14.03.25 Luke 13:1-9

Prepare

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your presence today. We pray that here and now, we would behold your glory and by your spirit, be transformed into someone more and more like our risen King Jesus. Amen

Read Luke 13:1-9

Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 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? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 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?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Reflect

In today’s passage, Jesus questions what the crowd has come to agree upon. They assume that those who have died, either cruelly by Pilate or tragically by an accident must have been more sinful & more guilty. Perhaps you have been led to believe the same, that the suffering and tragedy in my life must be because of something I’ve done. Jesus however, makes no such connection in this passage. There is not always a clear reason why, what is clear is our way to respond: suffering and tragedy should move us to repentance and abiding. 

Be

Our redemption speaks of God’s patience and grace.. Let’s pray and give thanks for that this morning

Father, thank you that you are my nature patient. Thank you that you do not want anyone to perish, you want everyone to come to repentance. Thank you that where my sin increases, so does your grace. LORD, with all the guilt or brokenness that remains in me today, I lay it at the foot of your cross Jesus, where my sin was taken away and my sin atoned for.

I trust you when you say “it is finished”

AMEN

Become

Any tree allowed to grow in the vineyard of the kingdom must be one that yields fruit. Take a moment to consider how fruitful your christian life is at the moment? Does it feel like harvest? Everywhere you look, you can see the evidence of God’s spirit in your life? Does it feel more like winter? Where growth is slow and unseen. Maybe you feel you have stopped bearing fruit entirely. Whatever you feel, Jesus offers hope in John 15:

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit”

• LORD, thank you that I can today chose to remain in you

• Jesus, help me remember that what you have begun in me, you will bring to completion

• Holy Spirit, what fruit do you want to cultivate in my life this week?

Do

Jesus is the vineyard keeper who insists that even a tree that appears dead can become fruitful again.

Think about the people in your life or those you have known in years gone by who have lost faith. They may no longer go to church, they may have renounced their faith entirely. 

Hold them in your heart today. Whenever they come to mind,  Ask Jesus to perform a miracle and bring what seems dead back to life. 

Practice

Rarely does a gardener leave a plant to grow without help. Sometimes, a garden trellis is used to support and anchor it’s growth. Sometimes a gardener prunes a tree and in doing so makes it more fruitful. 

What might God want to add or remove in your life that would allow for better growth and more fruit? Where might God be directing you to add a trellis? Where is he looking to prune? As you abide in him today, hold that thought openly and humbly.