The Gospel Of Luke
Chapter 13
(V1-5) We don’t have an exact record in history about this specific incident mentioned here. But basically, Pilate decided to slaughter a group of Galilean Jews on their way to sacrifice to the Lord in Jerusalem and then used their blood as part of the sacrifice.
There is a similar incident before the ministry of Jesus. Pilate wanted to build an aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon to the city of Jerusalem. To pay for it, he demanded money from the temple treasury, money that had been dedicated to God – and this outraged the priests and the people.
When the Jews sent a delegation to beg for their money back, Pilate sent into the crowd soldiers dressed as common people, and at a certain signal they took out daggers and attacked the people asking for the money.
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans…Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them. Jesus here mentioned two disasters that were well known in His day. One was an evil done by man, and the other was seemingly a natural disaster.
We normally think of some people as good and some people as bad and find it easy to believe that God should allow good things to happen to good people and bad things to bad people. Jesus corrected this thinking. Bad things will and do happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.
And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. –In analyzing the issue, Jesus turned His focus from the question “why did this happen?” and turned it to the question, “what does this mean to me?”
It means that we all may die at any time, so repentance must be a top priority. Those who died in both of these instances did not think they would die that very day, but they did, and we can presume that most of them were not ready.
V4unless you repent … V5 unless you repent – Its a shame that it just looks like Jesus repeated Himself here in both these verses but in the original Greek the first repent described a once and for all repentance and the second repent from verse 5uses the Greek verb tense which means a continuing repentance.
(V6-9) After the warning unless you repent you will all likewise perish, Jesus used this parable to illustrate principles of God’s judgment. The first point was simple: God looks for fruit.
The fruit of our life shows what kind of person we really are. An apple tree will bring forth apples, not lemons. If Jesus Christ has truly touched our life, it will show in the fruit we bear – even if it takes a while for the fruit to come forth.
Note that there is a point where the man (God) will lose patience and eventually He will dig up the tree and throw it into the fire.
(V10-13) Though the opposition against Jesus continued to rise, apparently He was still welcomed into some synagogues, even at this late time in His ministry.
(V14) It shocks us that the ruler of the synagogue was so upset at such a wonderful miracle, but it is important to remember how strongly many of the Jewish people held to their Sabbath laws and customs. It’s interesting to note that this synagogue ruler was too frightened to address Jesus directly about this miracle but he said his complaints to the congregation.
(V15-17) Jesus did not miss and hit the wall when speaking to the ruler, again we see hypocrite, being used as these very leaders would have a problem rescuing an animal on the Sabbath if it was in their best interest to do so.
(V18-19) The traditional and often more familiar explanation of this parable is that it describes the growth and spreading influence of the church. Yet in light of both the parable itself and the context of the parables both before and after, this should be regarded as another description of corruption in the church community.
The mustard plant customarily never grows beyond what one would call a bush, and at its normal size would be an unlikely place for bird’s nests.
The large tree-like growth from this mustard seed describes something unnatural.
Trees are used in the Bible to describe human governments, and normally evil governments. That with the fact that normally birds (plural) regularly symbolize evil.
This parable accurately describes what the Roman Catholic Church became in the first few centuries after the Christianization.
In those centuries the church grew abnormally large in influence and dominion, and was a nest for much corruption. “Birds lodging in the branches most probably refers to elements of corruption which take refuge in the very shadow of Christianity.
(V20-21) Jesus used a surprising picture here. Many, if not most, regard this as a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God working its way through the whole world. Yet Yeast is consistently used as a picture of sin and corruption. Again the amount of flour used suggests the idea of massive or unnatural size.
NOTE – Three measures of meal would be about 40 litres, which would make enough bread for a meal for about 100 people.
(V22-24a) In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is still working His way to Jerusalem which He gets to in chapter 19.
Like these who asked Jesus, many people wonder about the salvation of others. But in His reply Work hard to enter the narrow door, Jesus pointed back to the only person’s salvation we can really know, asking, “Are you yourself saved?”
It is necessary Work hard to enter because there are many obstacles in the way. The world is an obstacle. The devil is an obstacle. Probably the worst obstacle is our own mind.
(V24b -27) For many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late – The point is that there will come a time when it is too late to enter; that is why one must have an urgency to enter now.
Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets –There is a real difference between a mere casual interest and working hard to enter.
A casual wish to be saved isn’t enough, because there are too many obstacles in the way. Jesus said they would protest that they knew something of Jesus and had heard something of His teaching.
(V28-30) In speaking of those excluded from the Kingdom of God, Jesus said that they would be in hell.
Jesus was not afraid to speak of hell, and in fact did so more than any other person in the Bible as He alone knew what awaited those who wouldn’t repent and follow Him.
NOTE – An elderly woman speaking to Spurgeon after a sermon on hell that weeping and gnashing of teeth could not apply to her as she had lost all her teeth. He then simply replied, “Teeth will be provided!” More seriously, “The ‘weeping’ and ‘gnashing’ emphasize the horror of the scene: the Weeping suggests suffering and gnashing of teeth despair knowing that it’s too late.
People will come from all over the world – Jesus told His astonished audience that there would be many from all over the world – from many nations – together with God in His kingdom.
This was a shock to the many Jewish people of His day that had been taught that salvation was only for the Jews, and not for the Gentiles.
Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then – This was not intended as a universal law; Jesus did not say, “All who are last will be first” or “All who are first will be last.” Yet some will, and there will be surprises in the kingdom of God. Those who are very prominent in this world may have to be very humble in the next; those whom no one notices here may be the princes of the world to come.
(31) This shows that not all the Pharisees opposed Jesus. These wanted to protect Him from the plotting of Herod.
(32-33) To the Jew the fox was a symbol of three things.
- First it was regarded as the slyest of animals.
- Second, it was regarded as the most destructive of animals.
- Third, it was the symbol of a worthless and insignificant man
NOTE – Herod is a great example of one of those first who would be last. At the time he sat in power and authority, but it would not last long.
Jesus wanted Herod to know that He would continue His work, even to its conclusion. Jesus wasn’t afraid of Herod, and He wanted him to know it.
(34-35) When God repeats a name twice, it is to display deep emotion, but not necessarily anger as shown in the Martha, Martha in Luke 10:41 and the Saul, Saul inActs 9:4.
How often I have wanted –The words how often I wanted are a subtle indication that Luke knew Jesus had visited Jerusalem many times before as clearly recounted in the Gospel of John, even though Luke only mentions this final visit.
And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’]” – Jesus here revealed something of the conditions surrounding His Second Coming. When Jesus comes again, the Jewish people will welcome Him as the Messiah.
It will take a great deal to bring Israel to that point, but God will do it. It is promised that Israel will welcome Jesus back as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 11:26 –
And so all Israel will be saved.
Amen