Apologetics

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“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” - Luke 13:1-5

A list of some of the evil that has fallen on the United States alone in the last few years:

Hurricane Katrina, August 2005
The Shuttle Columbia Accident, February 1, 2003
The World Trade Center Attack, September 11, 2001
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, April 19, 1995
The Shuttle Challenger Accident, January 28, 1986

Of course I am aware of the disasters, catastrophes and massacres in other parts of the world, like the earthquake in Haiti last year. It is probably conservative to say that for every evil that has occurred in the U.S. there have been hundreds of such occurrences around the world. There is just not enough space here to devote to all the evil things that have happened around the world. I do not want to make it sound like the U.S. is the only country to endure such things. Evil happens in all parts of the world.

Then of course there are the more personal tragedies we all have had to face; death of family or friends from an accident, disease, or a violent act. There is no doubt we live in an age of evil.

Because of these calamities that have happened many have made the statement, “If there is a God, why does He allow evil to happen?”

Yet when I read the verse I have above, it occurs to me that He has answered the evil that has plagued this world. The verse is Jesus Christ talking to first century Jews about two tragedies that happened in their day. One was a freak accident, while the other was the violent result of a despotic ruler.

Jesus is very straight forward about the fact that such evil exists. He was quick to make comment about the two events in question. In the monologue above He was addressing an attitude that essentially said, “God had judged those who were abhorrently sinful people.” The popular view of that time indicated an attitude of a self-righteousness, as seen when Jesus asks if the Jews thought these other Jews were greater sinners than the rest. If I were to say someone is a terrible sinner that suggests that I believe am not as bad as the one I judged.

That was how the people of Jesus' time dealt with tragedy; it was a judgment of God. Jesus pointed out the error of that mindset. Today we view evil as an indication that God does not exist at all, otherwise He would have averted the calamity. This is also a self-righteous view because it suggests that we know better than God as to what is the proper course of action regarding these evil things. This is especially true in light of the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus gave counsel as to how to view such evil events. It is as if He is saying, “Evil will come regardless, so the way to be prepared is to repent.”

Here is a question to ask: If God has made a way for salvation through Jesus, why would He then need to prevent catastrophes, wars, and disasters? Since death comes anyway that is not a problem for the repentant person. It seems that God continues to allow death and use it as a way to bring people to Himself. It is up to us as to how He might deal with us in that encounter.

Suppose God gave us what we wanted and prevented the evil in this world. Then we do not need to repent as Jesus had taught. But then while such things were prevented there is still the reality of death.

So Jesus, the One who would die for the sins of the world says, “Repent.” We have no idea when or how we will go. However that will not be a problem if we have reconciled with the God who created us and provided a solution for when we die.

Maybe He allows such things to happen to make us remember about the uncertainty and danger of this life and consider what we might do about it. Those persons who had perished in the evil of this age may have thought that such things would not happen to them. I believe we all like to think we will not die in such a horrendous matter. But it can happen to anyone. It is here where the Gospel may come in.

God will not remove certain injustices in the world today. It is also equally true that He will not take away our free will. In fact He honors it by giving us a choice: repent or not. He will also honor that choice by giving to us as we have chosen. That makes me wonder what the real calamity is: the tragedies that have happen in all parts of the world, or the tragedy of one person resisting the guidance given by the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems to me it always comes down to individual choice.

If one has truly turned away from what God has judged as sin and made Jesus their Lord, they may have come to realize that God has indeed done something about the evil today through His Son.

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