I was riding my bike in another part of my city when it happened. A lone man in a rental truck purposefully jumped a curb to drive down innocent Torontonians who were out for a lunch hour walk. Just moments before he made his move, one of my own church members had been walking on the very sidewalk that the man sped down. It hit close to home.
The facts will continue to come to light. What we know so far is the worst of it. Ten dead. Fifteen injured, some quite seriously. A Ryder rental truck has a smashed front end because of this wicked act. And a police officer chose not to shoot but to take a criminal into custody.
Some families in my city are weeping tonight. A mother, brother, friend now gone. So needlessly, so awfully. Others are rejoicing, thankful they were spared. Some individuals are torn – why them and not me? All of us are deeply saddened.
We are generally a happy and peaceful people in Toronto. We love our city, its multi-ethnic feel and bustling vibe. And yesterday we loved getting outside to enjoy that sun. Finally, the warm weather came after a long winter and an unseasonable ice storm the week before.
But even nice cities suffer.
Many years ago, people referred to our city as “Toronto the Good.” But, as Jesus told that rich, young, powerful man, “No one is good.” Not even Toronto.
That is why today, more than ever, Toronto needs Jesus.
One of the deceptions of prosperity and friendliness is that everything will just go on the same way forever and ever. But we never know when our day of reckoning will come.
When a tragedy like this happens, I often think of Jesus’ words with those folks who seemed like the news junkies of his day:
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1–5)
We so easily attribute blame. We want a tit-for-tat universe. “This person died this unfortunate death because of bad karma or because he did something horrible to someone else.” But Jesus debunks that myth in a sentence when he says:
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
These awful tragedies with their injustice and horror are, in part, meant to remind us of something. We all deserve to die for our sins. But praise be to God that He sent His only Son, our Lord Jesus, to die in our place.
The greatest act of injustice in human history was the crucifixion of Jesus. The world’s only sinless man was put to death for no crimes of His own. Yet, in that sacrifice, He took our sin and all the punishment tied to the guilt of that sin upon Himself. He died that we might live.
That is the news Toronto needs most of all tonight. God has sent the only Saviour that the world will ever know, and He will save to the uttermost. He will right every wrong and justice will finally and forever be done.
Even in the face of senseless tragedies, the Good News stays good. In fact, it shines even more brightly than before.
#PrayForToronto
