Repairing The Breach

Begin by reading Luke 13:1-9 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’ The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’ In scripture, sometimes the connections between one passage and the next can be hard to fathom, and to my mind at least, the connection between Luke 13:1-5 and the next four verses is not immediately obvious. In the first 5 verses of Luke 13, Luke records Jesus correcting speculation amongst his followers that some people they knew of in Galilee had suffered the most awful of fates (the mingling of their own blood with their sacrifices to God) because they were particularly bad sinners. Jesus sets them straight. These Galileans, as well as another eighteen people who were tragically killed by a falling tower, were no worse than any of the other people in the crowd that day with Jesus. Jesus says, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” The point being, that the people in the crowd should consider the conduct of their own lives rather than being judgemental about the misfortune of others. Ladder - Carol Aust 41