The Africa Review in Five highlights African current affairs from a Christian perspective. Listen and subscribe through Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Today is Tuesday, July 25th, A.D. 2023. This is The Africa Review in Five, written by Paul Schlehlein and presented by Yamikani Katunga.
Gas Explosion in Downtown Joburg and Towers of Siloam
On the 19th of July, in downtown Johannesburg, an underground explosion tore through a long stretch of road in South Africa, killing one person and leaving two others critically injured. The blast happened during rush hour, just as people were gathering in the streets to catch mini busses and taxis for their return home. A surveillance camera shows the massive eruption lifting the paved road off the ground, breaking the asphalt to pieces and flipping over dozens of cars. Besides those that were killed or critically injured, another 34 people were harmed and taken to the hospital.
As for now, authorities are saying the cause of the accident was an underground methane gas leak. Apparently, no one knew about an old municipal gas line that was seeping out dangerous toxins below the surface. Everyone seems to be in shock at what transpired.
When we observe seemingly random catastrophes like this, it is always wise to ask ourselves deeper questions. What does the Bible have to say about erratic tragedies in our world? Why does God allow such calamities to snuff out the lives of innocent people? If God is good, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people? If God knows all things, why didn’t he stop the random gas leak from blowing up and harming so many people; from those directly involved in the blast to all the small businesses on the street that will lose revenue as a result of this catastrophe?
The Bible answers these questions from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, in a variety of ways. In fact, mankind has grappled with such conundrums from the beginning of time.
One of the clearest answers comes from a story in Luke 13, where Jesus talks about two unexpected tragedies that struck the people of his day. The first happened in a place that all of us would consider peaceful, the temple in Jerusalem, probably during Passover. This would be the ancient version of a “safe space”. But even that didn’t protect a group of Galileans from being massacred by Pilate. We have no indication the Galileans did anything wrong. They got up that morning thinking they had their whole lives ahead of them. By the end of the day, they were six feet under.
The next tragedy may have been even worse. Eighteen people died when the tower in Siloam fell over and crushed them. Who can explain such freak accidents? Some have tried, saying the victims must have died because of evil in their hearts. The deceased apparently deserved it. These people think like the villagers of Malta, who assumed Paul was a murderer when a snake suddenly lashed out and bit him (Ac. 28:4). After all, misfortunes like this only happen to the guilty. But Jesus wouldn’t allow these arguments to prevail.
Jesus asks twice, both in Luke 13 v. 2 and v. 4, if the deceased were in some way worse sinners than their countrymen. Were they murderers that found poetic justice? Were they drug dealers that deserved an early death? Were they thieves that got what was coming to them? Jesus twice answers with an emphatic ‘no’. They were just normal, everyday people that had reached their final day on earth.
Don’t miss Jesus’ point: tragedy and death can come suddenly to anyone. Death appears instantly to the pious in a temple. Death strikes an innocent crowd near a tall building. Death hits rush hour traffic on a busy street in Johannesburg leaving destruction in its wake. Death transpires through flash floods in Malawi that displace tens of thousands and take numerous lives. Death appears through devastating droughts in the Horn of Africa and affects millions of people in countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya sucking the life from both land and livestock. No one can predict such deaths through unexpected tragedy. But we can be ready with the right answer.
The proper response to all of this is one word: repent! Since we never know when our last breath will come, repentance should come immediately. Don’t think your apparent goodness will protect you from freak accidents. As Jesus said: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The truth is that in God’s eyes, no one is innocent. The question is not, why do bad things happen to good people, but why do good things happen to bad people? You are alive at this very moment. No matter how hard your life has been, God has been good to you by keeping you alive up until now. You still have breath in your body. Do not delay. Towers of Siloam still fall every day around the world. And people will still shake their heads and say, “So-and-so died too young.” As every breath you draw contains molecules testifying to God’s kindness towards you. Take heed of the apostle Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans in chapter 2 v. 4, God’s goodness should lead you to repentence. Don’t take a chance. Repent and follow Jesus. He’s the only sure thing in the universe.
And that’s it for The Africa Review in Five on this Tuesday, July 25th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe to the Missionary Minds podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts. I’m Yamikani Katunga. Be not weary in well-doing.