Have you ever had to mediate conflicts with children? As a schoolteacher, I’ve had my share of interventions. Since time is limited, I try to bring resolution as quickly as possible since I only have them for 40 minutes and there are about two dozen other children who could cause a ruckus at any moment. In my quick mediations, I try to get some sort of apology or perhaps a handshake of reconciliation, even if it’s a hesitant “I’m sorry.” Yet I wonder if they actually mean it when they mumble an apology.

In the Greek, repentance means that you just don’t feel bad for your sin, but you have a fundamental change of mind that causes a change in behavior. It’s not just remorse from the behavior but a new way of living. In the first half of Luke 13 we see two examples where Jesus illustrates people’s need to repent while also shaming a synagogue ruler for remaining bent in rebellion.

Verses 1-5.

There is an erroneous tendency to think that because a tragedy happens to a certain group of people, then those victims must have been engaging in devious sin. Every year there are natural disasters and violent attacks that claim people’s lives and some people use these tragedies as an opportunity to say they had it coming. Jesus says that’s not the case. 

He uses two examples. The first is an account about some Galileans “whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices” (1). There is not a historical recording of this incident. But according to Barclay, there is a similar account recorded before the ministry of Jesus. Pilate wished to build an aqueduct that connected the pools of Solomon to Jerusalem. To pay for it, he wanted to use the offerings from the temple in Jerusalem. The Galileans sent a delegation to Pilate to beg for their money back. In response, Pilate sent soldiers armed with daggers and wearing civilian clothes to stab those who asked to be reimbursed. In the second account, the Tower of Siloam which was located in the southeast section of Jerusalem fell and killed eighteen people.

In both examples, people died suddenly through acts of evil. In the first case, they died by the hands of a murderous tyrant. In the second, through a natural evil involving a collapsed tower. These tragedies could have happened to anybody anywhere and Jesus does not blame the victims. He instead uses these examples as warnings to His hearers that they will likewise perish unless they repent. 

In the media saturated world we live in today, there are endless reports of both moral and natural evils that remind us that things are not okay in this world. So we may turn off the news and focus on things that are uplifting, and that is oftentimes a good choice. Yet do we reflect on our own mortality enough? Jesus doesn’t view life from an earthly lens. He sees all of eternity. People die prematurely in tragic ways and people also live long lives and die from old age, but that doesn’t mean those who die prematurely are more sinful. They simply lived less years on earth. 

We tend to think a lot about those who perish in this life, yet Jesus is concerned about those who will perish in the next life. When we hear reports of tragedy it would be wise for us to not judge those victims as being bigger sinners than us, but instead to live lives of continual repentance or else likewise perish. 

Verses 6-9.

In the Bible, a fig tree often represents God’s blessing or a people who have a special relationship with God. A fig tree had a complex root structure so it would take time to bear good fruit. Three years would be sufficient time. The keeper of the vineyard represents the long suffering of the Lord. Even though the tree ought to be bearing fruit by now, the keeper will dig around it and fertilize it again for another year. 

God is not trying to snuff people out but gives ample time for repentance. Throughout the Old Testament, God puts up with much rebellious behavior yet continues to be merciful. He does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But fruit must be produced or else the tree will eventually be uprooted.

Verses 10-17.

There are normal aches and pains in life. A stiff back, a tight hamstring, or perhaps sore feet. These are considered a normal part of human existence. Then there are debilitating diseases. The woman in this story had a condition which caused her to be bent over. This was probably a form of arthritis which caused chronic inflammation in the spine, causing chronic lower back pain and potentially a fusion of the spine. This disease, which in Latin is called spondylitis ankylopoietica, typically develops in young adulthood and can affect many parts of the body, including the eyes, stomach, skin, knees, and heels. 

This woman didn’t just slouch. She was severely afflicted and had suffered with this condition for eighteen years. As Jesus was teaching He called her over and said, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity” (12). He then laid His hands on her and she immediately was able to straighten up and glorify God. In chapter eight a woman is healed by touching the hem of His garment and power went out from Him. In this instance, healing power was transmitted through the laying on of hands. 

The cruelty of the synagogue leader was exposed as He used the law of Moses to attack Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, treating this miracle as a typical workday task. In Luke six, Jesus responds with a Biblical example when David and his men ate the unlawful showbread when they were hungry. Here, He appeals to the better nature of this ruler by asking him if he waters his animals on the Sabbath. He obviously does. Then ought not this daughter of Abraham be loosed, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, on the Sabbath? This woman did not just have a slouch. She suffered for nearly two decades with Satanic affliction. 

Notice that Luke doesn’t say the synagogue ruler was put to shame by Jesus’ rebuttal. He says His adversaries were put to shame. In 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is called the adversary. This synagogue ruler was in league with Satan as one who opposed Jesus. What ought to be shocking is that the ruler wasn’t simply a parishioner who came in to cause a ruckus, he was the synagogue shepherd who was supposed to look after the wellbeing of his flock. But he cared nothing for their wellbeing and Jesus exposed him.

Not only did Jesus put his hypocritical adversaries to shame, but “the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him” (17). How many stories have been written where good triumphs over evil? The tyrant is left humiliated and defeated by the hero. Jesus is that hero. 

For those who love sin, repentance is a four letter word. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart this way, “For the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it?” Behind a child’s grudgingly spoken “I’m sorry” is a deceitful heart. Yet God knows the heart, and only He is able to take unrepentant hearts of stone and make them hearts of flesh. No matter how many times you’ve sinned, God is faithful to forgive. Do not be like the synagogue ruler, or a barren fig tree. Like the woman who was loosed from her infirmity, God will forgive and restore what the devil has stolen when we live lives of true repentance. 

Questions:

1. Critics question God’s sovereignty and goodness when atrocity and natural disaster strikes innocent people. Christians sometimes say that God is punishing such people because of their sin. How does Jesus address these evils? (1-5).
2. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt 7:15-20). What can be learned from the Parable of the Barren Fig tree (6-9)?
3. Why do you think Jesus healed on the Sabbath so much (10-17)?