Repent or Perish
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' " Luke 13:1-9
This week's lesson has two purposes It: 1. confirms thoughts that sin and tragic events are not connected; and 2. sends messages of grace as well as a warning.
Fig trees are interesting. They are good to climb and provide figs to eat, however, they need lots of attention, fertilizer and patience. The parable of the fig tree shows God's great grace because, like us sometimes, it just wasn't producing the results that it should. Its owner had tired of waiting for it, and wanted it cut down. The gardener urged him to give it one more chance, he would give it extra fertilizer and care - if it didn't produce fruit after that, he agreed that it should go. The parable tells us that like the tree, we have some time for repentance, but it will eventually run out. We will have to face a time when God will ask us to show the fruits that we produced during our time on Earth.
Martin Luther and Saint Frances of Assisi knew that there would be a time of accounting for each of our lives. Luther had a morning routine, which included a prayer and repentance. This repentance opens us up to words that change lives, and shows signs of compassion and kindnees for those in need both physically and spiritually.
Repentance is the focus of Lent. We always need God's patience and readiness to change or lives. This enables us to change our habits, attitudes, and sometimes our hearts. Jesus showed us great strength against temptation, and without it we would all live in darkness. He did not depend on himself but fully trusted God.
God's Word in Action:
1. Each morning, take the time to remember whose you are. Confess your sins and repent daily, it will open your heart.
2. God has called us to be the gardeners of his world. This means that we will have to wait longer to give up on others and work a little harder to turn lives (ours or other's) around. Work to allow your faith to control your actions, and fully trust God.
