Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13: 10:1   I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6   Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Sermon text: Luke 13:1-9: 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.” 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Introduction

We’ve all probably seen those motivational posters that inspire employees to great things: teamwork, sacrifice, great service, and so forth. I recently found a motivational poster site online that used a different tack: de-motivation. One of my favorites, and one that really applies to our Scriptures today, read, “Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.”

The news often tells stories that many interpret in this fashion. We see someone who lives a sordid life die young, and people say, “She probably died of an overdose. Serves her right.” We see someone do something stupid, and they die as a result. We hear of someone who commits a heinous crime and we think, “This person deserves death.”

Unfortunately, we often forget a crucial fact: That person was created by God. The people we scorn, laugh about, and — yes — loathe, were all babies once; they were all created by God as someone special, someone unique, someone priceless and worth redemption.

We also tend to forget something else. When it comes to sin, we’re all in the same situation of our “examples.” We all sin and stand condemned before God. We all need redemption from sin. Lest we think we’re better than the “examples” in life, we need to consider Jesus’ warning that unless we repent, we perish. When we repent, we learn that Jesus cares deeply about the people in our lives and expects us to care as well.

Sermon

The passage in Luke gives us a glimpse of life in Galilee and Judea during Jesus’ time. In short, the Romans controlled everything and expected absolute submission to their empire. They accepted no compromises, and they tolerated no dissent.

We’re not exactly certain of the events people described to Jesus. We do know that Pilate was a soldier before he was a procurator. Pilate learned to shoot first and ask questions later. This tendency caused him serious trouble. Apparently, Pilate had attacked some Galileans who were sacrificing in the Temple, causing their blood to contaminate the sacrifices they were offering. This and other incidents may have caused the Jews to take an extraordinary step; Pilate was actually reported to Rome for his cruelty. The emperor Tiberius didn’t need trouble in Judea and warned Pilate about his methods of governing. This warning helps to explain the “friend of Caesar” remark at the time of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.

Nor do we know any details about the tower of Siloam incident. All we know comes from this passage: That the tower collapsed, and 18 people died.

Why did anyone bring these events to Jesus’ attention? Did they expect Him to praise the Galileans or deride Pilate? Neither would have changed the outcome of the situation.

Jesus responded to both events with the same words: “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” If these words didn’t trouble His hearers, the parable that followed would have certainly driven home the point. These words may have surprised Jesus’ hearers, but they tell us an important lesson.

First, we should realize that Jesus paid little attention to the events that caused the deaths; it mattered more that the people had died. Everyone faces death; all of us will die. Jesus cared more about the spiritual preparation of the victims than the cause of death.

This lesson still holds true. Our media seems to glorify the macabre as they treat people as objects of derision and humor. As a result, we tend to forget that Jesus died for these people; Jesus died for their salvation. the people held up for ridicule are no worse sinners than we are. God is holy; none of us are worthy of redemption. The people we tend to believe are the worst sinners fall in the same category as we do. We all need salvation. When we confess Jesus as Lord, believing God raised Him from the dead, we receive the salvation Jesus died to provide for us.

Did anyone ever tell the victims in the news the story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection? As believers in Jesus, we must declare His gospel to the world so that everyone may hear the news of salvation.

Secondly, I see another lesson here. There’s no reason for any activity to seem senseless. The Corinthians in St. Paul’s audience heard the stories of the Hebrews with Moses and realized their story applied to current lives. Exodus tells us that 600,000 men left Egypt with the women and children; of all this company, only 2 crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The rest perished in the wilderness. Why? Do their errors give us any lessons?

I require all my students to learn several quotes for their midterm exams. One of these quotes apply to these passages: “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Robert Heinlein would never have qualified for theologian status, but the lesson holds true. The people in Jesus’ audience knew their past because they studied their history every Sabbath in the synagogue. The same held true for the Corinthians; their “Bible” consisted only of the Jewish Scriptures, so they heard the story of the Jewish history every Sunday.

We may hope the people in Jesus’ audience learned something from Pilate’s actions. We may also hope they learned that the Galileans and accident victims did not die in vain. We must learn wisdom from the actions of others.

Lastly, we need to consider Jesus’ parable very carefully. The Jews were chosen from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to serve as God’s people, as a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). The history of the Jews served as a horrible lesson in their failure to lead the nations to God. Instead, the Scriptures record that the Jews had caused the nations to mock God’s name through their idolatry and ignoring of God’s law.

St. Paul told the Corinthians why the Jews failed to live up to God’s expectation of them: Few of them actually trusted in Him and faithfully lived by His word. Therefore, God provided another means for the spreading of His word: The Church.

Do we learn from the mistakes and accomplishments of the saints who have preceded us? I tell my students, “You can either learn from the mistakes of others, or you can try to make them all yourself. The former way is far less painful.”

Jesus has given us a great responsibility in our community and in our lives. He expects us to serve Him faithfully, lest He see a need to “cut down” the plant and begin anew.

Conclusion

Lest we believe we’re above the lesson, history tells us otherwise. The Muslim nation of Turkey sits in the same area where Christian leaders such as Paul, St. John, and St. Basil the Great once preached and wrote. Europe today is considered a “post-Christian” continent. The Church grew more in the South and East last century than anywhere else, including the “Christian” nation of America.

We must never forget that everyone needs redemption, and that we’re the instruments of God’s grace in spreading that message. May God always find us faithful in our service and as a fruitful plant bearing fruit for His kingdom.