Luke Chapter 13

Discourse on Repentance

            ¹ At that time, some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² He said,

“Do you think those Galileans were more sinful than other Galileans because they suffered this? ³ No, but unless you repent, you’ll die too. ⁴ Do you think the 18 that the tower of Siloam fell on and killed were the most sinful people in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, but unless you repent, you’ll die too.”

            ⁶ He told this story,

“A man had planted a fig tree in his vineyard. He went looking for fruit on it, but didn’t find any. ⁷ He told the vineyard keeper, ‘This fig tree hasn’t borne any fruit for three years. Chop it down. Why’s it taking up space?’

⁸ “He answered, ‘Sir, leave it this year too, till I can dig around it and manure it. ⁹ If it has fruit on it next year, okay. If not, chop^f it down.’”

Lk 13:1-9

Healing on a Sabbath and the Coming Kingdom

            ¹⁰ He was teaching in a synagogue one Sabbath, ¹¹ and a woman there had a spirit that for 18 years made her bent double, and she couldn’t straighten up. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called out, “Dear woman, your deformity’s gone.” ¹³ He laid hands on her, and at once she straightened up and praised God. ¹⁴ The synagogue ruler got angry because Jesus healed her on a Sabbath. He told the crowd, “There are six days for working. Come on those days to be healed, not on a Sabbath.”

            ¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You foolish people, don’t you^pl untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to water on a Sabbath? ¹⁶ Wasn’t it appropriate on a Sabbath to untie this daughter of Abraham that Satan had tied up for18 years?”

            ¹⁷ His critics were disgraced, and the whole crowd was excited about the outstanding things he was doing.

            ¹⁸ So he said, “What’s God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹ It’s like a mustard seed a fellow planted in his garden. It became a tree, and birds nested in its branches.”

²⁰ “What’s God’s kingdom like? ²¹ It’s like yeast a woman put in three pecks of meal till it made the whole batch rise.”  

Lk 13:10-21

Discussions in Perea

            ²² He was teaching from one town and village to another, working his way toward Jerusalem. ²³ Somebody said, “Lord, are few people saved?”

            He said to them,

²⁴ “Make^pl every effort to go in through the narrow door. Many of you will try to go in but can’t. ²⁵ Once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door, you’ll stand outside and knock, ‘Let us in.’ He’ll answer, ‘I don’t know where you’re from.’ ²⁶ You’ll say, ‘We ate with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ He’ll tell you straight off, ‘I don’t know where you’re from. Get away from here, you bad people.’ ²⁸ There’ll be crying and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets in Gods’ kingdom and yourselves excluded. ²⁹ People will come from every direction and sit down in his kingdom. ³⁰ The last will be first and the first last.”

            ³¹ At that time, some Pharisees came up to Jesus, “You need to get out of here! Herod wants to kill you!”

³² ”Tell that old fox, ‘I’ll heal^p and cast out demons today and tomorrow, and finish my work on the third day.’ ³³ But today, tomorrow, and the next day I do need to travel; it’s not thinkable that a prophet would perish anywhere but in Jerusalem!

³⁴ “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! that kills the prophets and stones the messengers that have been sent to you! How many times I’ve wanted to gather your inhabitants like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn’t want to. ³⁵ I’m leaving your house [abandoned]^ms. You won’t see me till you say, ‘Blessed be the One that’s coming in the name of the LORD’” [Ps 118:26].

Lk 13:22-35