Luke 13:1-9
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 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 all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
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?’ 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.’”
Truth: Time is running out!!
One of the ten truths on my work web site that I confess over and over in front of audiences where I speak states, "Time is running out." It is one of my life laws. There are many things in life we are not sure of, but one thing we can count on for sure, is that time is, indeed, running out. In the above story and parable, Jesus is confronted by "some present" about two specific disasters that had recently occurred. We have no other reference in God's Word, or historical document about these events. The events, however, happened and "some present" wanted Jesus take on it. By His answer we can assume those asking wanted to know if their "sin" caused this to happen? Jesus takes the incidents to press them toward repentance. His teaching tells us the quantity of the sin of those killed was not the point to consider, but rather that time is running out and one must use that time left to seek God in repentance. To fuller illustrate the point Jesus tells them a parable about a fig tree that has not born any fruit (a fig tree planted in a vineyard). The vinedresser was ready to uproot and destroy the fig tree. However, the "vinedresser" was willing to work on the fig tree and was given one more year to cultivate it, inducing fruit, or it would be destroyed. The emphasis of the parable is to illustrate what Jesus just taught about limited time in this life to repent. The fig tree bearing fruit is the picture of mankind repenting while we have time to repent. The entire teaching in this chapter and the preceding is on the judgment of God that is coming on mankind and our response to it. We like to plan our lives for retirement. We seek enjoyment and pleasure and NO WORK in our later years. What Jesus is telling us is that time is running out and we ought to seek Him in repentance before the end comes. We don't know the end and have no assurance of any further days on this earth. We only have this moment and that should be used for seeking Him through the fruit of repentance. Luke may be the only Gospel writer who spoke of these two stories, but he is not the only one who emphasized repentance:
Matthew 3:7-9
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
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