Jesus’ Stand on Good and Evil
My dear friends, the Gospel today begins with two incidences of disasters that can challenge one’s faith and belief in God. This is because we normally have the wrong notion – as some of the Jews did at the time of Jesus – that material prosperity is a sign of God’s blessing and its lack is a punishment for sin. We take it that God allows good things to happen to good people and bad things to bad people. As such, we often wonder when bad things happen to good people.
The anxiety of such is very vivid in this gospel as some people arrived to tell Jesus about the death of Galileans who went to offer sacrifice in the temple. They were worried because the people had gone to do something good before they met their tragic end. They wondered if it were their sins that caused their deaths.
But Jesus objected. He made it clear that they were not guiltier. He objected because he knew that both the good and the bad suffer the same fate and no one has God’s preference over another. Death is for both the righteous and the sinner. God has equal love for everyone. He loves the sinner but hates his or her sins and is ever ready to offer more time to him or her for repentance.
Therefore, any bad incidence according to human standards including death, can happen to anyone, even those whom we think do not deserve it. Death is for both the just and unjust, as the rain and sunshine are for both (Mt 5:45). ‘In truth, God shows no partiality’ (Rom 2:11).
Call to Repentance: No Fixed Date for Death
As soon as Jesus objected to their reasoning, he ceased the opportunity to further address them over the urgency of repentance. He changed the discussion from what had happened to what needs to be done by everyone. Jesus warned them: unless you repent, you will likewise perish. He cautioned them because he was aware that those who died in the two tragic events they discussed had not known they would die. And it was possible that they were not ready for that unexpected end.
Jesus warned them in his call to repentance to avoid a repeat of such a thing. He placed urgency in the tone of his call to repentance because he knows that no one has the key to his or her life, nor the date and time to his or her death. He emphasized these points to remind them to be prepared for unexpected incidences that may arise at any time, as it did to the victims of the Temple.
Such readiness, in Jesus’ own view, would offer people a better opportunity to achieve eternal life, which should be the utmost desire of every person. Hence Peter warns: ‘Be calm but vigilant, because the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith’ (1 Peter 5: 8-9). We stand up to him even in death by being ready at all times.
No Abuse of God’s Patience
After the warning call to repentance, Jesus goes on to give his disciples hope on the persevering patience of God. He tells them the parable of the fig tree. The parable demonstrates how God expects humanity to bear fruit. Further, he explains the risks associated with the unfruitful lifestyle of man and woman. He patiently searches for the fruit of his Spirit in everyone. God is not happy for any unproductive person, which is an abuse to the grace he offers us.
Nevertheless, Jesus, in his love and care is ever ready to graciously offer a second chance like he did to the fig tree. He is also ready to allow us to be cultivated with his words and sacraments to bear fruit. He wants us to make use of the grace and opportunity he regularly offers us to make a change. This allowance or patience of God must not be abused. Repentance therefore is paramount. Now we have the time. We should never postpone it, less we perish.
