Are We Suffering for Sin? (Luke 13:1-5)

The common tendency when experiencing trials is to wonder if we are suffering for sin. When Difficult situations occur we wonder what we did to cause the suffering we are experiencing. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus taught that suffering is not always the result of sin. When Jesus commented on two tragedies that took place, he didn't explain why they happened, because we don't often get to find out why suffering occurs. Instead, he said we must all repent so we don't perish eternally. https://youtu.be/s8ykAvmI8xk During trials we wonder if we are suffering for sin. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus taught that suffering is not always the result of sin. Table of contentsFamily Worship Guide for Are We Suffering for Sin? (Luke 13:1-5)Sermon Notes for Are We Suffering for Sin? (Luke 13:1-5)Lesson One: Suffering isn’t always the result of sin.Lesson Two: All suffering is the result of sin.Lesson Three: We don’t always get to find out why we are suffering.Lesson Four: We must all repent or perish eternally. Family Worship Guide for Are We Suffering for Sin? (Luke 13:1-5) Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 13:1-5—why did the people share this news with Jesus? How would you have expected Jesus to respond if you weren’t familiar with the account? How did he respond and why did he respond this way? How did Jesus elevate these physical accounts to the spiritual level? Day 2: 1 Peter 2:20, 3:17, 4:15, Hebrews 12:5-6, John 9:1-3, Job 1:8, Hebrews 11:35-37, 2 Corinthians 11:23-28—do you see any similarities between the Tower of Siloam falling and the Twin Towers falling, in particular regarding the way people responded? Besides the examples from these verses can you think of other examples from Scripture of godly people suffering? Day 3: Job 38-41—what does it mean that all suffering is the result of sin? Why do you think Job didn’t find out why he was suffering? Why didn’t God tell him? How do we know if we are suffering for righteousness’s sake or because of our sin? What did Jesus mean when he said that we must repent or we will perish? Sermon Notes for Are We Suffering for Sin? (Luke 13:1-5) The title this morning’s sermon is, “Are We Suffering for Sin?” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at Luke 13. We will look at verses one through five. Many times I have responded to people’s questions by asking them a question. Someone asked me why I do that so frequently and I said, “Why shouldn’t I?” If you respond to people’s questions by asking a question you shouldn’t feel too bad about it, because Jesus seemed to do the same thing. In these few verses he responds to the news about two calamities, not by explaining what happened, but by asking two questions. Look with me at verse one… 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. Instead of simply saying Pilate murdered some Galileans who were offering sacrifices in Jerusalem, he uses this vivid way of describing the violence. This incident is not recorded anywhere else in Scripture, but it is not out of character for Pilate. Josephus, the great Jewish historian, records several incidents in which Pilate murdered Jews. These people weren’t just talking to Jesus. They were giving him an important news update for two reasons: First, he and most of his followers are from Galilee, so people would assume he’d be interested in this news. Second, he’s perceived as a leader and people would want to know his thoughts. It reminds me of press conferences with political leaders who are being asked their take on some controversial situation. It’s also possible that they might have been warning Jesus because he was heading to Jerusalem where the violence took place. Whatever the case, receiving this news put Jesus in a difficult situation because: If he ignored what Pilate did the Jews would accuse him of being pro-Roman and disloyal to the Jews. If he defended the Jews and criticized Pilate he would be in trouble with the Romans and the Jewish leaders would have a good excuse to have him arrested. So look how he responded… Luke 13:2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? Now if you weren’t familiar with this account this isn’t how you would expect Jesus to respond. Imagine you were just told about a number of people being violently murdered. Wouldn’t you say something like: This is terrible. I’m so sorry to hear this. What a horrible tragedy. I can’t believe this happened. Instead, Jesus turned it around on the people and asked them if they thought the Galileans who were murdered were murdered because they were worse sinners than everyone else. There’s plenty of application in these verses, but I would like to read through them first because the second account is so much like the first. Look at the next thing he says to them… Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. With Jesus being a prominent spiritual leader who lived a perfectly righteous life and taught so much about righteousness, when he was told about Pilate’s evil actions wouldn’t you expect him to condemn Pilate? Instead, he says something that seems almost bizarre and insensitive: Instead of talking about Pilate’s need to repent, he talked about the people’s need to repent. Instead of talking about Pilate’s sins, he talked about the people’s sins. Look at verse four to see him make the same point again… Luke 13:4 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.” Apparently, there was a tower that fell and tragically killed 18 people. It doesn’t seem like the people told Jesus about this situation. Instead, it seems like he brought it up to further emphasize his point. In doing so he introduced two situations that complement each other very well: In the first situation people died while doing something religious. In the second situation people died from something that seems fairly natural: a tower collapsing. The first situation could be blamed on a wicked man. But when a disaster like the second situation takes place, who do people typically blame? They blame God. They say things like: Why did God allow this to happen? How could a good God let these people die like this? In using both of these situations Jesus seems to encourage his readers to look at death from pretty broad angles. Again, Jesus answered his own question and told everyone that unless they repented they would also perish. In saying this he elevated these two dramatic, well-known, physical tragedies to a higher spiritual level. And because Jesus wanted his listeners to look at these events spiritually, we should do the same and consider what we can learn from what he’s saying…and this brings us to lesson one… Lesson One: Suffering isn’t always the result of sin. When I read this account about the tower falling and killing these people, I think of September 11th. Many people claimed God was judging America. I wasn’t a Christian at the time, say nothing about a pastor. I hope if I had been a pastor I wouldn’t have said God was judging America, because maybe he wasn’t judging America any more than he was judging Galilee when the tower of Siloam fell. If we think about the first account, we would say that a wicked man, Pilate, was acting wickedly, and similarly when the Twin Towers fell we could say that some men wicked men were acting wickedly. If we say that God was judging America on September 11th, it leaves us with some troubling questions…I would say they are the same troubling questions Jesus was trying to get his listeners to consider: Do we think the people who died in the Twin Towers were worse sinners than all the other people, because they suffered in this way? If God was trying to punish America, then why were the people in the Twin Towers the ones who died versus all the other people who lived? The point is, suffering isn’t always the result of sin. But notice the lesson says suffering isn’t ALWAYS the result of sin. I worded it this way because sometimes suffering is the result of sin. We can suffer because of what we have done. Consider these verses: 1 Peter 2:20 What credit is it if, WHEN YOU SIN AND ARE BEATEN FOR IT (in other words we suffer for sinning), you endure? 1 Peter 3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, THAN FOR DOING EVIL (again suffering for sinning). 1 Peter 4:15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. If we are going to suffer, hopefully it’s not because of our sin. The first half of Hebrews 12 is about God’s discipline, or we could say suffering we experience because of our sin… Hebrews 12:5 Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Here we’ve got suffering because of discipline. So clearly there is suffering that takes place because of sin. But with that said there’s plenty of suffering that has nothing to do with our sin. Human tragedies are not always divine punishments. Briefly turn one book to the right to John 9… John 9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”