Repent Before It’s Too Late, Luke 13:1-9

With September drawing closer, it is astonishing to think that 9/11 happened almost 21 years ago. I was a sophomore in high school when I heard that “airplanes flew” into the Two Towers in New York City while I was in gym class. It is an unforgettable atrocity. Like everyone on that day, I was shocked, scared, and saddened by the thousands of lives lost. 

During this time, people––both religious and irreligious––rushed to churches to try to make sense of it all. The questions on people’s minds were, “Why did this happen? How could an all-loving God allow this evil to happen? Why are there disasters at all? Why do bad things happen to good people?”

In Luke 13:1–5, some people confront Jesus with similar questions above. Two disasters are mentioned. In the first one, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, slaughtered a bunch of Galileans while they were sacrificing in the temple in Jerusalem. In the second one, the Tower of Siloam––also in Jerusalem––accidentally fell, crushing eighteen people. What does Jesus have to say when disaster strikes? Jesus responds, “If you don’t repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). The answer is not what you would expect, especially coming from “gentle and lowly” Jesus. 

Jesus responds this way––not because he is harsh, but because he is loving. He lovingly and urgently warns us that if we do not turn away from our sin and turn toward God in faith, we will perish and face God’s judgment. In other words, all the disasters that we witness and face in life point beyond themselves to a greater disaster to come. God’s judgment is imminent. We don't know when our last breath will be, so we all need to repent before it’s too late. 

But there’s also hope. What is the positive way of saying, “If you don’t repent, you’ll perish?” It is, “If you do repent, you’ll be saved.” That’s why Jesus came. It is because of him that any of us has time to repent today. Because of his death and resurrection, anyone can be forgiven of their sins––if they repent and believe in Jesus. In a sense, we need to ask ourselves, “Are you ready? Have you repented of your sins? Is there an area of your life that you have not surrendered to King Jesus?”