Today in God's Word—August 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
August 6, Luke 13
How could Israel miss the Messiah their prophets had been talking about for centuries? How could Jesus tell them they were in danger of being left outside, looking in at Gentiles enjoying the banquet with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom? What was causing the gap between Jesus and the Jewish leaders to grow deeper and wider? There are several clues in this passage.
The Jewish leaders had rejected John’s message and were rejecting Jesus because the keynote of both men’s preaching was “Repent.” Jesus stressed the alternative to repentance was perishing. The Jews viewed the tragic deaths of the people they cited as evidence something was amiss in the lives of those unfortunate individuals. But Jesus said the victims were no worse sinners than anyone else, and called everyone to repent.
The story of the barren fig tree points to the spiritual barrenness Jesus had found among the Israelites, the long time God had been patient with them, and the short time his patience would continue. The door of opportunity was closing. Their fruitlessness would bring God’s judgment on them.
The legalist Jews despised Jesus because they despised grace. Jesus healed the woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath who had been afflicted by a disabling spirit for 18 years. But the ruler of the synagogue did not share her joy or join in the praise. He indignantly chastised the people for coming to be healed on the Sabbath! Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the “no healing on the Sabbath” point of view, showing they cared more about an animal than a suffering human being.
The kingdom was coming. It would spring up and grow like a plant from a seed thrown out into the garden. It would spread like leaven spreads through flour in which it is placed. It was coming whether the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders wanted it to or not. It was
coming and would include people the Jews could not imagine in it. And when the kingdom came, it would be too late for those who had rejected the king.
The very heart of God toward these stubborn, unwilling people is in Jesus’ words of lament over Jerusalem: “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” That sad cry also summarized why they were not going to be in the kingdom. God was willing, but they were not.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament, Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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