Introduction
Today’s gospel reading links three major Biblical themes which are highlighted during Lent: the problem of evil, the need for repentance and the reality of judgement.
We live in an age which is always seeking to blame someone when something goes wrong. Our compensation culture encourages people to sue whenever an accident happens. Whenever disaster strikes we are eager to apportion blame – even in the face of seeming natural disasters like the Tsunami and the flooding of New Orleans. This desire to apportion blame is not new. Implicit in the gospel story is the thought that the people “whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices” and those killed when the tower fell at Siloam had somehow brought their early demises on themselves because of their sin. He exposes the fallacy of their thinking by asking: ”Do you think these Galileans were any worse than the others?” In other words there was no direct link between their sinfulness and their suffering. I think we all struggle with the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” and without giving us any pat answer Jesus at least points us away from the assumption common both in his day and ours that there must be some hidden fault that has brought this disaster upon them. For a full treatise on this turn to the book of Job.
If Jesus doesn’t give us an answer to why bad things happen to good people He does give us a very clear instruction regarding how we should respond to such disasters. Rather than hand-wringing or looking for who we can blame the call is for us to repent. When we hear of untimely deaths we should examine our own consciences and repent. The whole focus of this passage revolves around Jesus’ injunction: Repent or perish. Not only is this clear from his reply to the people but it is also the point of the parable of the Fig tree. Here the emphasis is on corporate rather than individual repentance. The fig tree is a well-known Biblical picture for the nation of Israel – the fruit that has been absent and which is anticipated might appear given a bit more time and effort is repentance. What is it that they need to repent of? From what Jesus says it is hypocrisy and a judgemental attitude. The people speaking to Jesus had been pointing the finger – those people must have been wicked – but Jesus says: “unless you repent you too will all perish”
Behind the call to repentance is the reality of judgement. Sooner or later all of us will stand before our maker and give account of our lives. Judgement had already come to those killed in the two incidents that the people spoke of and was imminent for the nation of Israel. This reality is something which we tend to push to the back of our minds – it is an uncomfortable thought.
We must take to heart Jesus’ urgent call to repent or perish