Luke 13:4-5
4 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Some people told Jesus that Pilate mixed the blood of some Galileans with the blood of their offerings. People who told Jesus the news seemed to think that the Galileans were being punished for some of the bad things they had done. Jesus told them about people in Jerusalem who had died when a tower fell on them. Were they being judged because they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? Jesus made it very clear that this was not true.
We will all die. Our days are timed by God. What we do when we die has nothing to do with how evil we are. Everybody does bad things. Everyone will have to stand in front of God and be judged. When people said that the people who died were worse sinners, they were minimizing how bad they were and how much they needed to change. Jesus told them that they would all die the same way if they didn’t change their minds. People from that age would see the Roman army destroy Jerusalem. Thousands would be killed on the roads because they didn’t want the heavenly state and wanted one on earth.
A lot of times, people say, “I’m not as bad as that person.” It’s not smart to compare ourselves to other people. When we look at ourselves, we should compare ourselves to Jesus, who is perfect. We’d all then see how far we have to go and know we need to turn around. The next story in Luke says that Israel will be punished if the country does not produce fruit for God.
Think about this: When we hear about people who died quickly, like in an accident or from illness, we can’t help but wonder about their spiritual state. We should ask ourselves, “Am I seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?” Matthew 6:33
