Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Luke 13:4-5 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? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
REPENTANCE
Where were you when those terrorists flew the airliners they had hijacked into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001? And do you recall the reaction of others who heard about it? Some, like people in Jesus' day, said those people died because of their sins -- or New York City's. On the other hand one man I knew told people by email to "go home and hug your children."
In our text, Jesus voices a basic agreement with the man who said tragedy should move us to look to our closest relationships. But Jesus takes it a step further and urges us to look to our most important relationship at such times, our relationship with God. "Repent," Christ says.
In time of tragedy it is a mistake to try to read either the hearts of those struck down -- or the heart of God. Both endeavors distract us from the one heart into which we can and should look: Our own. For repentance is all about each of us examining our own hearts in the light of God's Word to us, His word about our sin and His word about His grace, about Jesus' living and dying in our place.
Through His Word God changes our thinking about our sins and turns our hearts back to Himself through a confident trust in what His Son did for us.
When o'er my sins I sorrow, Lord, I will look to Thee
And hence my comfort borrow That Thou wast slain for me;
Yea, Lord, Thy precious blood was spilt For me, O most unworthy,
To take away my guilt.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 152:1)
