Luke 13
English Standard Version
Repent or Perish
13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood (A)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, (B)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you (C)repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in (D)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you (E)repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had (F)a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. (G)Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
A Woman with a Disabling Spirit
10 Now (H)he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had (I)a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he (J)laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she (K)glorified God. 14 But (L)the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus (M)had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, (N)“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! (O)Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, (P)a daughter of Abraham whom (Q)Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, (R)all his adversaries were put to shame, and (S)all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
18 (T)He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like (U)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 (V)It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in (W)three measures of flour, until it was (X)all leavened.”
The Narrow Door
22 (Y)He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and (Z)journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, (AA)will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 (AB)“Strive (AC)to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 (AD)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, (AE)‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, (AF)‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, (AG)‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, (AH)I do not know where you come from. (AI)Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 (AJ)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see (AK)Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but (AL)you yourselves cast out. 29 And (AM)people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and (AN)recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, (AO)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Lament over Jerusalem
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from (AP)here, for (AQ)Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day (AR)I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, (AS)I (AT)must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that (AU)a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 (AV)O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that (AW)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! (AX)How often would I have (AY)gathered (AZ)your children together (BA)as a hen gathers her brood (BB)under her wings, and (BC)you were not willing! 35 Behold, (BD)your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, (BE)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Luke 13
The Message
Unless You Turn to God
13 1-5 About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”
6-7 Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?’
8-9 “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn’t, then chop it down.’”
Healing on the Sabbath
10-13 He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. “Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.
14 The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.”
15-16 But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”
17 When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.
The Way to God
18-19 Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like an acorn that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.”
20-21 He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises.”
22 He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.
23-25 A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”
He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’
26-27 “You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’
28-30 “That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.”
* * *
31 Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s got your number. He’s out to kill you!”
32-35 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,
abuser of the messengers of God!
How often I’ve longed to gather your children,
gather your children like a hen,
Her brood safe under her wings—
but you refused and turned away!
And now it’s too late: You won’t see me again
until the day you say,
‘Blessed is he
who comes in
the name of God.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson