Day 31 Lent 2023
It’s funny how perspectives shape things. This is the 13th chapter of Luke today. It is thirty-five verses long, and I consider that short now. Thanks, Luke.
1Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?
3“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Luke 13:1–3 (NASB95)
Pilate apparently killed some people in the temple as they offered sacrifices. The temple sacrifices were animals slain and the blood ritualistically sprinkled, which is the last line in the first verse. The Jewish people were outraged at this, but we don’t really know much about the incident beyond the fact that it matched Pontius Pilate’s reputation. However, Jesus turns this around on the people listening, which I’ll wager they weren’t expecting and didn’t like. Jesus uses a word the modern church seems to have forgotten, but Jesus also points out something else. We are all sinners. We are all worthy of punishment under God’s Law. Romans 3:10 from Paul gives us that.
10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
Romans 3:10 (NASB95)
As it is written in Psalms 14 and 53, verses one through three in both cases. No one is without sin, which is what it means when it says “…none righteous.” There isn’t a middle ground between “without sin,” “neutral thinking about being good but haven’t actually done anything bad yet,” and “I am such a good boy or girl God loves me.” There is either righteous or unrighteous, and we are all unrighteous in God’s eyes.
That doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us. He does. Here’s another verse everyone knows, John 3:16.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NASB95)
You and I are part of “…the world” that God so loved. Everyone is. The thing that the people of the world fail to recognize is that they’ve been lied to. We know this, but they do not. They’ve bought into the lie that the images they see on social media, television, and their favorite celebrity publications are all lies. Those glamorous places and things they see other people doing have huge amounts of baggage attached to them. But, the media tells them this is what they should want, have, or do to be happy. So, they get it or do it. When their life doesn’t flip around and become this gold-plated wonderland they see in the tabloids, they drop into depression because they don’t know what else to do as the world keeps telling them to do what they’ve already done, and it didn’t work. Jesus offers an alternative, but the world tells them another lie. It baffles me that people continue to believe people they catch lying to them. It further baffles my mind that they keep trying the thing that doesn’t work, and they know it doesn’t work, but maybe this time, it will be different. It won’t be different.
If you want a different outcome, you have to do something different. You cannot continue to do the same thing over and over and expect it to change. Jesus, is that something different.
Jesus even says that in verse three, back at the beginning of today. He even uses a word the church has moved away from. We don’t hear it or use it in church much anymore because the people of the world have infiltrated doctrine, and they don’t like it. That word means we must do something different to get a different outcome, and people don’t like change. That word is “repent.” Jesus thought it was important enough to say again in another example.
4“Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
5“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 13:4–5 (NASB95)
Notice here the first instance was caused by Man in the slaying of the people in the temple. The second instance was caused by nature or natural causes. In both cases, Jesus’ response is the same. Repent. I’m not suggesting Jesus is suggesting those people who had the building collapse on them “had it coming.” I am suggesting that we are all under sin and have until the time of our passing to repent of that sin and follow Jesus. This concept is so important Christ offers up a third example in a parable to try and tie it all up neatly for His listeners.
6And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.
7“And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’
8“And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;
9and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’ ”
Luke 13:6–9 (NASB95)
God, Man, or Nature will eventually end everyone’s life. That is the man who has come to the tree. We are the fig tree. The dresser is Jesus. Christ is asking God to give us a second chance as Christ tries to salvage the tree that doesn’t bear God any fruit. So, Jesus spreads the fertilizer of His Word around the tree to try and coax it into being productive. If, after Christ has tried, the fig tree still doesn’t produce any fruit for God, it will be cut down and cast into the fire.
10And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.
12When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”
13And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
Luke 13:10–13 (NASB95)
Here is yet another amazing healing miracle. Pay attention to what the woman did after, though. She didn’t glorify Jesus. She glorified God, who was the one who made the healing possible. It is all to the glory of the Father. But also, Jesus did this on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. Remember, God commanded everyone to keep this day holy and rest because He rested from all His labors in making the world.
8“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9“Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
11“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8–11 (NASB95)
This is one of the Big Ten, the Ten Commandments. The Jewish people and many other Christian traditions take this commandment very seriously. However, in Jesus’ day, the Pharisees went to extremes, and Jesus knew it.
14But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
Luke 13:14 (NASB95)
Let’s see how Jesus reacted to this.
15But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?
16“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
17As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
Luke 13:15–17 (NASB95)
You do you, and I’ll do me, but I get the idea here that Jesus’ point is that as sinful, fallen human beings, we all must rest sometime. However, there are always going to be things that must be done. For those things that must be done, do them. However, we all must take a day of rest at some point. When God created the Heavens and the Earth, it didn’t say that “on Monday God said let there be light” and then, “and God rested on Saturday (or Sunday or any other day) and saw all that He had made and knew that it was good.” God just rested when His work was done. You and I need to declare a day of rest, one in seven. That’s my take on it, anyway.
18So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?
19“It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
Luke 13:18–19 (NASB95) Ezekiel 17:23
Haley’s Bible Handbook says the mustard seed and the yeast parables relate to the beginning, growth, and eventual end of the Kingdom of God and our faith journey. It begins with a tiny seed but, over time, grows until it becomes a massive thing overshadowing everything. It becomes so big that it brings goodness and shelter to everything around it. I relate more to the yeast parable as I’m working on learning how to make sourdough.
20And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
21“It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13:20–21 (NASB95)
We aren’t told that Christ departed the area of Galilee, but the next verse leads off with a bit about His teaching elsewhere.
22And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.
23And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,
24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:22–24 (NASB95)
Strive is an old-fashioned word. It means to work at something, struggle, compete, fight, or contend with an adversary. Strive is often used in conjunction with someone else where a competition is being discussed. In our efforts to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we are competing against Satan, who does not want us to be successful in reaching the Kingdom of God.
Jesus also states that the entrance into the Kingdom of God is narrow, meaning only a few can pass through it simultaneously. He knows the prize on the other side is worth the effort, so He instructs us to fight, to struggle, to work hard to gain entrance, and He knows it will be a struggle to achieve that goal.
This isn’t Jesus telling us salvation is a works-based journey. Jesus explains that it will be hard like a fight against an adversary is hard. He also knows it is worth it. There’s a very good reason Jesus tells us to work hard to gain entry through the narrow gate.
25“Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’;
27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’
28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.
Luke 13:25–28 (NASB95) Psalm 6:8
“God would never lock me out.” Really? Jesus just said some of us will be left out, and not only that, we are evil-doers. I am not interested in Jesus or God saying They don’t know me or asking me to leave. I want to be on the other side of that door, not with the people where the wailing and gnashing of teeth is.
29“And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
Luke 13:29 (NASB95)
There are people in the world who think only a certain type of person, people from certain backgrounds or areas, will be in Heaven. They are wrong. Jesus tells us people from everywhere will be in the Kingdom of Heaven with God. That proclamation gets better or worse, depending on your point of view.
30“And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:30 (NASB95)
I’ll wager this will happen to us all too. People we assumed would be there won’t be. People we thought had no shot of being in heaven will be there. We will be amazed to see who is in heaven and who isn’t. And we’ll be amazed to see who is held in high regard by God and who is allowed entry but is simply held in low regard.
31Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
32And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’
Luke 13:31–32 (NASB95)
Herod has been trying to kill Jesus for a long time. He didn’t succeed when Christ was a baby, and he won’t succeed now. Jesus has a job to do, and He will accomplish His task because it is what God wants.
33“Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.
34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
35“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Luke 13:33–35 (NASB95) Psalm 118:26
Jesus laments the Jews rejected Him. At least He laments those who did not accept and follow Him. Remember, all those who did follow Him and did accept Him were Jewish. Our roots as Christians are Jewish. The Old Testament of our Bible is the Jewish holy book and still is. We have a lot to thank Judaism for as the basis for our faith. Yes, the Pharisees and Sadducees were Jews as well and worked to kill Jesus, but that had to happen for salvation to enter the world. We would still be living under the Law with sacrifices and atonement for infractions, small and large, had the crucifixion not happened. We should hold no animosity toward Judaism for that event. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the author of our faith and that which imputes His righteousness upon us. Do not tarnish it with antisemitism or hatred. It is why we rejoice on Easter with the empty tomb because Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.