Who are the greatest sinners? The Chinese people? The news media? Are the politicians more evil than regular folks? How 'bout those who die from the virus? Are they worse sinners than rest of us? Do they deserve what they get?

Just like today, tragic news stories swirled back when Jesus' walked the earth accompanied by inquisitive crowds. In one instance some told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate (the governor) had mingled with their sacrifices.

Jesus turned and asked the crowd, “Do you believe that the slaughtered Galileans were the worst sinners of all the Galileans? No, they weren’t! So listen to me.
Unless you all repent, you will perish as they did."

He then pressed the issue, citing another current event, "Or what about the eighteen who perished when the tower of Siloam fell upon them? Do you really think that they were more guilty than all of the others in Jerusalem? No, they weren’t.
But unless you repent, you will all eternally perish, just as they did.”

Jesus emphatically answered the question they thought, but did not express.

In times of uncertainty and confusion humans are want to fill-in some rational meaning to troublesome events. Without a factual explanation, the natural reasoning of men bends superstitious.

Even as children we learned that bad behavior results in trouble. That bad people get the penalty they deserve.

Many conclude that because an event or circumstance is inexplicable, it must have been God's doing. Or, that because God made all things, He had the power to prevent it, but did not.

Jesus knew that people quickly default to blame. Here, standing before them as the sole, absolute proof that God never wished to blame, condemn, curse or punish, He asserts,
'No, they were not worse sinners, that died a horrible death.'
'No, they were not more guilty, that succumbed to the plague.'

He throttles the blame game, skips all of their superstitious notions, and penetrates the heart of truth - the only matter that matters . . .

"But unless you repent, you will all eternally perish, just as they did.”

The severity of the warning presumes the gravity of our state.

Time and chance, good and evil, storms and tempests, joys and abundant wonders are common to every human being. The circumstances of our death have little to do with our standing with God, (everyone gets to die someday), but the state of our hearts at our death has everything to do with the condition of our life beyond the grave.

There's no more sin in the one who died, than in the one pointing the finger of blame. Every son of man is utterly lost, drenched in iniquity, terrified of pure justice, and desperate for a mere drop of mercy.

The man who warned the crowd that day is the self-same Son, sent from the heart of the Father of Life - who on purpose took all that penalty we deserve, that every soul that turns to Him may walk blameless through death, and joyous into eternity.