I write this post knowing that in the coming days there will be a ton of posts from well-meaning individuals about the storm itself being God's judgment against either the Northeast, the United States as a whole, or having to do with the upcoming Presidential election. I want to caution anyone who is going to attempt to make such a broad statement, that they are not only insensitive to what is happening, but they are incorrect.
Jesus confronts people who had come to Him looking for the reasoning behind certain tragedies that had taken place, particularly things that had led to death. One of the instances was a tower that had fallen, killing 18 people. (You can read this account in Luke 13). Jesus' response to those asking whether these people were killed because of their sin, was to say, in essence, that these kind of tragedies could have happened to any one of them, and they weren't based on their sin. In Matthew 5:45, Jesus says that God "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Hurricane Sandy did not take place because of some legislation, or new sin, or even a whim of God. This hurricane is a reminder of the fallen world that we live in, that produces hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and cancer - along with a million other tragedies. This world is fallen because of the decision of mankind to rebel against God, and that's not just something symptomatic in an individual, it is something cataclysmic throughout every molecule in creation.
Jesus said to those asking about the tower, "unless you repent, you will all perish as well." Tragedies remind us of our need of rescue, by a God who offered His Son to pay the debt of sin that we could not pay. Let's pray for those going through hard things, and be called to remember our need for rescue. So when those Facebook posts start placing blame for the hurricane, remember the tower of Siloam and Jesus' words.
