What is important about current events? What should our reaction be? Here are a couple of lessons from one of the more difficult vignettes in the gospels:

Some of those present informed Jesus that Pilate had slaughtered some Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices at the temple, mixing their blood with the sacrifices they were offering. Jesus turned and asked the crowd, “Do you believe that the slaughtered Galileans were the worst sinners of all the Galileans? No, they weren’t! So listen to me. Unless you all repent, you will perish as they did.” (Luke 13.1 – 3, TPT)

There is so much tied up in this short section, which is recorded only in Luke:

• The Romans had the power to do whatever they wanted. You can see hints of this in The Chosen. The Roman oppressors were cruel, malicious, and capricious.
• Jesus refuses to get into it with the Romans or even talk about the Romans. Why did the people tell Jesus about what Pilate did? I believe their intent was to stir him up. After all, won’t the Messiah deliver us from this sort of thing? Jesus doesn’t take the bait nor does he focus on things he can do nothing about.
• What he does focus on is the underlying belief that misfortune happens to those who are sinners. Jesus does address that. All need to repent.

Unless YOU repent. Not, “I wish Pilate would repent.” We seem to spend a lot of time critiquing the government or the culture. We want our rights. We want others to behave. Jesus challenges his listeners to critique themselves.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3.19, ESV)