Advent Lutheran, Pastor Jeff Wild 

Troubling Text    Luke 13:1-9   3/7/10

The Gospel reading for today is a troubling text for various reasons.  Jesus’ comments are not comforting and reassuring, and come across as illogical.  As troubling as this text is, let’s wrestle with it and see where it takes us.  We know that we grow in wisdom and maturity through troubling times and can hope to grow to a deeper understanding by wrestling with this text.    

The disciples are troubled by the recent deaths of some Galileans and whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices.  Jesus cites another tragedy where 18 people were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them.  In both scenarios, Jesus tells them, these people did not die because they were worse sinners than anyone else.  But rather than speaking words to reassure the disciples that they will not suffer as a direct consequence of their sinfulness, Jesus issues a dire warning, “Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” 

A quick and superficial reading of the Old Testament reveals that individuals and entire nations of people suffer as a consequence of God’s judgment on human sinfulness.  It must be noted that there are several other perspectives of human suffering embedded in the Old Testament.  For reasons I do not fully understand, we have a tendency to ask, “What did I do wrong to experience this suffering?”  We also hear preachers who are too big for their britches declare that the victims of earthquakes are suffering because of their sinful behavior or because of the sins of their mothers and fathers.  People express their credulity toward God whose appears to judge arbitrarily when they identify people who are immoral, arrogant jerks, and not only get away with it, but appear to prosper.

The link between sin and suffering is a tempting equation to solve a lot of problems.  (1) It answers the riddle of why bad things happen to good people; they don’t.  Bad things only happen to bad people.  (2) It punishes sinners right out in the open as a warning to everyone.  (3)  It gives us a God who obeys the laws of physics.  For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction.  Any questions?

It is a tempting equation, but Jesus, won’t go there. He subverts this understanding that suffering is a consequence of sin.  We chalk one up for Jesus because we are in full agreement with him.  If only he would have stopped there.  Instead he goes on to say, “Unless you repent you will also perish as they did.” 

These words are troubling.  While Jesus lays aside poor theology, he doesn’t allow us to deny our vulnerability.  Okay, so the Galileans did not die because they were more sinful than anyone else.  They must have died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  “Stuff happens,” we say.  We ourselves or others experience random acts of struggle and suffering.  We are all vulnerable because struggle is woven into the fabric of our lives. 

We all know someone who exercised regularly, ate nutritiously, honored their relationships to God and others, and lived fully and faithfully and is diagnosed with a terminal illness.  We all know someone who was a responsible and conscientious employee and was laid off from their job because business is bad.  We all know someone who was raised in a loving family yet falls prey to addiction.  Our sense of vulnerability is expressed whenever this thought passes through our minds: “If it can happen to him, if it can happen to her, it can happen to me.”  We are threatened by the suffering of others because we are confronted by our own sense of vulnerability. 

“Unless you repent you will perish.”  If these were Jesus’ last words on the topic we are left with little more than an ultimatum. Fortunately, Jesus engages us further by telling the parable of the barren fig tree. 

I am reminded of a maple tree in the front yard of our next door neighbor’s home in Janesville. The tree was not barren like the one in our parable but was vulnerable, as we are.  Our neighbors were a wonderful family named the deLorimeiers.  Larry and Cindy deLorimeier have four children and their second son is the same age as our son Andrew.  Nick and Andrew were best of friends.  From the time they were ten years old most of their summer days were occupied with practicing and playing baseball.  Larry and his father-in-law Everett coached the Cardinals, the little league team that Andrew and Nick played on.  The Cardinals were loaded with talent and well coached and they won the city championship two years in a row. 

I was cleaning the garage one afternoon when I heard a loud whacking noise nearby.  I walked out to the driveway and saw Nick crouched in a batting stance, holding his steel baseball bat and taking one good cut after another.  The loud whacking sound I heard was not that of Nick making contact with a fastball speeding across home plate. Rather, the loud whacking sound reverberated from the young maple tree that Nick was beating with his bat.  “Hey, Nick,” I called over, “you’re taking some good cuts, but you might be hurting that tree.”  Nick smiled, lowered his bat and said, “Okay, Mr. Wild,” and skipped into his house. 

A few minutes later Larry arrived home from work.  We exchanged greetings and then I did something I immediately regretted. I told on Nick.  “You know Larry; I am going to tell you something because I would want to know if you saw Andrew doing something wrong.  Nick was taking batting practice on your little maple tree.”

Larry’s face filled with anger and I knew by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t kidding when he said, “I’ll kill him.”  I tried to persuade him otherwise, “No Larry, don’t kill him.  If I thought you were going to kill him I wouldn’t have told you.”  Larry repeated, “I’ll kill him,” and marched into the house.

Whether our spirit is like a tree battered by one of life’s poundings or whether our spirit is like a tree gone barren due to lack of nurturing care there is hope for our wounded spirits.  While the master in the parable does not come across as especially generous by issuing a one year stay of execution, the reprieve is realistic.  We live within limitations by virtue of our humanity.  One of these limitations is that we are bound by time.  We are reminded that our time in this world is limited, and there will come a day when we will perish.  When we come to the awareness that we are not invincible or that we cannot find the right pills, products, or program to reverse the effects of aging, that our days on earth are fleeting and unpredictable we can do one of two things.  We can curse the limitation as vanity of vanity, all is vanity.  Or we can embrace our limitation by receiving each day as a gift that holds the possibility that a deeply battered life can be transformed, and that a barren spirit can be nursed and nourished to new life.    

What are the nutrients that stimulate new life?  Not a miracle drug to swallow, but compost that is spread, not a guaranteed ninety day or your money back program, but gentle working and loosening of tightly compressed soil, not the latest promotion, but God’s eternal promises.  The Spirit of the living God stimulates the nutrients; spreading compost-like words and sprinkling with living water and working the soil of our souls.  When the soil is composted and the roots are watered God’s life is naturally drawn into our battered and barren spirits and new life surges through us.  The Bible’s word for this process of coming to life is repentance.  Repentance is the longing, hungering, thirsting for new life in response to the nurturing work of the gardener, the Spirit of God.    

I should tell you that I cannot remember whether the maple tree in the deLorimer’s front yard survived the pounding from Nick’s bat.  But I do know this:  Larry did not kill Nick.  I think it is because Cindy assumed the role of the gardener and intervened on Nick’s behalf.  Several years ago it was my privilege to preside at Nick and his beautiful bride, Tiffany’s wedding.  As Andrew played the processional on his trumpet accompanied by the organ, I was filled gratitude and joy that Nick lived to se this day.  Today Nick and Tiffany are proud parents of two year old Ryan.  I have no doubt that Ryan will learn to play baseball and I have no doubt that his grandfather will teach him how to swing a bat.