{"id":1870,"date":"2013-03-21T14:53:17","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T14:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?p=1870"},"modified":"2013-03-21T15:49:41","modified_gmt":"2013-03-21T15:49:41","slug":"how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Matthew L. Skinner<\/a><\/p>\n

Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of wishing away these experiences; it involves perceiving God in the midst of our hardships.<\/p>\n

I still remember one Friday night when I, an overly sensitive preteen, made a conscious decision to stop watching the nightly news with the rest of my family. I found what I saw too depressing and threatening: crime after crime, yet another house fire, economic challenges, too much Cold War.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t recall how old I was when I mustered the willpower to face the news again on a regular basis. But a quick scan of the latest headlines makes me wonder why I still subject myself to it: the imminent and potentially crippling sequester, American drones flying in and out of Niger, Iran\u2019s growing nuclear capability, recurring bloodshed in Syria. Maybe I had it easier back in middle school.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Circle of Protection Urges Moral Focus Ahead of Looming Sequester<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the private news we must endure. If you can handle the world-affecting issues, the personal ones have their own ability to leave us disappointed: poor health, family squabbles, professional setbacks, unreliable friends.<\/p>\n

Life, or our experience of it, often disappoints. It\u2019s common for us to feel subject to adverse forces beyond our control.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp!\u201d (Won\u2019t Jesus Fix All This?)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus gets pulled into a worried conversation about the latest news cycle: apparently Roman forces had slaughtered a group of religious pilgrims \u2014 again. How will he react? Jesus\u2019 response, \u201cDo you think this happened to them because they were bad people?\u201d indicates he wants to discourage anyone from reacting to the calamity with a \u201cblame the victim\u201d mentality. Tragedies don\u2019t obey such neat moral logic.<\/p>\n

He rejects that line of thinking, no matter if the violence in question comes from an oppressive political system or a random accident, like the other incident he cites, about tower that fell on eighteen unsuspecting souls.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, he refuses to use bad news as an occasion to speculate on the deep secrets of the universe; he gives no explanation for why a loving God doesn\u2019t prevent or magically repair all the world\u2019s pain and injustice. (Either Jesus doesn\u2019t know the answer, he\u2019s not sharing, or, more likely, probably God simply isn\u2019t a puppeteer.<\/p>\n

His response to the recent atrocities is not exactly comforting. Instead of sympathy for \u201cthose poor people,\u201d we get urgency: \u201cit might have been you.\u201d Jesus doesn\u2019t downplay life\u2019s tendency to deal harsh hands. He essentially asks, \u201cWhy should any of you survivors sleep easier tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

And by the way, he adds, if you don\u2019t repent, you will perish, too.<\/p>\n

He follows this cheery thought with a story about an unproductive fig tree given one more chance \u2014 aided by some reinvigorating horticulture \u2014 to realize its purpose. The parable clarifies Jesus\u2019 motivations for previously exhorting people to \u201crepent.\u201d It\u2019s not that repenting will extend our lives or offer a miraculous shield against tyrants, superstorms, computer hackers, and disease. Rather, our repentance will lead, figuratively, to our bearing fruit. True living is about fruition, coming to the place of experiencing God\u2019s intentions for us even in the midst of a sometimes menacing universe.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cRepent!\u201d (It\u2019s Not What You Think)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll leave it for others to hypothesize about how we got to this point, but somehow most people hear \u201crepentance\u201d and think first of behavior and guilt. As if Jesus\u2019 primary goal was to reform personal morality.<\/p>\n

But this is to misunderstand repentance. The word translated as \u201crepent\u201d is, at its root, about thinking and perception. It refers to a wholesale change in how a person understands something. It implies an utter reconfiguration of your perspective on reality and meaning, including (in the New Testament) a reorientation of yourself toward God. Your behavior might change as a result of this new perception, certainly; but repentance first involves seeing things differently and coming to a new understanding of what God makes possible.<\/p>\n

Jesus, then, is promising an alternate perspective on the cycles of violence, pain, and meaninglessness. To miss out on this way of seeing \u2014 to neglect to \u201crepent\u201d \u2014 is to miss out on other dimensions of our existence. It is to pass by one\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 summons to repent is not escapism or a minimization of life\u2019s hardships. It means coming to discover God as the source of sustenance, belonging, meaning, and hope in this difficult life and into future existence. Repentance names the change that occurs within us when God meets us and reshapes our understanding.<\/p>\n

Repentance results from an encounter with God. This is why, elsewhere in Luke\u2019s Gospel, Jesus associates a person\u2019s \u201crepentance\u201d with the essentially passive experience of being found and reclaimed by someone who seeks you intently.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Moving Toward Fruition<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the things we want to be different from how they currently are? What global issues and personal struggles erode our capacity for hope?<\/p>\n

Jesus doesn\u2019t promise to change the world by providing instant relief. His coming did not put an end to tyrants or stop buildings and meteorites from falling upon random passers-by. But he does offer a new perspective on what\u2019s possible for us and for our world. He insists God can be encountered, even within this fragile human existence.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere the New Testament makes it clear: this new perspective is not about passivity or resigning oneself to life\u2019s afflictions. Nor is repentance a tool for seizing control over the universe to tame its vicious streak. It is a way of aligning ourselves with the God who cares for all the world and wishes to enlist our help in ushering in newness, relief, and justice.<\/p>\n

Repenting entails trust. It entails trust in God, yes, but also trust that, because of God\u2019s commitment to us, what we read in the news does not capture the full extent of any story. Every disappointing news item includes a summons to look and work for God\u2019s grace, mercy, and justice, even if those things linger slightly hidden below the fold.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

For Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n

  • Diana Butler Bass, Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith (HarperOne, 2007).<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Sharon H. Ringe, Luke (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), pages 183-185.<\/li>\n
  • Matthew L. Skinner, \u201cLuke 13:1-9,\u201d WorkingPreacher.org, 7 March 2010.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    Learn more about the ON Scripture Editorial Board Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

    Learn more about ON Scripture Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

    Like ON Scripture Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

    Follow ON Scripture Click here <\/a><\/p>\n

    ON Scripture is possible by a generous grant from the <\/strong>Lilly Endowment<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


    \n
    \n<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of wishing away these experiences; it involves perceiving God in the midst of our hardships. I still remember one Friday night when I, an overly sensitive preteen, made a conscious decision to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":625,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[519,205,206,735,213,517,518],"class_list":["post-1870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-faith-and-the-sequester","tag-mathew-skinner","tag-odyssey-networks","tag-on-scripture","tag-on-scripture-the-bible","tag-sequester","tag-syria"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"On Scripture - The Bible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-21T14:53:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-03-21T15:49:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/\",\"name\":\"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-21T14:53:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-03-21T15:49:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\"},\"description\":\"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/\",\"name\":\"On Scripture - The Bible\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\",\"name\":\"Odyssey Networks\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Odyssey Networks\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)","description":"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)","og_description":"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/","og_site_name":"On Scripture - The Bible","article_published_time":"2013-03-21T14:53:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-03-21T15:49:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Odyssey Networks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Odyssey Networks","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/","name":"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-03-21T14:53:17+00:00","dateModified":"2013-03-21T15:49:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f"},"description":"By Matthew L. Skinner Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn\u2019t a matter of","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2013\/03\/how-to-survive-the-sequester-syria-and-other-threatening-headlines-luke-131-9\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/","name":"On Scripture - The Bible","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f","name":"Odyssey Networks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Odyssey Networks"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/625"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}