As Luke the 13th chapter opens Jesus is met by some disciples who report on a tragedy that had recently unfolded in Jerusalem, the killing of some Galilean worshipers at the temple. When we hear of an untimely death or acts of violence we naturally ask, “Why?” Why did this have to happen to this person? Perhaps the victim was a good loving individual, a family person, or a valued citizen. Meanwhile, we hear of relatively evil people who live in happiness and prosperity. If we’re not careful we can be drawn to question God’s goodness and fairness. For some even to doubt His existence. It’s the classic philosophic problem of evil: How can a good and all-powerful God allow good people to suffer and wicked people to prosper?
The Lord Jesus gives us some answers to these difficult questions in our text. In the context, Jesus has just been rebuking the multitude because they were able to discern the weather, but they were oblivious to the signs of the times, in particular, that Messiah was in their midst. He challenges his listeners to look at the situation from a different perspective, and consider a different set of priorities when we think about good and evil, life and death.
