Why?

I had a different blog post written, loaded and ready to launch for this week, but then the events of Monday unfolded, and the details of the horrible explosions in Boston were made known.

As all of us did, I stopped yesterday and tried to get as much information as possible about the senseless attack. I did online searches, I watched CNN, I listened to the radio. I shook my head in disgust, and then in disbelief. I moaned when hearing the casualty number skyrocket from 6 to over 120. I asked myself the question, the same question many of you asked:

Why?

I was reminded of a passage in the Bible, Luke 13, where Jesus was asked the same question. A number of people approached Him asking Him about 2 recent disasters – one manmade (an act of great cruelty) and the other a “natural disaster” (a tower collapsing on unsuspecting people). His response is worth a long look, because it is the response that we should have today as we consider the act of terror in Boston.

Jesus starts by making it very clear, those people who were killed were no worse than anyone else. This isn’t an act of divine vengeance on people who are “more sinful,” no matter what ridiculous nut-job television preacher says it is.

Jesus then reminds us that we are mortal beings. Think about that for a moment. Any of a million things could happen to us in the next 5 minutes, and our lives would be over. Something small could go wrong in our body, like a blood vessel popping. A spot of cancer could be discovered. An accident on I-55. We don’t know what will take us, but we can be sure that every single one of us at some point will die, because we are mortal beings.

Finally, Jesus speaks to the fact that we are unprepared for that intimate brush with our own mortality. None of the people in His time who suddenly passed away expected that day to be their last. The dozens of people who were injured, and those who lost their lives, didn’t head to Boylston Street Monday expecting to come face to face with their mortality. If we are honest, we would all have to admit that none of us are truly prepared for the moment our lives will end. Jesus was challenging those people, and us, to make sure we are ready for that moment.

As we stand gazing at our televisions, praying for the families who are dealing with unspeakable loss, remembering the victims whose lives have been taken, asking ourselves, and our God, “Why?,” may we also take time to reflect on our mortality, and ask ourselves the hard question that Jesus wanted us all to consider:

Am I prepared?

If you have a question about this or any other post written by Pastor Frank, you can comment below, or reach him at askquestions@newsong-church.com.