all men owe God their love and obedience, and yet none have paid that debt. Thus, God is the injured party who has decided that He is going to take us to court so that justice is served. Jesus’ point is we better make an effort to get right with God now, before Judgment Day, or we may find ourselves cast into hell, from which we will never escape. Jesus speaks in verse 59 of being thrown into prison, and never getting out until we have paid the last cent. Of course, someone thrown into debtor’s prison can never escape from prison, unless someone on the outside has pity on him, and pays his debt for him. However, the awful truth is that once a person is thrown into hell, no one on the outside is going to have pity on him. So, we should notice the connection between “prison” in 12:58, and “perishing” in 13:3,5, and being “cut down” in 13:7,9.
What Does “Perish” Mean? So, what is Jesus talking about when he says that people who don’t repent will “perish”? Sometimes the word “perish” refers to physical death. However, it can’t refer to physical death here, because Jesus says that people who repent won’t perish. But we know that people who repent do suffer physical death. So, we know that Jesus has something else in mind. In John 3:16 we are told that whoever believes in Christ will not perish, but have eternal life. To perish is contrasted with receiving eternal life. The opposite of eternal life is eternal death. In 1 Cor. 1:18, the Bible says, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Here, to perish is contrasted with being saved. In other words, to perish is to be lost, forever. To perish then is to be cast into hell for all eternity.
Application. Now, I want this truth to fall on you like a ton of bricks this morning. Who will perish? Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” ALL. Anyone who does not repent, and bring forth the fruits of repentance (13:6-9) will perish in hell. That means your mother and your father. That’s talking about your brothers and sisters, and children. That’s talking about your nice neighbor that you enjoy getting together with. This is talking about the people you work with or go to school with. This is talking about every person you see in the world! They are all going to perish if they don’t repent. We are willing to spend billions of dollars to find a cure for AIDS and cancer. However, all you can lose if you have AIDS or cancer is your earthly life. Jesus taught us not to be afraid of man who can kill your body, but to fear God who can cast body and soul into hell. Sin is infinitely more dangerous than AIDS and cancer. And we know the cure for sin. Shouldn’t we be doing whatever it takes to wake up the people of Rancho Cordova to their danger and then giving them the cure of the gospel?!
2. The Necessity Of Repentance
Unless you repent you will perish.” In response to these two tragedies, Jesus adds in verse 3, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And, in case, we missed it the first time, He says it again in verse 5 for emphasis.
Think about that statement. Jesus said that unless a person repents, they will perish. He didn’t say “might”, or “will probably” perish. They will perish. Who will perish? You all! These folks brought to Jesus a current event and an abstract theological doctrine. They believed that if someone was killed in a calamity then they must be a greater sinner than others. They believed that this calamity was God singling out the greatest sinners and judging them. They were happy to talk about an abstract philosophical position with Jesus. But Jesus turns this whole thing around, and makes direct application to their lives. “Unless YOU repent, YOU will all likewise perish!” Jesus wasn’t so interested in debating their theology, as He was to save souls. So, He takes the opportunity to drive home a point so crucial that He makes sure they cannot misunderstand Him.
Friends, what Jesus is saying very simply is that it is impossible for you to be saved unless you repent. Now, I know that many people teach that all you need is simple faith in Christ to be saved. That’s not true. How do I know? I know because Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Later in Luke 24:47 Jesus says, “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” There Jesus summarizes the gospel appeal. We proclaim to all the nations that people can be forgiven in Christ, but to receive that forgiveness they must repent. My friends, you will never be saved and enter heaven if you don’t repent. It’s just that simple.
So, if repentance is that important, what exactly is it? If I were to boil it down to its simplest definition it means “to turn.” I ask people what they think it means to repent all the time. Most of the time they say, “to ask for forgiveness.” However, asking for forgiveness is not repentance. Neither is feeling remorse or regret for past actions. You can ask for forgiveness without ever changing the direction of your life. You can feel regret without changing the direction of your life. To repent is to turn from something to something. Repentance is turning from sin. Faith is turning to Christ.
Faith & Repentance are Inseparable. Can you see why a person can’t believe without repenting, and he can’t repent without believing? If I turn to something, I must also turn away from whatever I was facing before. If turn away from something, I am now turning to something else. Just like the two sides of a coin, faith and repentance always go together. That is why sometimes the Bible tells us to repent in order to be saved. At other times we are told to have faith in Christ in order to be saved. The one necessarily includes the other.
What Are the Elements of Repentance? Let me give you five different elements of repentance.
- Knowledge of Sin: we can never turn from sin until we know it is sin.
- Sorrow for Sin: we will never turn from sin until we are sorry we have committed it.
- Confession of Sin: turning from sin includes confessing it to God as sin.
- Breaking Off from Sin: turning from sin means we kill the sin in our lives. We fight it. We war against it. We forsake it. If there is no change in your life you haven’t repented.
- Hatred for All Sin: not only do we actively turn from sin, but we hate it.
True Repentance Will Lead To Good Fruit. This is one of the points of the following parable in 13:6-9. The owner of the vineyard came looking for fruit. Eventually, if one of his trees did not produce fruit, it was cut down. In verse 3, we see that God is looking for repentance. In verse 6, we see that God is looking for fruit. That is because repentance brings forth fruit unto God. John the Baptist put it this way in Mt.3:7-10, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham for our father´; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” John says the same thing there that Jesus says in Luke 13. Both say the genuine repentance will bring forth fruit. Both say that if a person does not bear good fruit he will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Good fruit is an evidence that a person has repented. If there is no good fruit, there is no repentance. If there is no repentance there is only eternal judgment.
Application. My friends, have you repented? This is something a person can know without a doubt. To repent is to turn the entire direction of your lives from sin to Christ. Have you done that? If you have once repented, you will keep on repenting as often as the Lord shows you your sin. Do you really know your own sins? Do you feel sorrow for them? Have you humbly confessed them to God? Have you broken off of your sins? Do you hate all the sin in your life? If you haven’t repented, begin today! If you have repented, then continue repenting for the rest of your life. An old saint once said, “I hope to carry my repentance to the very gate of Heaven.”
3. The Mercy of God
I Tell You No. The question that is repeated twice is were the Galileans slaughtered by Pilate’s soldiers greater sinners than all the rest? Were the 18 people that were killed when the Tower in Siloam fell on them worse culprits than everyone else in Jerusalem? What’s Jesus answer? He says, “No!” In other words, all the rest who weren’t killed were just as bad as they were. The ones killed were not worse sinners. The ones spared were not any better than the ones destroyed.
Wrong Question. Everyone was asking the wrong question. Everyone was asking, “Why did they die?” They should have been asking, “Why didn’t we die?” They were asking why God would allow all these people to die. They should have been asking why God was allowing any of them to live. We, as human beings, look at this whole thing from one perspective. God, on the other hand, being absolutely holy and righteous, looks at it from quite another perspective. If all of us are just as sinful as those who are killed in these calamities, why did God spare us, and not them?
The Parable. This parable in 13:6-9 is pretty straightforward. There was a man who owned a vineyard. He had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. Then year after year he kept coming to gather the figs from the tree, but there weren’t any. Eventually, he said to the keeper, “Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?” However the keeper interceded and requested that the man give it one more year. During that year he would dig around it and put in fertilizer. He would give this tree every possible privilege and opportunity to bring forth fruit. If it didn’t produce fruit after the next year, then it would be cut down.
Why Does God Spare Us? Because of His mercy! You don’t deserve for Him to spare you! He has come looking for repentance and fruit, and He hasn’t found any. He has come year after year. After all this effort He has put into you, He ought to receive some fruit from his labors and expense. And, if He chose to cut you down right now, He would be righteous in doing so. He is right in complaining, “Why does it even use up the ground?” To us He might ask, “Why does this person even use up my air? Why does He use up My food? Why does He even drink My water?” Folks, if we aren’t bringing forth fruit to God, we have no right to exist, and we are expendable!
However, notice that the man is willing to listen to the counsel of the keeper of the vineyard (Jesus Christ). Christ is our Mediator. He is the one who makes intercession for us. Because of Christ, God is willing to be merciful. He is willing to be very, very patient. He waits, and waits, and waits. Romans 2:4 says, “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” God waits patiently, so that you will come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
However, don’t misunderstand God’s long-suffering to mean He will never bring judgment. The end of verse 9 says, “if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.” There will be a day when God will give the command, “Cut them down!” “Thrown them into prison.” “They must perish!” There will be a day when God says, “Enough! That’s the end! It’s over! Bring them to judgment!”
Meaning of Bearing Fruit. So, if bringing forth fruit is so important that we will be cut down and thrown into the fire if we don’t, what does it mean to bear fruit? Fruit is simply the product of life. Any normal fig tree which has light and water will naturally produce figs. However, a cactus will never bear figs. Now, you can go around and stick figs onto a cactus, but those figs will never be produced naturally from a cactus. An unsaved person who tries to be religious and do good is like a cactus with figs stuck on it. Those are dead works. Why? Because they don’t result from the life of God within him. Before you can produce fruit you have to be alive. You have to be a new creation. You have to be made alive together with Christ. A lot of folks are trying to earn their salvation by sticking figs on their prickly cactus points, but God wants living fruit, not dead figs stuck all over you!
In 2 Cor. 13:5 Paul says, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” So, how are we to test ourselves to see if we are truly saved? We are to examine ourselves to see if there is any evidence that Jesus Christ is in us. Is the life of Christ in me, so that it is actually showing itself?
Now Jesus Christ can show Himself in us in a multitude of ways? In the New Testament “fruit” is identified as:
- A financial gift (Rom.15:28)
- The character of Christ (Gal.5:22-23)
- Goodness, righteousness and truth (Eph. 5:9)
- Saved souls (Col. 1:6)
- Every good work (Col.1:10)
- Praising God and giving Thanks (Heb.13:15)
In short, fruit is anything that comes forth from our lives that reflects the character of Jesus and results from His life in us.
Application. So, are you bearing fruit? If you are not sure, draw near to Christ today, and by the power of His life in you, begin to reflect His nature and image to others around you.
Conclusion
The next time you see, or hear, or read of a calamity going on in the world, remember that God intends you to learn from it. He wants you to learn about the doom of sinners, the necessity of repentance, and the mercy of God. Are you learning those lessons? Let’s pray.
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