Luke 13:1-9
Jesus on the Tower of Siloam
1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered,“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or 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? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So 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. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Job 42:7-9
Epilogue of Job
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
John 17:3
Now This is Eternal Life
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Tragedies happen and they happened in Jesus' time...Tragedies in life that we cannot answer, often complicates our lives...I often ask "Why did God allow that to happen?"...
Author Philip Yancey said this or tragedies, “Faith in God offers no insurance against tragedy...Nor does it offer insurance against feelings of doubt and betrayal...If anything, being a Christian complicates the issue...If you believe in a world of pure chance, what difference does it make whether a bus from Yuba City or one from Salina crashes?...But if you believe in a world ruled by a powerful God who loves you tenderly, then it makes an awful difference.”...
So tragedies complicate the discussions of faith of an Almighty Living God...Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people...Job was a good man and bad things happened to him...Job's life had many tragedies...And God allowed the tragedies to happen to Job...Job's friends believed that Job was responsible for his own suffering and tragedy...And they were wrong and in the end God tells Job's friends they were wrong about Job's sufferings...God allows the rain to fall down on the good and bad, and He allows the sun to shine for both the good and bad people...
Jesus explained the tragedy in Siloam like this...A tower in Siloam collapsed and eighteen Galileans died because of this tragedy...Jesus says, in essence, that the Galileans who died were no worse sinners, than those who were not involved or survived this great tragedy...We all sin, but not every tragedy is caused by our sinful nature...The responsibility of the Siloam tragedy did not lie with the people who experienced the tragedy...Those surviving the tragedy were not any less guilty than the ones who died in the tragedy...But unless we repent we will all die the same...Turn to the Father and Son in genuine repentance and believe in them and have faith in Them and we will be saved...Now this is eternal life: that we know God, the One and Only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent us...