‘Tenbatsu’ is apparently a Japanese word for ‘divine judgement’ and earlier this week the governor of the region worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan has apologised for suggesting that the disaster was God’s judgement upon an egotistical nation.

I know nothing about Japan’s religion – though I gather that it contains a syncretistic mix of various religions – and cannot say whether this is a common understanding of God’s character or not. But for this one person God seems to be a harsh and vengeful personality.

Within the Christian revelation we would have to accept that there is an understanding about having to face the consequences of our actions. There is too much about judgement in Scripture for us to be able to ignore it. But our revelation of God has been mediated to us through Jesus and in him we see a God who is ‘slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness’ (Psalm 103). In Jesus we see God our Father who waits patiently for the return of his children.

In Luke 13 we have Jesus referring to the story about the tower of Siloam that fell and killed 18 people. He remembers the story in the context of a lengthy teaching on judgement but suggests to his listeners that those killed were no more deserving of judgement than anyone else. It seems that usually in that culture the story was told in order to highlight God’s vengeful visitation on men who deserved their plight. However, in the retelling of the story in his own way I would argue that Jesus is de-coupling the story from its usual interpretation and saying that there is no connection between the disaster befallen on the 18 and their sinful lives.

God-as-judge is often a picture conjured up during times of natural disasters. And while God will judge one day, he does so in and through Jesus our Saviour in whom and for whom creation was made.