Christian Understanding of Tragedies
Luke 13:1-9 (February 28, 2010)

In the early part of the last week, Mr. Preval, President of Haiti, arrived in Mexico for regional meetings and made a report that the death toll from the February earthquakes could reach 300,000. The number is quite shocking to me, even though it was still an estimate. We don’t know which official documents he had used for his report, but I couldn’t simply ignore that number because it was given by the chief of the country. The following is what he actually said, “You have seen the pictures, you know the numbers, more than 200,000 bodies picked up in the streets, counting those that are still underneath the rubble; perhaps we could arrive at 300,000 deaths.” Why did the disastrous earthquakes occur and take almost 300,000 lives of the Haitians? How can we comfort the families of the victims?

Last Tuesday, in West Java, Indonesia, there happened a deadly landslide, caused by Monsoon rains. The 1,000 foot deep landslide swamped the remote village. Rescuers are working so hard day and night but the chance to save the lives in the mud is very slim. According to an official report, 26 people are still missing and 17 dead bodies were recovered by last Thursday. Why did the massive amount of mud and stones slide down from a mountain and sweep down on the small village? How can we comfort the poor villagers? 

The following is an email received from Leilani, the faithful secretary of the Hawaii District, on February 24 last Wednesday:

Dear friends of the Hawaii District:

 

We received a call this morning from Rev. Ted Lesnett of Camp Mekokiko on the Big Island.  A VIM [Volunteers In Mission] worker from Bloomington, Illinois died yesterday while working at the camp. Please pray for Judy Woodburn whose husband, Doug Woodburn fatally collapsed yesterday.

 

Mahalo,

 

Leilani Zukemura

What did cause a fatal collapse that took the life of Doug Woodburn? How can we comfort Judy Woodburn, the widow?
There are many things happening around us. They are big or small but they never stop happening. Then how should we as Christians understand those happenings? Today’s text offers us very useful insights for our agonizing question. By the way, it tells us about two historical incidents as follows:

The first was about the incident that Pilate had killed some Galileans and the blood of the killed was mingled with their sacrifices. Sacrifice to God must be clean. However, their sacrifices were defiled with their dead blood. This incident must have been shocking to anyone who heard about it. However, this tragedy is not mentioned in scripture or any historical literature other than the Gospel of Luke. So there is no other way for us to understand about the actual happening of the incident without historical background assumption or reconstruction:

There was a man named Judas, the Gaulonite, who revolted against the Roman Government (and probably Acts 5:37 speaks about this revolt). He didn’t want to serve the Roman Emperor as his king and denied that God’s people were to pay taxes to him. Therefore, Pilate, the governor, ordered to execute all the Galileans who were participating in the revolt. On the other hand, in those days there were a few Galileans joining in the revolt, visited to offer their sacrifices to the Lord in the Jerusalem Temple. Regretfully they were found by the soldiers of Pilate and executed at that very place and at that very time of their offering presentations. As a result, their blood was shed over to their sacrifices.

Those who came and spoke to Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices, tried to question to Jesus, “Don’t you think the sacrifices of the Galileans were defiled with their blood because of their sins?”
Another incident mentioned in today’s text is about the incident relating to the fallen Tower of Siloam. Based on the discoveries of archaeologists, the Tower of Siloam was not big. Its inside was about 6 meters (19 feet) in diameter, and the outside was about 7 meters (22 feet) in diameter. It was erected on the inside of the Old Wall and between the spring of Siloam and the Hinoam Valley.

No historical document gives any hint of the falling of the tower causing the deaths of 18 people. However, since the Jerusalem people mentioned it to Jesus, it must have happened there. When they came to Jesus with that news, they tried to ask him: “Don’t you think the 18 people were killed by God because their sins were too great?”

Well, is it true that the Galileans who joined in the revolt were killed and their blood was mixed with their sacrifices because their sins were greater than others? Is it true that the eighteen people were crushed to death by the fallen Tower of Siloam because their sins were greater than any others in Jerusalem? Do you also agree that they were punished by God due to their sins?

Many people naturally incline to have a negative view toward those who are affected with calamities. They tend to say, “Those tragedies are due to their sins. They are punished by God.” The friends of Job shared the same condemning sentiments toward Job who was affected with sudden disasters one day.

Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish. (Job 4:7-9. NIV)

Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. (Job 8:3-6. NIV)

Is it correct to consider all tragic events as the payment of sin or as the punishment from God? Is the Bible teaching us this kind of understanding of tragedies? The Jews had a tendency to have the sentiments that calamities were due to sins. Many of the conservative Christians share this viewpoint as well. Some conservative Christians publically insisted that the earthquakes of Haiti were God’s punishment for the common practices of witchcraft in Haiti. On CBN broadcast, even the Rev. Pat Robertson offered his own explanation of the earthquakes in Haiti as follows:

Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French . . .  and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.’ True story. And the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another.
Of course, his words were quoted from a piece of Haitian folklore about the country’s founders but I got really upset with what he was speaking about.

I know some parts of the Bible clearly indicate that there were calamities due to the sins of the people. For example, God punished the Egyptians with 10 natural disasters because of their stubbornness. When the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed 250 people because of their rebellious spirits (Num. 16). Besides these, in the Bible there are many other hints that God punished the sinners with natural disasters or wars because of sins.
However, we don’t have to decry all tragedies as God’s punishment against the sinners. There are natural calamities that have no relation with the sins of people. Of course, it is so painful for the victims and their families to be affected by them. However, it doesn’t mean their sins brought the natural disasters upon them.

Let us think about how an earthquake occurs. You know the Earth is made up of many plates, the oceanic and continental plates, and they are moving around. They can move up and down or front and back or left and right. And when they are in a move, they bump into each other, pulling away from each other. So when they bump into or pull away from each other, the surfaces of the two can break. We call it the focus of the earthquake and the place right above the focus is called the epicenter of the earthquake.

In addition, let us think about how a volcano erupts. Volcanoes could leave massive damages on the target area or its surrounding areas, but they are not always bad. Like earthquakes, they erupt naturally. This is why they erupt. You know the center of the Earth is very hot and liquid. The rock inside the Earth becomes hot by the strong heat of the Earth’s center and it melts. The molten rock (called magma) which is less dense than the surrounding solid rock rises to the surface of the Earth. The molten rock contains water and dissolved gases so that it abruptly and violently erupts when it rises on the surface of the Earth. Just imagine this: After you shake a coke bottle, you open the tab. Then what would happen?

In this sense, despite the massive damages caused by earthquakes and volcanoes, still we don’t have to always consider them as bad things. An earthquake can relieve stress that has built up between the bumping plates under the ground, and a volcano can allow molten rock and gases to escape from far below to the surface of the Earth. If they don’t come out but remain underneath, they will cause much more serious damages on the Earth sooner or later. Moreover, earthquakes and volcanoes come up with more minerals that fertilize the soil and they recreate the environment of the Earth. For the jewel lovers, you have to listen to this: The activities of earthquakes and volcanoes produce beautiful rocks you are looking for.

Even in today’s text Jesus clearly indicates that the natural catastrophes are not resulted from the sins of the victims. When the people claimed the sins of the Galileans defiled their sacrifices with blood, Jesus decisively answered, “No!” (vs 3) When the people claimed the sins of the 18 people caused them to be buried under the Towel of Siloam, Jesus firmly answered, “No!” (vs 5)

Thousands of unexpected incidents happen around the world everyday. So when we hear about those incidents, we should not cast judgment on those who are affected, rather we should use them as an opportunity to look at ourselves. In any conditions, condemnation or judgment doesn’t belong to us but solely to God himself. When we see those unfortunate happenings, we should remind ourselves that we could become one of the victims someday as well. No one is safe from the natural catastrophes. How do we know there is something happening underneath of our feet right now? Tragedies can visit anybody regardless of who they are, how sinful they are or how strong they are in faith.

Moreover, we have to remember what Jesus taught to those who condemned the victims: “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (vss, 3, 5. NIV) As Jesus clearly clarified, the blood of the Galileans was not mixed with their sacrifices because of their sins and the 18 people were not pressed under the fallen Towel because of their sins. It happened to be they were there when those incidents occurred. What we can learn from the teaching of Jesus is that we should use those unfortunate incidents happening around us as an opportunity to look at ourselves and repent.

Once again, let me tell you: Disasters can come upon anyone regardless of how sinful or how clean they are. Therefore, when we are in safety, it is time for us to hurry to examine and change ourselves. When those unfortunate days approach near, it is too late to repent. In verses 6-9, Jesus emphasizes that this very present moment is God-given-moment for us to repent and do our best to bear good fruits. Jesus tells us: “Repent or perish!”