What does Luke 13:2 mean?
A crowd surrounds Jesus. Some of them have reported that Pilate killed Galileans who had gone to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. It's unclear why they bring it up; perhaps it is late-breaking news. Jesus uses the opportunity to warn them that just as it is best to reconcile with a person they have wronged before going to court (Luke 12:57–59), it is essential to reconcile with God before facing eternal judgment (Luke 13:3). If they wrong a person, they could be imprisoned or fined. Dying without repenting to God means eternity in hell (Luke 12:4–5).During His argument, Jesus contradicts what was then a widely, almost universal belief: that God always blesses good, obedient Jews and always curses disobedient Jews with early deaths (Luke 13:4). This belief is not completely without precedent in Scripture. The Mosaic covenant can be summarized as a promise: if the people obey God's commandments and worship only Him, He will bless them. If they break His commandments and worship idols, He will punish them (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Over time, this grew into the belief that if a person is prosperous, he must be a good person, approved of by God. If someone suffers hardship, they must be a horrible sinner.
Modern people lean towards this belief, as well, to varying degrees. We often hear statements such as, "I'm a good person; why did God do this to me?" Or "God must approve of that pastor's teaching because the church is growing so quickly." Even when we know better, we tend to think that if we just read the Bible enough, pray enough, do the right things, and love God and people the right way, we will mitigate the damage the fallen world can throw at us.
Jesus reminds us that this is not the case. Following God's will can keep us from some of the risks and consequences brought on by sin (Proverbs 1:31; 5:22; 8:35–36; Psalm 32:10). Obeying God means avoiding discipline for our sins, but violence and accidents happen. Sometimes it is God's will to allow bad things to happen to us or the people we love. We can't always escape it (John 9:1–3).
What we can do is ensure our eternal future is blessed, safe, and protected. We do that by repenting of our sins and reconciling with God so we can live with Him in paradise forever.
