Week 37 Luke 13
As a general rule the gospels don’t report local new stories. But a couple of current event items from Jerusalem come up in chapter 13.
News story #1: Pontius Pilate executed some Galilean pilgrims at the temple.
News story #2: eighteen people had been killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed.
People told Jesus about Pilates’ executions – and waited to see what his reaction would be. But Jesus just asked them: do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things?’
And then – even though they hadn’t mentioned it – he asked about the people who’d been killed in the tower collapse: do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?
(I can’t say for sure but I think the audiences’ answer to the questions Jesus asked would have been ‘Yes’. I think that the rule-of-thumb in first-century Israel was that if a guy died unexpectedly or prematurely or violently then he was evil or immoral (evil person = shorter life. Good person = longer life).)
It was an interesting speculative question (but was really a God-only-knows question). And so Jesus didn’t answer it. He just said: I tell you; unless you repent, you will all perish as well.
There’s no reason to think Jesus wasn’t sympathetic with the tragic deaths. But his comment to the audience answered the more important question they hadn’t asked. An answer that was much closer-to-home.
Note: quotes from Luke 13:2 3 & 5 (CSB)