TELL ME WHY, GOD!

Luke 13:1-5
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."

Few people are grief-stricken when they hear of criminals or ruthless dictators dying as a result of their offenses. But when "innocent" people perish, perhaps as a result of some natural disaster or act of terrorism, all of us tend to ask why.

This has always been the case. Job, one of the oldest books of the Bible, is one big question: "Why do the 'innocent' suffer?" In Luke 13, two tragedies that had occurred also raised the question, "Why?"

For thousands of years in Jewish culture it was commonly believed that people suffered primarily because God was punishing them for some specific sin--which sometimes was the case. Jesus, however, emphasized that all people must repent before a holy God (Luke 13:37).

Why is that? There really are no innocent people. As Paul told us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). God is not accountable to us to explain why tragedies occur, but we are accountable to God to confess our sins so that we can be in a right relationship with Him.

When thousands of people died on September 11, 2001, people all over the world asked, "Why?" As far as I know, God hasn't given us a direct answer to that question. What's better, however, is that God has given us this promise: If we repent and accept Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, our death will not be the end. We are assured that our souls will live on--forever!

Knowing that, we can easily understand why our need for repentance is more important than our demand to know why. --Dean Ohlman

DESTINATION POINTS

* When I stand before God one day, will He demand from me an explanation for human suffering?
* What will be said when He asks, "Who speaks for the innocence of this person?" Have I repented of my sin so that Jesus may reply, "Father, My death and resurrection has paid for the sin of this, Your child"?

LINKS:
10 Reasons To Believe In A God Who Allows Suffering
http://www.rbc.net/rtb/4rsn

bottom line: God requires repentance.

soul journey