“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)
Jesus spoke of 2 events which probably had occurred within recent memory of His listeners. These concerned people who died violently. The religious zealots who were proud of their self-righteousness as well as their heritage as Jews, maintained that those who died under those tragic circumstances were cursed by God because of their sins. But Jesus pointed out to them that all men are sinners. Consequently all of His listeners were under the curse of God and in need of repentance. They were all in need of a Savior. Jesus then told them a parable to illustrate what God had done in the past with their ancestors, ancient Israel and Judah. The ancients had consistently refused to heed the words of God and were judged. Now the Jews would reject His own Son, Jesus Christ as Messiah and would be judged with righteous severity.
These days we see many such unexpected tragedies not only resulting from terrorism and violence but also accidents, illness and so-called natural disasters. While ultimately we cannot explain or understand why God allows such suffering, we can assume that these events and tragedies are used by God to remind all human beings of the shortness and uncertainty of life. Tomorrow is promised to no one. All must live in light of this uncertainty. All men, women and children are sinners. All need to have faith in Jesus who alone is our redeemer and Savior.
All who do not know the Lord must get right with Him before it is too late. And as for we who are believers, we must not be doing things that we would be ashamed of when that time comes or the Lord returns. And we must tell others of the grace and mercy found in Jesus alone. The Lord wants to warn them to come to Him before it is too late lest they miss out on His eternal blessings. We cannot keep the truth of the gospel to ourselves.