Current Events

I am not much one for the massive inflow of "news" that is available— the all-news cable stations, internet websites, magazines, newspapers. I have enough trouble finding time to read the newspaper— and we only get it on Saturday and Sunday!

However, there are few things more revealing of the hearts of men than the news. Additionally, the news is full of excellent examples of spiritual truths and daily events that can illustrate biblical teaching. I was instructed yesterday regarding the example of our Lord, who used a few "current events" from his day to point out spiritual truth.

In Luke 13:1–5, upon being notified about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, Jesus responded with a question. He asked the people around him if these people were suffering these punishments because of their sin was so much greater than the rest of the population. His response was that all who refused to repent would suffer a far worse fate.

Two things jumped out at me: first, Jesus was familiar with the events of the day (he even brought up an additional "current event" in verse four). Second, he viewed these events not as facts or trivia, but as teaching tools to illustrate spiritual lessons.