In Jesus day, there wasn’t really any question that sin was a problem, nor that it deserved judgement.. A culture that accepted the reality of sin may seem a long way from our “sinless and shameless” culture today. However, there were questions about the nature of sin and more pertinently who was a sinner. To be classified as a sinner was to be identified as someone separated out from God’s people and looked down on.
In this section, we see Luke introduce an incident that is unique to his Gospel, the discourse about the tragic killing of festival pilgrims at the hands of Pilate and the loss of lives when the wall fell at Siloam. He also draws in material used elsewhere in the other Gospels as he narrates a number Jesus’ parables here. The focus throughout is on the urgency of repentance.
Read Luke 13:1-9
Sone people come to Jesus and report a horrendous, tragic atrocity to him. Pilate has had some Galileans killed. Worse than that, he has mixed their blood with sacrifice blood. This may indicate that they were carrying out their own ritual sacrifices close to the Temple which would indicate that it was at Passover. [1] Note that whilst this could fit with a number of contemporary events, we are not told the exact occasion, they are referring to.[2] It seems that there is an implicit question here, or at least Jesus takes there to be one and supplies an answer. He asks them if these men were any more guilty of sin than they were. It’s a rhetorical question, the answer is “no.” They are not to sit in judgement on those who suffered this tragedy but rather see it as an urgent warning that they must repent or hey will face an even more serious judgement, eternal punishment (v1-3).
Jesus then offers another example. If the first one was of intentional harm, this, if not natural causes, was accidental. A wall had fallen on some people, killing them. Were they greater sins than others who did not die? Again, the answer is “no.” However, the tragic deaths should serve as a warning to others not t treat God with contempt (v4-5).
Jesus sums up his point with a parable. He describes a farmer who has tried everything with a fruitless fig tree. ` The owner is willing to give things a bit longer and try new tactics but judgement is delayed not averted unless there is change. (v6-89.
Read Luke 13:10-17
Once again, Jesus is teaching on a sabbath day in the synagogue. A woman is present who is crippled so that she cannot straighten up. Luke tells us that this is caused by a spirit, distinguishing It from a natural illness. Jesus calls her over and declares that she is “free” from weakness/infirmity. Note that, tied in with the reference to a spirit, language of being bound and loosed is used throughout. When Jesus places his hands on her, immediately she is able to stand up straight and she rejoices (v10-13).
The synagogue elder is not so happy and complaints that Jesus should have used the other 6 days in the week to do his healing work. He also tells the people present that they should come on other days to be healed. The sense is that this is a distraction from the real business of gathering (v14).
Jesus takes his argument apart. First, he observes the hypocrisy of his opponents’ position. They will happily give up the Sabbath to tend to their animals but not a human made in God’s image. Secondly, he observes that the woman is a daughter of Abraham, or one of his descendants and heirs. Shouldn’t she be able to enjoy the blessings of the covenant with him? Third, he points out that it is the enemy, Satan who has caused her to be sick. So, isn’t the Sabbath actually the best day for her to be freed from her chains, healed and restored (v15-16).
His opponents are shamed but the rest of the people delight in what they see (v17).
Read Luke 13:30-31
Luke recounts two parables here that Matthew (for both) and Mark (for the first) include as part of a string of parables with farming themes that are hooked onto the Parable of the Sower.[3] In the first parable, a small seed is planted which grows into a tree providing shelter for the birds.
Some people have associated the bird in this parable with those who eat from the path in the parable of the sower and suggested sinister connotations. Is this a prophecy that the church will grow into a mighty institution and do the birds therefore, once again, represent Satanic activity, even within the shelter of the official church? This is to read the parables allegorically and treat the words as code used consistently across them. However, I don’t think this is how we are meant to read them, rather we are to home in on the primary point. We should not assume then that a word will have the same application across each story told. Elsewhere, Jesus invites us to think positively when considering the birds and their lack of worry. So, I would take the parable at its most straightforward and obvious meaning, a promise that God’s kingdom will grow, even if it appears small to Jesus’ followers (v18-19).
In the second parable, a woman works a small amount of yeast into a large amount of flour, it works through the whole of the dough that she makes and so the bread rises (v20-21). Put both parables together and they point to the growth and influence of the Kingdom of God despite its apparent smallness.
Read Luke 13:22-30
Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem. Perhaps he is already beginning to lose followers who are uncomfortable with the direction of travel because he is asked if only a small number of people will be saved. Perhaps also, the person is thinking of those Scriptures which point to a faithful remnant (v22-23).
Jesus urges those with him to make every effort to get into God’s kingdom through the narrow door. This might remind us of the description of two ways, the wide road to destruction and the narrow path to salvation. We might also think in terms of narrow windows and timeframes as Jesus says that the door won’t be open for long. Jesus’ follows need to make use of the opportunity now because they don’t know when the door will close and judgement come (v24-25a).
Once time is up and the door closes, there are no second chances, those pleading fr extram mercy will be told “I don’t know you” (v25b-27) Jesus warns that his listeners will find themselves locked out of the party, looking on in distress as they see Abraham, the patriarchs and the prophets on the inside. Their distress will be heightened as they, descendants of Abrahm watch on whilst the Gentiles are invited in (28-29). Those who seemed to be at the front of the queue to get entry will be last, they will miss out as others get to go in, recognised and known by the door keeper.
The proverbial words about the first being last are not, in this case then, about having to wait your turn. Rather, they are a serious warning that some who we expect to be first and sure certainties when it comes to salvation may not be.
Read Luke 13:31-35
Jesus is warned by some Pharisees that Herod has turned against him and is plotting his demise. We are not told whether this is a genuine warning from friends – which is possible, we shouldn’t assume tight boundaries between Jesus and the Pharisees – or whether they are trying to discourage and threaten him to get him to move on (v31).
Jesus is undeterred and sends a message back to Herod to the effect that he is going to keep going about his business and cannot be stopped. Notice the mention here of “the third day.” Even if Herod or anyone else succeeds in killing Jesus they won’t and cannot stop him forever (v32). Jesus sinsists that he must complete the journey to Jerusalem, that he is safe outside but must go there because that is where the prophets are killed (v33), Jesus laments for Jerusalem because the city is the place where God’s prophets die instead of being a place of protection (v35).
What time is it?
Rather than being distracted by debates about theodicy[4]and speculation about the moral status of tragedy victims, Jesus urges his hearers to repent. He then tells synagogue rulers that if they are more concerned with alleged technical law breaches than the life and health of a woman they they’ve missed the point of the Sabbath. He encourages a sense of urngency, wanring that his hearers need to repent and follow now because there is ony a narrow window before judgement comes.
We may prefer not to mention judgement, sin, repentance and Hell. We fear that this will put hearers off. Jesus has no qualms about dealing with those things because he knows that his time is coming. Are we alert to the urgency now and prepared to warn people, calling them inro repentance?
[1] See Bock, Luke 9:51-21:53, 1204-1205.
[2] See Bock, Luke 9:51-21:53, 1205.
[3] See Matthew 13:31-33 and Mark 4:30-32.
[4] Understanding the cause of suffering and God’s involvement in it.
Faithroots 