Will You Likewise Perish?; Luke 13:1-5

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 2/4/2024. In the midst of teaching the vital importance of reconciliation with God through His Gospel, Jesus is interrupted by a report of a recent atrocity of Pilate's cruelty and oppression. But the interruption was actually a thin veneer for one of the most often asked questions of Theism: "Why does God allow His people to suffer?" Jesus' answer is as shocking as it is emphatic. We will analyze two very different examples of when God allowed His people to suffer-- but both will elicit the same response from Jesus. Rather than entertain the idea that tragedies resulting from either the cruelty of man or the Providence of God are the result of sinful behavior, Jesus strikes at the very core of why it is so essential to repent and surrender to God's redemptive plan through Christ. Even though we will consider some of the reasons "good" people suffer, ultimately we will emphasize the eternal question raised by Jesus' poignant answer-- will you likewise perish?