Luke 13:1

The Bible says in Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose you that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you No; but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” Jesus spoke of two incidents that He used as illustrations of why everyone needs to repent.

The thing that is common in these two incidents is the fact that people were killed suddenly: the Galileans by violence and the others by accident when the tower fell on them. Even in our day when people die suddenly and before their time, it is usually because of violence or accident. Life is temporary and sometimes it ends unexpectedly. Why do such things happen? When it does happen to someone that you know or love, don’t make the mistake of interpreting it incorrectly. Jesus made it very clear that such things do not happen as some kind of punishment because of sins. Obviously, that was the interpretation given to these incidents by the people to whom Jesus was speaking. God is a merciful God. For the most part, He does not go around striking people down because of their sins. If He did, none of us would have any hope.

We are all sinners. None of us have earned God’s favor. But the judgment is coming. The way to enter into God’s favor is through faith in Christ, and through repentance. That’s why Jesus emphasized to these people the importance of repentance. Jesus said, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” If you are still under the guilt of your sins, then you are heading towards your own destruction. If you have not changed your mind about the direction that your life is taking, which is an important part of what repentance is all about; and if you have not turned from your sins and turned to the Lord for forgiveness, then you are in a dangerous place. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.” The gracious and loving and merciful God offers you a great opportunity to receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ, but you do not know when your life will be taken away and your opportunity to repent along with it. Remember the words of Jesus, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

The Bible says in Luke 13:6-9, “He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbers it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” This parable was spoken in the context of why people leave this earth before their time. Before leaving the subject, Jesus wanted to cover one more point. The fact is that we were all born into this world for a reason. Once we believe in Jesus, we are given gifts in order to use those gifts to bear fruit for Him.

What happens to believers who for some reason do not bear fruit? We are told what happens in the parable of the barren fig tree. The first thing that happens is that God goes to work to do something in our lives to bring us to the point where we will bear fruit. God is not finished with us. “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” “It’s God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” One of the great things about being a Christian is that it’s all based upon the forgiveness of sins. It’s a religion of a new day and a new chance. If God looks at your life and sees that it is a barren fig tree, the first thing that you can expect is that He will allow things to come into your life that will help you grow and learn and improve for the purpose of bearing fruit for Him.

But there is a limit. That is the second thing that Jesus is teaching in the parable of the fig tree. He may give you many years and many chances, but eventually if He never finds fruit in your life because you never allow Him to work in it, then there is no reason for you to be on the earth. We know that some people leave the earth before their time because of violence or accident. Some believers leave the earth before their time because of unfruitfulness. This concept is also found in First John 5:16 that contains this phrase, “There is a sin unto death.” Serve God while you have time and bear fruit for Him or your time might be taken away.

The Bible says in Luke 13:10-13, “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Miracles are exceptions to the normal order of things. What Jesus normally did was teach. The most important thing that Jesus did was teach. But from time to time Jesus performed miracles to help the unfortunate, but primarily to prove who He was. That’s probably why He touched this woman when he healed her: so there would be no mistake about the source of the healing to those who were present.

As in most of the miracles performed by Jesus, we can see symbolically several elements of salvation. This woman had born her infirmity many years. Undoubtedly, she had longed for deliverance. But there was no deliverance until she met Jesus. The same is true for those who are bent down by the weight of sin. They may try many things to relieve their conscience, but they will never find a solution like the one that Jesus offers: total and complete forgiveness. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. Jesus can make you just as though you had never sinned. And He can give you a new and a better life. He straightened this woman’s back, and He can straighten out the life of anyone that comes to Him. There is no one who is too far gone that his life cannot be straightened out by the Miracle Worker.

Once this woman was touched and healed by Jesus, the Bible says that she “glorified God.” She had an appreciation for God, and a love for God, and a joy in the knowledge of God that she had never known before. The same is true of everyone who meets Jesus. “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace.” “If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.” Of all the problems that human beings can face in this life: disease, hopelessness, depression, guilt, fear, and all the others; there will be no solution until more people experience what this woman experienced when she met Jesus. Jesus said, “You must be born again,” not just for the sake of your eternal destiny, but also for the sake of fulfillment in this life.

The Bible says in Luke 13:14-17, “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.”

Jesus was often accused of having violated the Sabbath day. Someone was wrong. Was Jesus wrong, or were the religious leaders of His day wrong? Of course, it was the religious leaders who were wrong. They made the same mistake that many religious leaders make today. Their traditions became more important than the truth. They became blinded by their traditions, and therefore could not understand or perceive the truth.

What is the purpose of the Sabbath day? The Sabbath day was given by God for the benefit of man, and not for restricting man’s freedom. If the Sabbath day was given for the benefit of man, why would Christ be wrong to benefit someone by healing them? It’s always good to do good. Those who are negative and critical and condemning will oppose those who have the same freedom that Jesus had: to do whatever they think they ought to do for the benefit of those around them. False religion will enslave you. True Christianity will liberate you. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” “Stand fast in the liberty wherein you have been called, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage.”

In Luke 13:18-19 Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed. The Bible says, “Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” Jesus used the mustard plant that grew from a small seed as an illustration of the kingdom of God. He probably used the mustard plant because there were mustard plants near Him as He spoke. He could have used almost any large plant or tree for this illustration, because the important point is that it starts small, but ends big. God takes the insignificant and weak things of the world and makes something out of them. God is in the business of fixing things up and building them up. The kingdom of God starts within us as small as a seed, the seed of the Word and of truth. If the seed of the truth of Christ takes hold in your heart and starts growing, before it is done, it can become like a mighty tree, tall and strong and able to withstand the storms of life, and able to help others.

In the parable of the mustard seed there was a gardener who planted the seed. God is the gardener of the seed of truth. Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Paul spoke of the planting of seed and its growth and he said, “God gives the increase.” What is the great work of God in the world right now? He is building the kingdom of God in the hearts of men and women and boys and girls. When He finds good ground, he plants the seed of truth and it grows. Do what Jesus did. Look at the plants around you and understand what you see. Each plant and each tree is a great example of how the kingdom of God grows.

In Luke 13:20-21 the Bible says, “And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Every time you see a loaf of bread you can remember this teaching that Jesus gave. He wants us to understand something about the kingdom of God. What is it that leaven does to bread that is similar to the kingdom of God?

The first is obvious. Leaven causes the bread to swell and to be greater in size than the bread would be without it. Also, the leaven works on the inside of the bread. No one sees the leaven while it is in the bread dough, but nevertheless the leaven is at work; and eventually the evidence becomes apparent. The kingdom of God is like that. The kingdom of God is growing right now. It’s growing in the hearts of people that have received the truth. Perhaps the kingdom of God is growing in your heart. No one may be aware of it now, but eventually they will because you will become a much greater and better person if you allow the kingdom to grow in your heart.

There was a gardener who planted the mustard seed, and there is a cook who puts leaven in the bread when she makes it. Both are symbolic of God. It’s interesting to note that in one parable Jesus uses a man to symbolize God, and in the next He uses a woman. God is neither male nor female. In reality He possesses the strengths and qualities of both. Both male and female were created in the image of God. Man is made up of male and female. God used a man and a woman in these two parables. Man (mankind) was created in the image of God. Later on in this chapter Jesus will use the symbolism of a female of the animal kingdom in a comparison to Himself when He speaks of a hen that gathers her chicks under her wings.

The Bible says in Luke 13:22, “And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.” At this point in the life of Jesus, He was heading toward Jerusalem for a very specific reason. He was going there to die. Jesus had just taught two parables in which He made it clear that God was doing certain things for the growth of the kingdom of God. Of course, one of the most important things that God did to that end was to send His Son into the world to die for the sins of mankind. Are you a member of the kingdom of God? Through faith in Jesus Christ you can find forgiveness of your sins, and you can have the kingdom of God grow within your heart and mind.

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