9/11 And Katrina Call Nation to Repentance
In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus comments on two spectacular incidents which involved the death of innocent people. The first incident was the barbaric murder of some Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their temple sacrifices and the second incident was the collapse of a tower which resulted in the death of eighteen people. Jesus concluded His comments with the parable of the fruitless fig tree.
The first was a political act, instigated by an oppressive ruler. The second was a natural catastrophe which caused the collapse of a man-made structure. The parable of the fruitless fig tree is not unrelated to the first two incidents. The fig tree is a symbol of a city or a nation. The fruit which the master longed for is the fruit of repentance, and the master is the Lord. The caretaker are the intercessors who preach the Word of God and call the nation to repentance and righteous living.
Jesus interprets these seemingly unrelated disasters, one political, the other natural, and reveals those incidents as calls to repentance. He further illustrates through the parable of the fruitless fig tree how God longs that men and nations should repent, and that if repentance is not forthcoming, then the fig tree is to be cut down. The city of Jerusalem is a historical analogy of this parable. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem and warned of its impending destruction.
The parable of the fruitless fig tree illustrates the manner of God’s dealing with men and nations. He longs for men and nations to repent and He listens to intercessors and postpones judgment. After a period of time, if men and nations refuse to repent, then they are cut down.
The execution of Jesus was a natural outcome of the envy and political ambition of the religious leaders of that time. The brutality of Pilate in Luke 13 was the natural outcome of the sinfulness of man. The collapse of the tower in Luke 13 was the indirect result of a rebellious cosmic environment, hostile to man. God is not the author of those evil and harmful acts and destruction. In His wisdom He used those incidents to execute His own redemptive plan for mankind. This plan includes repentance.
The United States of America has had two great catastrophes recently. One was political, and the other was natural within four years of each other. The 9/11 attack hit innocent people and was instigated by a brutal political enemy, as Pilate was to the Galileans in Luke 13. Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane which caused a levy to break and flood New Orleans, and wreaked havoc and destruction, just as a natural disaster caused the tower of Siloam to cause death in Luke 13. The scale is much bigger today as many more innocent people were killed, and thousands were hurt and rendered homeless by both 9/11 and Katrina. Is it appropriate to apply Jesus’ world view and interpretation of events to these incidents?
We ignore the parallelism and historical analogy at our own risk. The United States has been the recipient of God’s greatest blessings on earth. This nation is a fig tree planted by God, and could not have sprouted and prospered if not by God’s design and providential care. Recently, the need for repentance has been great, as America has stupidly abandoned absolute truth, bowing to moral relativism and political correctness, and imagining that it owes nothing to God for its greatness. The intercessors throughout the nation have been working hard to call the nation to repentance and righteousness, praying for the nation, praying in behalf of America, reminding the nation of its spiritual roots and the God of their fathers. At least I hope that we have been doing that, and if not, we should be doing it.
In the parable, the Master was willing to postpone cutting down the fig tree for a period of time until He saw the fruits of repentance. The caretaker asked for a reprieve of two years. We don’t know how much time we have. We know that the need for repentance is great. Only time will tell if we are successful in our intercession for America.
The first was a political act, instigated by an oppressive ruler. The second was a natural catastrophe which caused the collapse of a man-made structure. The parable of the fruitless fig tree is not unrelated to the first two incidents. The fig tree is a symbol of a city or a nation. The fruit which the master longed for is the fruit of repentance, and the master is the Lord. The caretaker are the intercessors who preach the Word of God and call the nation to repentance and righteous living.
Jesus interprets these seemingly unrelated disasters, one political, the other natural, and reveals those incidents as calls to repentance. He further illustrates through the parable of the fruitless fig tree how God longs that men and nations should repent, and that if repentance is not forthcoming, then the fig tree is to be cut down. The city of Jerusalem is a historical analogy of this parable. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem and warned of its impending destruction.
The parable of the fruitless fig tree illustrates the manner of God’s dealing with men and nations. He longs for men and nations to repent and He listens to intercessors and postpones judgment. After a period of time, if men and nations refuse to repent, then they are cut down.
The execution of Jesus was a natural outcome of the envy and political ambition of the religious leaders of that time. The brutality of Pilate in Luke 13 was the natural outcome of the sinfulness of man. The collapse of the tower in Luke 13 was the indirect result of a rebellious cosmic environment, hostile to man. God is not the author of those evil and harmful acts and destruction. In His wisdom He used those incidents to execute His own redemptive plan for mankind. This plan includes repentance.
The United States of America has had two great catastrophes recently. One was political, and the other was natural within four years of each other. The 9/11 attack hit innocent people and was instigated by a brutal political enemy, as Pilate was to the Galileans in Luke 13. Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane which caused a levy to break and flood New Orleans, and wreaked havoc and destruction, just as a natural disaster caused the tower of Siloam to cause death in Luke 13. The scale is much bigger today as many more innocent people were killed, and thousands were hurt and rendered homeless by both 9/11 and Katrina. Is it appropriate to apply Jesus’ world view and interpretation of events to these incidents?
We ignore the parallelism and historical analogy at our own risk. The United States has been the recipient of God’s greatest blessings on earth. This nation is a fig tree planted by God, and could not have sprouted and prospered if not by God’s design and providential care. Recently, the need for repentance has been great, as America has stupidly abandoned absolute truth, bowing to moral relativism and political correctness, and imagining that it owes nothing to God for its greatness. The intercessors throughout the nation have been working hard to call the nation to repentance and righteousness, praying for the nation, praying in behalf of America, reminding the nation of its spiritual roots and the God of their fathers. At least I hope that we have been doing that, and if not, we should be doing it.
In the parable, the Master was willing to postpone cutting down the fig tree for a period of time until He saw the fruits of repentance. The caretaker asked for a reprieve of two years. We don’t know how much time we have. We know that the need for repentance is great. Only time will tell if we are successful in our intercession for America.
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