Jesus' Response to School Shootings Like the One Today
posted almost 12 years ago
The Gospel of Luke the Physician, Chapter 13
"There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 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? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 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? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
10 out of 10 people die. Jesus' response to calamity was to challenge the questioners' false attitude of "why did this happen?" and point out that that is the wrong question to be asking. The right question to ask is, "what have I done to prepare myself for death?"
The surprise of the school shooting today, which as of this publication counts 18 children between the ages of 5 and 10 among the dead, and 10 adults besides, is not that they died, but the untimeliness and the evil nature of the way in which they were taken from the earth.
But stop for a minute and question that assumption: "untimeliness." As in, "they had so much life left to live, and it was cut short." But can anyone say that about themselves? Who knows how much time we have left on this earth? We do not know when we will die; how is it, then, that many of us live as if we shall live forever? What if we are taken before we are ready? What then?
This is a thought that should concern everyone. Are you prepared for death? Do you know for sure where you are going when you die? Can you answer that question with confidence?
Jesus' answer to the questioning Jews was to say, in effect, do not worry about why other people died; you are asking the wrong question! Instead worry about what will happen to you when you die! God does not want you to suffer, but there is one way to heaven (John 14:6) and one way only--through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus said, "unless you REPENT you will all likewise perish."
There is no second chance after death. The Bible says that "it is appointed for man once to die, and after this comes the judgment." If you stood before God today do you know if you would go to heaven or hell?
When calamities like these happen, people often go searching for answers. The answer to all such questions is in the Bible. In the hopes that people who hear of this disaster will open themselves up to hearing how this evil will be resolved, and how they themselves can escape death, I'm posting a helpful video below, and it's my prayer that everyone will watch it.
(edited almost 12 years ago)
