Diety and Disaster

Luke 13
Repent or Perish

1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or 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? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took
care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on
this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the
soil?'
8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and
I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not,
then cut it down.' "

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This was the gospel reading for yesterday at church. It really struck me for many reasons, especially in light of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. Imagine if Jesus was walking amongst us now and preaching – and the earthquake just happened, or someone brings up 9-11. I think Jesus could have just as easily incorporated that into his message:
“Do you think that these Haitians are worse sinners than all the other people because they suffered in this way?...Or those 3,000 people who died when the Twin towers collapsed when the world Trade Center was attacked – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in New York City? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Now, far be it for me to put word’s in Jesus’ mouth, but I see his point – that these disasters did not have anything to do with righteousness and guilt before God. The same God whom the bible says “makes it rain on the just and unjust alike” can also impart disaster on both parties simultaneously. Why then the “But unless you repent, you too will all perish” quote?

I think Jesus was trying to drive home a point about death. Everyone wants to die at a full age, in their sleep and at peace with themselves and God. A tragic disaster affords nothing of that from a human perspective, and a cruel one seems like divine punishment – whether or not the person believes in God. However, when Jesus says perish, I think he means something more than being cut off from life.

What are your thoughts on this passage and God’s role in natural and man-made disasters?