Jesus Answers The Tower Question
Month 6: Hard Questions · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 13:1-5
1 At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Memory Verse
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”— 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Samuel 16-18
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 165 of 365 — David grieves a son lost in rebellion.)The Heart of It
People came to Jesus with the question we still ask when something terrible happens. Why? Pilate had killed some worshipers. And a tower in Siloam had collapsed and crushed eighteen people. The crowd wanted Jesus to explain it. Behind their question was an old, wrong idea. They thought the victims must have been worse sinners than everyone else, as if disaster is a scoreboard of who deserves it most. Jesus said plainly, "No." Bad things are not always God paying back bad people. We live in a world broken by sin. Towers fall and rulers do evil, and we cannot read God's secret reasons off the front page of bad news.
But notice what Jesus did with the question. He didn't give a tidy chart of who deserved what. He turned the spotlight around. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish." In other words, the real emergency isn't figuring out why they died. It's whether you are ready to meet God. Every one of us will face death someday. The towers and tragedies of life are loud reminders to make peace with our Maker now, not later. Jesus answers our hardest "why" not by explaining every detail. He pulls us close and says, turn to Me while there is time. That is not coldness. It is love that refuses to let us waste the warning.
Around the Table
When sad things happen, it is not always because someone was extra bad. Jesus wants us to run to Him and stay close.
Let's do it: Hold a parent's hand and say together, "When I'm scared, I run to Jesus."
Jesus said the people who died in the accidents were not worse than anyone else. He used the sad news to ask, "Are you ready to follow Me?"
Let's talk: Why is it kinder for Jesus to warn us than to leave us guessing?
The crowd wanted Jesus to assign blame. Instead, He redirected them to repentance. Tragedy is not a sin-scoreboard. It is a wake-up call for everyone.
Let's go deeper: When friends ask "why did God let this happen?", how can you answer honestly without pretending you know God's secret reasons?
💬 Conversation Starter
What is one "why" question you have wondered about when something sad happened in the news or in our family?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone blames God for every tragedy, gently point out that Jesus Himself refused to treat suffering as proof that victims "had it coming" (). The Bible takes evil seriously, and it points us to hope. And says we share that hope "with gentleness and respect," not by winning arguments.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Your children will meet two cheap answers to suffering. One says, "the sufferer must have deserved it." The other says, "there is no God, so nothing means anything." Jesus rejects the first. The gospel demolishes the second. Notice that He doesn't promise an explanation for every collapsed tower. He promises Himself. Teach your family to hold the tension Scripture holds. God is good and in control. Evil is real and not from Him. And the cross proves He has entered our suffering rather than ignoring it. Your calm trust in the hard moments will preach louder than any tidy theory you could recite.
Draws on: Tony Evans, Theology You Can Count On.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, when sad and scary things happen, help us trust that You are good even when we don't understand. Thank You that Jesus warns us in love. Turn our hearts to You today. In Jesus' name, amen."
Tragedy isn't a scoreboard. It's a tender call from Jesus to come close while there's still time.