Luke 13:1-9
1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
“Seeing the evil”
The Gospel for this Sunday brings us to the aim and core of Lent.
Many events happen in our social or national life that hold our attention and give us questions about ourselves and others. This is what happened in Jesus’ earthly life.
As a result of hatred and animosity with Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate massacred pilgrims from Galilee that were going up to Jerusalem. Antipas was over Galilee while Pilate was over Jerusalem. Pilate killed the Galileans as an act against Antipas. In Jerusalem, pilgrims could buy animals to sacrifice but it was more meaningful when they brought their own livestock from their homes and farms. Mingling the Galileans’ blood with the blood of their sacrifices means that both the people and their offerings were killed by Pontius Pilate.
This phenomenon of killing innocents continues, sadly, in our time. It is a result of hatred and greedy authority that some rulers continue to perpetrate. We see this evil in the media reports about what is going on in Europe where, again, there are innocent casualties. The deported and refugees pay the price. They really need both our prayers and our existential support.
Whose fault is it? Were they sinners, or their parents or ancestors? The people asked Jesus if it was their fault or that of somebody else. Jesus then referred to another incident south of Jerusalem where the collapse of a tower killed many people.
In His response, Jesus invites the crowd to think about:
Accidents and victims are a part of life. The victims may be innocent without being sinners. This uproots the concept of inheritance of sin committed by previous generations that descendants have to pay for.
In both cases, the slaughter perpetrated by Pilate and the collapse of the tower, Jesus teaches that we shouldn't consider tragedies to be the vengeance of God.
More important is to extract the morality from these tragedies or catastrophes. Think more about ourselves, look to the sin within us and take the event as a warning to repent and walk in God's presence.
Twice Jesus repeated, “Unless you repent, you will all perish!” To perish is to be understood as a punishment of dying a second death after a first natural death on earth. According to St. John in Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them....."