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And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
Note 2 at Lu 13:2: This passage of Scripture raises a similar question to the one that Jesus' disciples asked about the blind beggar in Joh 9:1-2 (see note 2 at Joh 9:2): does excessive sin cause special judgment?
Jesus had just taught that final judgment will be according to people's knowledge. Those who know more will be judged more harshly than those who sin in ignorance (see note 5 at Lu 12:48). Sometimes, there can be special judgments due to excessive sin (Er and Onan, Ge 38:7-10; Nadab and Abihu, Le 10:1-2; Achan, Jos 7:19-26; and Herod, Ac 12:23). However, God's mercy can delay the execution of His judgments (Ge 15:16 and Lu 13:6-9). In these instances, Jesus was saying that these people were not sinners any more than anyone else. It was just because of God's mercy that they hadn't all been consumed.
Jesus was warning those present not to take God's lack of judgment on them as God's acceptance (2Pe 3:9 and 15) but to realize that unless they repented, they would likewise perish. This applies to everyone at the last judgment, but when Titus plundered Jerusalem in A.D. 70, it literally came true for some of those whom Jesus was talking to. Walls fell and crushed many people as Jerusalem was burned.