Katrina Is Just a Warning - And An Opportunity

Some people who were there at that time told Jesus about certain Galileans. Pilate had mixed their blood with their sacrifices. Jesus said, "These people from Galilee suffered greatly. Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too. Or what about the 18 people in Siloam? They died when the tower fell on them. Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too." [Luke 13:1-5]

I want to expand on what I shared with the choir last night in my devotion.

According to a recent story, in a sermon delivered on September 6, a Jewish rabbi said "that the devastation wrought by [Hurricane] Katrina 'was God's retribution' for pressuring Israel to relinquish Gaza and the northern West Bank to the Palestinians.."

In fact, there are some intriguing correlations between major disasters and the treatment - or rather, mistreatment - of Israel. Coincidence? Maybe.

But consider that Muslim extremists also believe that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment against the U.S. for its evil ways and it policies in the Middle East.

Now wait a minute - if these are to be believed, then it sounds to me like we're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't. How could God be punishing our nation for acting in ways that are contradictory to each other?

That's the point - He's not. Jesus tells a completely different story. I urge you to read what he had to say about the End of the Age in Matthew 24.

Jesus specifically mentions, in verses 6-8, of what would happen before the End of the Age and His coming: ^"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." [New King James Version]

Jesus also made it clear to us that the signs of his coming would be as obvious to us as the changing of the seasons. Verses 32-33 state: "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!"

By the way, the use of the fig tree as an example is no accident; it is the symbol of the nation of Israel.

Here's one last quote which describes how the Christ's return will unfold (verses 36-44): “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

The 20th Century certainly has been the bloodiest in recorded history. The things we have witnessed just in our lifetimes have to give us reason to pause. The 21st Century has not yet rendered much for our troubled world to hope for - 9/11, bombings in London, Madrid, and Bali. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One hurricane after another stirring up devastation in Florida. A tsunami that snuck up and killed a quarter of a million people. Millions in Africa dying of AIDS and/or starvation. And Hurricane Katrina.

These disasters do not discriminate - just as the fallen tower in Siloam did not discriminate.

In my opinion, God is not punishing anybody. In my opinion, these are the "beginning of sorrows" that Jesus spoke of. These are warnings to those who have not redeemed themselves to Christ. This is an opportunity to come to Jesus.

For those who know Jesus, and the peace that surpasses all understanding, these are signs of hope - that he will soon come for us. In our lifetime? Perhaps. If things keep going the way they are (and I only see them getting worse), I'd hate to see what this world will be like in fifty years. Or ten for that matter.

To those who know Jesus, this is also an opportunity. An opportunity to testify to God's love. To give hope to those are otherwise hopeless. To bring healing where there is hurt. An opportunity to serve and show what a Christian is.

For some, this latest disaster has served to polarize race relations in this country. But I also know for a fact that we've come a long way since the Civil Rights movement of the sixties. Most of us truly believe that we can all get along - and we do get along. What a golden opportunity to let the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. come true in its fullest glory!

Meanwhile, let me remind you that the fig tree which symbolizes Israel was thought to be long dead. Toward the end of World War I, with the Balfour Declaration, it began to sprout buds. In 1948, the fig tree was in full bloom. Surely it must be summer by now.