Reading: Luke 13:1-5
1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; 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 offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5 ESV
Today, 12 June, 2025, the newsfeeds have brought details of a tragic plane crash that occurred shortly after take-off at Ahmedabad airport in western India. The aircraft was bound for London Gatwick, carrying hopeful travellers, people like you and me. In a matter of moments many lives were lost, families devastated and the world left asking, ‘Why? How could this happen?
Disasters shock us and confront us with the fragility of life. We wonder: Why them? Why now? Could that happen to me? Such questions are not new. In Jesus’ day, people wrestled with those same thoughts about local tragedies. Luke chapter 13 records that Jesus responded with a message, not of speculation, but of salvation.
The Lord Jesus never shied away from real issues. He did not avoid hard questions but met people where they were and addressed their concerns head-on. Sometimes he illustrated his preaching with parables – stories about everyday real life – and he also referred to news stories of interest in order to drive home an important truth. That is exactly what he has done in Luke 13:1-5. The Lord Jesus alludes to two news stories of the time. No other historian but Luke records these two events. Josephus the great Jewish historian does not mention them at all. They did not make national or international headlines and the exact details have not survived. These were local disasters: current events that had shaken the people of his day.
- The Temple Disaster– where the Roman governor Pontius Pilate had slaughtered worshippers from Galilee
- The Tower Disaster – where a structure in Siloam collapsed, killing 18 people.
Jesus first of all discusses the TEMPLE DISASTER. Then he mentions the TOWER DISASTER. He uses these to talk about the TRUE DISASTER
The Temple Disaster
It is very likely that this event took place during the Passover, and that these Galilean Jews had travelled to Jerusalem to fulfil their religious duties. Galileans had a reputation for being rebellious and it seems that Pilate’s soldiers attacked and slaughtered some of them while they were offering sacrifices. We don’t know the details but they were murdered in such a gruesome way that it was described as their blood being mingled with the blood of their offerings. A horrific scene.
The generally accepted wisdom at that time was that good things happened to good people and bad things happened to bad people. The people Jesus was talking to therefore assumed that those Galileans were especially sinful. After all, wouldn’t God protect good people in the act of worship? Jesus answered their thoughts plainly: ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No,…’ He corrected their faulty theology. This is an emphatic ‘No!’ The Galileans who were slaughtered by Pilate were not greater sinners than others. Calamities are not reserved for the wicked. Jesus used that event to remind them of something very important: unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. It is a fact that all face the judgement of God unless they repent.
The Tower Disaster
The second calamity mentioned by Jesus related to part of a construction project, possibly an aqueduct. The tower collapsed, killing eighteen people. Were they worse sinners than than others in Jerusalem? Again Jesus says ‘No!’ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
These two events may have seemed random but Jesus used both of them to emphasise the same point: tragedy does not discriminate. And, since death is unpredictable, the only wise response is repentance: unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
The True Disaster
Jesus wasn’t lecturing them on politics or architecture. His concern was not with ‘health and safety’ but for their eternal safety. He was telling them: ‘Don’t ask why these people died – ask yourself if you are ready to die when your time comes.’
The real disaster is that if you don’t repent, when death comes you will perish. True disaster is that you die and experience the judgement of God because you have not repented. Jesus was not stressing the issue of how people die or when they die or why they die. The issue is that they might die without repenting.
The true disaster is not dying suddenly. It is not dying violently or unexpectedly. The real disaster, according to Jesus, is dying unrepentant. Repent or perish is not intended as a cruel ultimatum – it is a loving warning.
THREE WORDS THAT DEMAND ATTENTION
unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus uses three crucial words: all, repent and perish.
ALL – An Inclusive Word
No-one is exempt. Jesus said: unless you repent – not they, not those people, but you.
- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 ESV
- None is righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:10 ESV
Your upbringing will not save you. Your morality will not exempt you. Your good works will not excuse you. You must repent.
REPENT – A DECISIVE WORD
Repentance is a necessity. Repentance by itself will not save you, but you cannot be saved without it. Repentance and faith are linked together inseparably in Acts 20:21: ‘Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.’ KJV. Repentance in the New Testament always includes faith in Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. It is a turning from sin to someone and that someone is Jesus Christ. The repentance that leads to eternal life is that repentance which embraces Christ as saviour.
Repentance is not a vague sorrow or an emotional moment. It is a decisive turning — a change of heart, mind, and direction.
PERISH – A SOBERING WORD
To perish is not simply to die. Everyone dies. To perish is to die without hope, to face eternal judgement.
Hebrews 9:27 says: it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, ESV
Jesus uses the word perish with eternal implications. The true tragedy is not a Roman sword or a collapsing tower; it is a person entering eternity unrepentant and unforgiven.
SUMMATION
None of those who died in the temple or under the tower expected that day to be their last. They had plans, routines and dreams; all disrupted in an instant.
That is the unsettling reality of life: we do not know what tomorrow holds. We might be sitting here today — reasonably healthy, strong, confident — but we cannot guarantee we will be here tomorrow. What if today is your final warning? What if this is God’s voice calling you, one last time: “Repent, or perish”?
Written Exposition 