When I was young I was confident that God, with all the characteristics that make God God, guided everything that happened in the world. I thought the same about my parents. For all practical purposes they controlled the world around me, This made life less scary and I felt safe. The older I became the less I saw this to be true. There were circumstances where they could not protect me. There were things that happened that did not happen according to their plan or will.When I pray the Lord's prayer now I am making the request for God's will to be done on earth, that everything that happens is not by God's decree. I think about events that insurance companies won't cover because they are labeled as "acts of God" and I shudder at those words. When some preacher proclaims that a natural disaster occurred because of God's anger was directed at some human behavior I also shake my head. If all this, indeed, is completely under God's control then something is wrong, from my current perspective.
Luke 13:1-9 is another example where scripture can be read from different perspectives. Jesus says, "... Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." Pastor Ray preached how, for some, this could be a "turn or burn" verse that frightens church members into remaining faithful by preaching the potential consequences of not repenting. Those who preach these consequences see the owner of the vineyard as God in the Parable of The Barren Fig Tree which directly follows.
The other perspective pays attention to Jesus saying "no", God did not judge the eighteen and cause the tower to fall on them because of any offensive to God. Pastor Ray preached that when Jesus talks about perishing, unless you repent, he is talking about a core change of heart We abandon the road that leads to perishing that any of us might find themselves on, and instead, choosing to thrive.
The impatient owner is not God, looking to cut the tree down because it serves no purpose but, instead, we are the impatient owner who feel unless something is useful to us it can serve no purpose. When we are in that frame of mind we need a change of heart. It is the owner who needs the change of mind and heart - not the fig terr, God or Jesus. This is Jesus responding to the wrong understanding of the questioners asking about God's judgment.
This Lenten journey, for me so far, has been primarily about Parkland, Christchurch and other attacks that have not necessarily taken place during Lent. I pray for the victims. I find it harder to pray for the often unrepentant shooters. My first thought towards the shooters is equivalent to the owner. "Cut them down. Their lives are a waste." And then there is Jesus who, like he does in the parable, pleads for mercy on this enemy and asks to be allowed to give him some more time. How can I refuse?
I replaced the safety bubble I had as a child. Otherwise I would be forced to rationalize these attacks as fitting into God's greater purpose that humankind simply cannot understand. This kind of rationalizing is too high a price to pay for that safety bubble of believing God is in complete control. Instead God is always the advocate, pleading for mercy.
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