May I speak in the name of the living God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
There are times when people say awkward things in the middle of a conversation. Maybe you're sitting at a table having a good chat and then someone says something that abruptly changes the subject, or something that's not appropriate at the moment. It's just awkward and you don't know how to react. Do you ignore it, or do you take it on and respond as best you can? Today's reading from the Gospel of Luke invites us to imagine what happened one day when some people raised the question about a terrible incident committed by the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. What was the purpose of raising this spontaneous question? And why does Jesus react the way he does? He seems vexed and responds in a very direct way. This passage is an example of 'hard sayings' that we find in the Bible. It touches upon judgement and repentance, themes that we often encounter during Lent, but which we don't usually like to talk about. What is clear is that Jesus makes his point, and we assume that his listeners understood it. So, let's try to understand what Jesus's main point was and what we can learn from it for our own lives.
Here's the scene. For some time (already from chapter 12 on), Jesus has been conversing with his disciples and with many others.1 He touches on several topics, such as the importance of being vigilant in their faith and of discerning the times (12.51, 56. 57). While he is speaking, as often happens, someone spontaneously makes a statement (11.27, 38; 12.13) or asks a question (12.41). Interruptions are not always bad. But this time is different. In this case, the speakers who interrupt Jesus are an unspecified 'few people'. We don't know who they are or why they are there. But what they say is absolutely shocking: Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, had taken the blood of some Galileans, who had been killed, and mixed it with their sacrifices. This statement seems to come out of nowhere, and based on Jesus's reaction, it seems that they wanted to show that these victims must have done something really wrong to be killed in such a cruel way. The people who interrupted Jesus may also have wanted to get him into trouble with the Roman authorities, that is, to catch Jesus saying something controversial against Pilate (11.53-54). Luke only gives us bits of this conversation, but what we have shows us that Jesus responds very directly and with strong words. He asks them to clarify what they mean, and then he challenges them: 'Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did' (13.2-3). Jesus's question shifts their attention from their speculative outburst to their judgemental attitude, and he reminds them of their own need to repent before God. They seem to be insinuating that what happened to those Galileans must be due to their sins. If God's judgement fell on them, it's because they deserved it. This is a well-known theological dilemma in Scriptures: that is, when bad things happen to people, are the victims to be considered punished by God because of their sins? We find this line of questioning especially in the book of Job (cf. Job 4:7; 8:4,20; 22:4f; John 9:2ff). It concerns speculation about the relationship between human behaviour and God's judgement. Jesus doesn't wait for their answer and emphatically says 'No, they are not more guilty than others'! And he turns their speculation into a call to repentance: You make this kind of judgement, but what about you? Have you repented of your sins to be reconciled with God?
Now, the conversation could have ended there. But not only does Jesus not join in their speculation, he also mentions another example of a tragedy from their time: The Tower of Siloam in Jerusalem (cf. Jn 9:7, 11), which fell and killed eighteen people. Was God punishing them punishment for their sins? Were these victims more guilty than the other inhabitants of Jerusalem? Again, Jesus refuses to speculate on the cause and warns them again: 'No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.' (v. 5). This is a call to repentance before God, a call to change one's way of thinking and acting. (This echoes his call to vigilance in matters of discernment and behaviour in the previous passage (12.35-59).)
The conversation could have stopped here, but Jesus tells a parable to drive the point home. It's a very short story that anybody of those times could have understood, the story of a barren fig tree. (For an illustration, see the painting The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (1585) by Adriaen Collaert after Hans Bol. This parable is unique to Luke. Other stories referring to a barren fig tree can be found in Mk 11:12-14 and Mt 21:18-19, but they are not parables.) But how does it help us to understand Jesus's reaction to their provocative statement? The owner of the vineyard is impatient because his fig tree is not bearing fruit. It would be better to cut it down and use the land to plant another tree. The gardener asks his boss to wait one more year, to give the tree a chance to produce figs. If it doesn't bear fruit, then it will be cut down. This story does not teach people how to garden. Rather, it is a picture of divine patience; God gives people time to repent. So, some principles are clear in Jesus's response to those who expressed such a rash judgement. Divine judgement is a reality. This was a truth recognised by all Jewish religious movements, and Jesus speaks about it as well. However, the question remains: if bad things happen, and they do happen, mere speculation is of little use, since the question of whether God specifically has sent a misfortune is not generally within the reach of human knowledge. On the other hand, repentance, which consists in turning to God and receiving his forgiveness, is a process that is available to everyone (Lk 1.77; 24.47). We are reminded that one of the key parts of the ministries of John the Baptist (3.3, 8) and of Jesus was to call people back to God. Jesus says, 'I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners' (5.32). This incident from Luke's Gospel is a practical illustration of his mission to bring people back to God.
The themes of repentance and judgement are not typical subjects that we discuss at table. They are hard to talk about and can make people feel uncomfortable. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about them. They are real questions that require clear answers and not pure speculation. Speculation can lead to an attitude of comfortable intellectual distance. I know about this trap, I've done it! The more we speculate, the more we might think we've figured everything out and we don't focus on things that we do know and that matter in the present. I'm not saying we shouldn't think about tough questions. Rather, that we should avoid 'forming a theory or conjecture without firm evidence', especially when we're talking about God's judgement!(Oxford Dictionary of English) A way forward then is to respond by stating what we do know from the Scriptures and respond with the attitude of Jesus and the gardener in the parable. Jesus responds to those of the crowd in a way that reminds them that speculation and uncaring judgement are far from God's heart. God does not take pleasure in deaths caused by human acts of perversion or tragedy. Jesus's response to their unkind words is an invitation to repentance, and the parable of the fig tree illustrates today's reading in Isaiah: 'Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' (Isa 53.6-7). This invitation hasn't changed; it is here today, for all of us. The question is whether we will receive it. Repentance can seem hard, maybe old-fashioned. But the Bible and church tradition both show that repentance is the royal road to restoring broken relationships with God and with others. As we come to the Table today, let us confess our sins before God and receive his forgiveness through Christ's sacrifice. As we do this, let us be encouraged by the apostle Peter's words, 'The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance' (2 Pet 3.9).
Amen.