When tragedies occur, it's still a very popular thing for people in our culture to say, "Well where was God when this happened?.... Why does God allow this?.... Why do bad things happen to good people? There must have been something going on in their life to receive this judgment of God.."
This thought is sometimes even bantered around by Christians. When that fateful day of 911 occurred, some suggested it happened because America has departed from God (no prayer in public places, "removal" of God from the schools, a culture that has eroded in morals permitting abortion and allowing for same sex marriages).
This type of thinking (that bad things only happen to people who do wrong - i.e., "are sinners") occurred during Jesus' day.
Gospel writer, Dr. Luke, captures this in the thirteenth chapter when he writes,
About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple."Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee? "Jesus asked. "Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, your will perish too." - Luke 13:1-5 NLT
Jesus referred to two local tragedies and denied that these happened because of people's bad or sinful behavior. Rather Jesus focused on the need for mankind to repent, that is to acknowledge his sin and turn to Christ. That's the real tragedy, to live on this earth and die (either through natural causes or through some event that occurs) and to not have asked Christ into your life.
So, understand, there are events in our world that occur and Jesus doesn't say they are because of our sin - but the one thing He is concerned about is that we repent, trusting Him to be our Savior, lest we perish without Him.
