Luke 13:1-5

Without repentance there is no forgiveness. A deep sorrow for the sins we have committed precedes our acceptance of Jesus suffering for those sins in our place. 

All mercy and glory belong to Our triune Godhead.

Continuing the theme of judgment, Jesus uses two calamities that befell certain Jews to illustrate the fate that awaits those who do not repent. This material is unique to Luke’s Gospel. Jesus uses this incident to illustrate the necessity of repentance.

The details of the incident referred to here, in which Jewish blood was shed at or near the temple during a time of sacrifices, are not known. Pilate was known for his insensitivity to the Jewish people early in his rule. The event probably occurred during the Feast of the Passover or Tabernacles, when Galileans most likely would have been at the temple. Jesus’ question reflected the opinion of His audience. The idea that judgment and death are the results of sin led to the belief that tragic death was the result of extreme sin. While such a view was common in Judaism, it was not always a correct conclusion. Jesus’ point here is that everyone stands at the edge of death until repentance occurs. The death in view here is spiritual, not physical. The event referred to here was a natural tragedy as opposed to the violent human act alluded to in . However, the same question was raised. Were the people who suffered being judged for their sins? The manner in which a person dies is not a measure of righteousness; what is important is not to die outside of God’s grace and care. The way to avoid such a fate is to repent, to come to God through the care of the physician Jesus.

Luke 13:1–5 (NKJV): There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

John 9:2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”