URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 18 February 2025

St Luke 13: 1 – 5
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.  Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

Reflection
Even for people of faith, the times of Jesus and his teaching can seem remote and buried in the realms of antiquity. We can feel a real sense of the remoteness of a bygone age and disconnected from the cultural context in which Jesus lived and breathed.

But there are occasions, like the one captured in today’s verses, when we gain a potent entry into the contemporary world of the gospel. We are suddenly viscerally present, and given an insight into everyday life and events. Here we read of two incidents that might have merited some column inches in today’s newspapers because of their topicality.

First, some people in the crowd mention to Jesus the breaking news about some Galileans who had presumably made a riotous assembly or staged a demonstration against the Romans, and were summarily massacred at the orders of Pilate. Jesus also refers to another event making the news, a local disaster when a tower fell and killed eighteen people. As with today, when such events occur the public reflect upon their meaning and significance – why these things happen and the innocence or otherwise of the victims.

Using these incidents, Jesus’ message is uncompromising. He says that his listeners are preoccupied with debate about whether these people deserved their fates, but give scant thought to their own sinful actions and their consequences. The victims of tragedy, whether of the vindictive severity of Pilate or to an unforeseeable accident, are no more sinners and deserving of their fate than his listeners. However, Jesus alerts them that such occurrences are a salutary reminder that unless they repent the whole nation is heading for a more comprehensive disaster.

In our current world, we are living in febrile times when cataclysms of natural disasters, war, pandemics, and political upheaval beset us. During such disturbances we also tend to wonder what on earth is going on and to take stock of our lives. Rather than be sucked into questions of blame and consequence, we do better to remember that this is God’s world and to find comfort and solace in relationship with him.

Prayer
Lord,
we live in difficult and troubling times;
where previous certainties are disappearing;
life seems increasingly precarious;
disturbing events make us feel vulnerable;
…and we worry:
for ourselves;
our loved ones,
our fellow citizens
and the peoples of the world.
As we struggle to make sense of all this
be with us and enfold us in your loving arms.
Amen.