March 7-Lent 3-St. Luke 13:1-9

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Amen.

‘Grace, mercy and peace will be with you, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.’ (2 John 3) Amen.

‘And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”’ (Vv. 2, 3)

Since the beginning of this year, we have had a couple of earthquakes. We have also had mudslides in California, all of which destroyed much personal property. An even greater tragedy, many lives have been lost in all of these natural disasters. As well, from time to time, we hear of buildings that catch on fire or collapse when they should not.

What are we to make of all of this tragedy?

Should we assume that the people in Haiti are somehow greater sinners than any of the rest of us? Or the people in Chile are greater sinners? Perhaps we should take it as a sign that because New Orleans was greatly damaged by a hurricane a few years ago that those who claimed judgement from God were correct. Some said this about hurricane Katrina then; some have said the same about the earthquake in Haiti now.

Really? Is anyone really a greater sinner than someone else is? Is this what we should take from our Gospel. The men in Galilee who were killed, or those upon whom the tower fell in Siloam were they somehow greater sinners. So, those killed in Haiti this year or in Chile this year were somehow greater sinners. Is this what our Gospel is saying.

Obviously not. Those men who brought this up to Jesus were trying to find justification and support for their assumption that this is exactly the case. Jesus would not give such satisfaction to them. If He did, He would be allowing smug self-righteous sinners to remain in their sin instead of calling them to repentance. Instead, Jesus tells them, ‘No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”’ (V. 3)

Rather than supporting these men in their assumption, Jesus condemns their unrepentant hearts. Jesus tells them that if they continue as they have been going, they will find themselves dead as well. However, instead of simply dying a physical death, those who remain in their sin will die eternally. Jesus uses this analogy twice. First, Jesus uses it to reject the assumption that those Galileans who had their blood mixed with the sacrifices as not valid. Then, Jesus continues and reminds them of another tragedy that had happened and told them that also was simply a tragedy. The tragedies that you and I experience but live through and those we only hear about are occasions for us for self-examination.

It is truly a chance for self-examination because the word Jesus actually uses is not sinners. It is a similar word. The connection is similar to what we see in the Lord’s Prayer. Some of the time, it is printed as ‘and forgive us our trespasses’, other times it is printed as ‘and forgive us our debts’. Luke here is using the Greek word for debtors. So, our text in some translations has ‘offenders’. That word sort of covers it all.

The word ‘offenders’ does not completely cover it though. Not surprisingly, ‘debtors’ works the best. That word even flows out of what Jesus was saying at the end of chapter twelve where He is speaking of settling everything with your accuser since if you do not, you will be thrown in prison until you have paid every cent (St. Luke 12:57-59). The prison referred to there is the debtor’s prisons. The family and friends of the prisoner were expected to come up with the money to free him.

This is an apt description of hell for you and me. Jesus, in our lesson, is warning that if we do not repent we will end up in such a situation. We will be thrown in the prison of hell until we have paid every cent. An impossible task (Romans 319-28).

We should take such tragedies as occur in our life as chances to examine ourselves and see, ‘Am I on the correct path? Is there anything I need to repent of?’ It may be that a tragedy falls upon a certain person because he deserves it. We do not know if that is the case and so, we each time help and support the victims of the tragedy through whatever means we are able. While at the same time asking ourselves such questions.

When tragedy strikes, if nothing else, God is using that tragedy in your life as a warning against unbelief and an unrepentant life.

‘And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’”’ (Vv. 6, 7)

Jesus continues to teach them this lesson of the repentant life. He has provided the “moral” so-called for each of those current tragedies. The “moral” from the event of the massacred Galileans and from those on whom the tower fell is, repent that you too might not perish!

Now Jesus changes tactics. Jesus tells the gathered listeners a parable. He speaks of a fig tree planted in a vineyard, which is not producing fruit. What would you do with a fruit tree planted on your land, which had reached maturity but had not produced fruit for another three years? That is where the owner of the vineyard finds himself. The owner in this parable here is God. He has planted a fig tree in his vineyard and waited for it to grow into its fruit bearing years. This happened and so the owner returned over and over, year after year looking for fruit.

Year after year that fruit tree you planted has not been bearing fruit? What would you do? Would you give the plant any more time? Probably not. You would probably give up, dig out the plant and use the land for some other purpose. So, not surprisingly, this is what the owner wants to do. God has come back again and again to check on the Israelites to see if they were bearing fruit. Year after year, God had provided them with what is needed for spiritual growth and as Jesus said last week with God as a hen wishing to gather in His chicks. The people of Israel would not. Again, Jesus is pointing this out to those listening here as well. This parable is telling the listeners, begin to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

As Paul told us, ‘Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.’ (1 Corinthians 10:6) You and I are being warned in the same way. We are being told to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Jesus and Paul are both warning us in the same way. Each is telling us not to follow the example of the Israelites. They refused to repent and were punished with condemnation for such lack of faith.

‘“And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”’ (Vv. 8, 9)

This gardener who intercedes is like Moses, he is a saint praying for those who remain in unbelief. This saint stands in the breach and says to God, “be merciful one more time. I will dig around the base of the tree and lay on manure. If it bears fruit after this, well and good, if not, then cut it out. Cast it into the fire”[1].

When we intercede for those who disbelieve the Gospel through prayer, we repent in the filthy robes of our sins and we sorrow over those who reject the Gospel. When you repent in your filthy robes, God, in Jesus sees us covered in the life-giving blood of Christ and forgives. We pray for those who are not so covered. We pray through the power of the One who not only commands us to do such works also bestows on each of you and even me the ability to repent and produce that same fruit.

All this is flowing to you out of Jesus’ life-giving salvation.

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] The Lutheran Study Bible, note on verse 8, St. Augustine NPNF 1 6:444.