Scripture
1About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.” Luke 13:1-3
Observation
Hot off the presses the people ran to report to Jesus the most recent outrageous act from Pilate. No doubt hoping to get an emotional reaction from Jesus they shared in great detail they shared of these Galileans at a feast in Jerusalem who may have been involved in some insurrection against the Roman government. The leaders were murdered by Pilate right in the temple courts where the sacrifices were being offered. What an offense! What an outrage! Surely, Jesus would call down fire on such a blasphemous act right? Especially considering this was a foreshadowing of the showdown Jesus himself would have with Pilate who would sentence Him to death on the cross. Yet, instead of taking this as a personal affront or giving the Jewish crowds the click-bait they were hoping for, Jesus turns the headline into a moment of heart refining. He turned it from “we must stop this suffering” to “we must stop our sinning.” Wait! What? The crowd was pointing fingers at Pilate and Jesus was pointing out their own hearts. Jesus keeps the conversation going by mentioning another well-known headline that was most certainly a topic of conversation at the old watering hole. He turned it from “life is uncertain” to “judgment is certain”. His call to repent is nuanced and intentional. The first call to repent in response to the murdered Galileans is a linear action and a choice to continue changing mind and conduct to more closely align with God’s commands. The second call to repent in response to the tragedy of the 18 innocents being crushed by a tower was a choice to repent at the very moment of the incident.
Application
The message is clear. Life is short. Suffering on this earth is nothing compared to the suffering that awaits those who have not repented and received forgiveness. Repent immediately and repent constantly. Every time I see a headline I must let it refine my heart and realign my life with Christ. Headlines are usually worded in such a way as to arouse an emotional reaction rather than a spiritual response. Let’s try the Jesus way right now by reading some current headlines, which, after last night's first Presidential debate, should be quite colorful!
The New York Times: A debate mess: It was unlike any presidential debate before it.
I, like most everyone I’ve talked with considered last night’s debate more of a squabble than civil discourse. It was a parable of what our country has become, divided on every level and completely disrespectful of our opponents. What would Jesus do with a headline like this? Probably what my friend and fellow pastor Brian Bauer did. Instead of posting a scathing condemnation of one side or the other or of the entire election as a whole he posted, “I want to invite those who just spent 90 minutes watching the debates to spend 90 minutes on our knees praying for our country tomorrow night.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego police officer suspended amid accusations that he made light of memorial for man he fatally shot.
Immediately the emotions coming welling up on both sides. The racially motivated abuses of power on one side and the unfair vilification of our men and women in blue on the other side. What would Jesus do with a headline like this? He would call us to repent immediately and constantly of any vestige of racism or prejudice that might exist in our hearts. He would call us to repent for our pride and arrogant assumptions that would take a few bad examples and then deign to write off our entire police force who keep the peace by putting themselves in harm's way on a daily basis. He would ask us to be ministers of reconciliation. Not taking a side but, as in the words of Miles McPherson, choosing the “third option” of emphasizing that what unites us is greater than what divides us.
This is only two examples but can you feel your heart being refined by The Holy Spirit? Instead of making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion that rises from an inflammatory headline we choose to use it as a prompt towards repentance. Can you imagine how the witness of Believers would improve if we used every headline as a prompt to pray rather than bolster our pet arguments? This would be time well spent. And, to the Savior’s point in these Scriptures, we don’t know how much time we have, so let’s use it wisely.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for sometimes being more a part of the problem than the solution. Forgive me for letting my emotions run away with my faith. Our country is so polarized right now that even our two top presidential candidates can’t have a civil conversation without descending into name-calling and personal denigration. I repent for where I have stood by and mocked instead of falling to my knees in repentance of my own sin. I have noticed my heart growing hard and my feelings numb as the headlines pile up every day and push my head underwater. I breathe in hope again and I choose to walk the only road that will get me through these crazy times- the road of repentance and humility.
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