Insurance Policy

Posted by Paul in Devotionals | 3 comments

Luke 13:1-9 – Repent or Perish

• “Insurance Policy”
• Jesus continues in yesterday’s theme.
• Firstly, the people told Him about some Gallileans whom Pilate had killed while they were making their sacrifices in the temple.
• The people were keen to point out to Jesus the terrible things that had happened to other people.
• Out of context, we might think this was just general chit chat or perhaps that they were complaining about Pilate’s acts.
• But they were not.
• They were implying that these people must have been much worse they they were, because God had allowed such a bad thing to happen to them.
• But Jesus, as He often did, rejects the old compensatory ethics that I have talked about before.
• You can read more about this in my blog from March the 7th

‘Can you sin before you are born?’

• and read another consequence of it in my blog from July 7th

‘Catch 22’.

• Or for much more detail and fuller insight, read my book

‘The Cloud and the Line’.

• Secondly He then tells them again that they are as in much danger of punishment as those in the news. He even uses other examples of some people who died probably in the building of the aqueduct that was being constructed at the time near the Pool of Siloam.
• Presenting other people’s sins, He implies, is not insurance against reaping punishment for your own sins, even if you think other peoples sins are much greater than yours.
• Here, as in yesterday, Jesus tells them that there is a period where God is patiently waiting for them to turn from their sins before punishment overstakes them.
• Why might punishment overtake them?
• Because rather than bringing their own sins to Jesus, they bring the sins of others in the hpe that their sins will be seen as unimportant.
• After all, thats exactly what Adam did.
• And its exactly what many of us do.
• The good news is this, that when it comes to judgement, God is completely uninterested in comparing us with one another except to uncover our hypocracy and only interested in comparing us with Jesus.
• There is no sin that is not common to man and there is not salvation that is not common to us as well.
• It is a level playing field.
• God is not shocked by your sin, it is not too big for Him to deal with.
• All He asks is that we are honest with Him about our internal sins rather than using external examples as an excuse; what happened to us, what happened to others etc.
• When it comes to judgement, honesty is not the best policy, it is the only policy.
• The minute we do and repent, He forgives.
• The instant He forgives, we can immediately produce fruit in our lives.
• And bye the way… have you notice that Jesus rarely compares our sins to each other but often compares our fruit to each other?
• Why do you think that is?

If this has been helpful in any way then please share it on Facebook and Twitter by clicking below or on the links to the left.