Haiti

Luke 13:1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 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.”

We have all witnessed disaster on the personnel and world level in our lifetime. My mom's mother Gugga was one of the most humble servants of God to grace this Earth. She died a terrible death in which she eventually drowned in her own fluids as her lungs filled. It was terrible. I was left to ask God: why? Looking at the videos being shot out of Haiti where estimates point to the deaths of up to 200,000 many of which are women and children we are all left to wonder: Why would God allow this to happen?

The above passage in Luke is a critical teaching of Jesus when it comes to us questioning God in disaster and grief be it personal, regional or global. Jesus sites two accounts of human suffering. One is a random act of a tower killing 18 people and the other is an account of Galileans who were killed as they were making sacrifices by Pilate. Jesus is able to detect their natural tendency to ask why this happened to them. Maybe he detected our tendency to think " what did they do to deserve this God?"

As Jesus always does, he moves the conversation to a more healthy framework for mortals to work from. He does not answer their question "why?" as He is God and does not have to give an account of Himself to any man, even though he has graciously elected to do that throughout redemptive history. No, he does not answer the question of why something happened. He poses a far better question: Do you think those who perished were worse sinners and offenders than their neighbors who lived? He answers that question sternly in verse five "No, but unless you repent, you will also like wise perish". In a nutshell, Jesus says instead of asking why those people died you should ask why you were showed the grace to live. Now that puts it in a little better perspective for us. Lets let God be God and let us than Him for the grace he gives us to live today and repent form our sins and turn to Him.

For those armchair theologians like me, this does not mean that all actions allowed by God are not judgement. It does mean that at least some are though and only God knows which is which.

So this week as you pray for Haiti, praise God for allowing you to have a day to do so......